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This pumpkin cinnamon roll cake is a perfectly moist pumpkin cake with pockets of swirled cinnamon and brown sugar topped with a maple glaze. It tastes just like you are eating a cinnamon roll! This is one of the best fall cakes!
This recipe is like taking the best of two worlds, absolutely perfect pumpkin bread and quick and easy cinnamon rolls, and combining them to make this AMAZING cake. You are going to love it!
Pumpkin Cinnamon Roll Cake
This decadent, moist cake is such a beautiful cross between a cinnamon roll and cake you know if you should eat it for breakfast or dessert. I suggest both! It starts with a perfect pumpkin cake. This cake is so moist and delicious. But the brown sugar cinnamon mixture swirled throughout it the BEST!!
Just when you think it can’t get any better, THEN you drizzle it in a maple glaze, and that seeps down into the cake, creating the best complimentary flavors. It tastes just like a cinnamon roll in cake form and is one of the best things that I will EVER have. You will not regret making this cake. You will make it again and again! This is the kind of cake that you can’t get enough of and then you secretly lock yourself in your closet to eat it.
Pumpkin Cinnamon Cake Ingredients
These ingredients are probably all ones that you have on hand during the fall season. So why not make this delicious cake with them? Check out the recipe card at the bottom of the post for exact measurements.
- Flour: All-purpose or unbleached flour provides a strong structure for this cake.
- Salt: The salt enhances all of the flavors in the ingredients.
- Sugar: The sugar provides sweetness and moisture.
- Baking Powder: This acts as a raising agent for the cake to make it light and fluffy.
- Cinnamon, Nutmeg: The perfect combination of spices for pumpkin. Use homemade pumpkin spice if you really want that fall flavor to shine through!
- Eggs: I always like to use large eggs when I am baking.
- Milk: You can use Skim, 1 percent, 2 percent, or whole milk in this recipe.
- Canned Pumpkin: Not to be confused with pumpkin pie filling! You can make your own pumpkin puree using this recipe!
- Vanilla: This adds the best flavoring to the cake.
- Butter: The butter adds moisture and a velvety richness.
Cinnamon Sugar Topping
- Butter: Let the butter sit out beforehand so that it can soften to room temperature.
- Brown Sugar: Dark brown sugar provides a deep rich flavor.
- Flour: Creates a bit of thickness to help it stick.
- Cinnamon: You can’t have a cinnamon cake without some cinnamon!
Glaze
- Powdered Sugar: Sift the powdered sugar for best results.
- Maple Syrup: If you don’t have any pure maple syrup on hand, then you can make some easy imitation maple syrup with this recipe!
- Milk: I used 1 percent, but you can use whatever you have on hand.
- Vanilla: Add a splash of vanilla for some delicious flavor.
Making Cinnamon Roll Cake
Not only does this cake use simple pantry ingredients, but it’s super easy to make too! Delicious and easy, make this recipe a win-win!
- Prep: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9×13 inch pan and set it aside.
- Stir together the dry ingredients: In a large bowl, combine flour, salt, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, and nutmeg.
- Mix wet ingredients: In a medium bowl whisk eggs, milk, pumpkin, and vanilla. Then you slowly stir in melted butter.
- Combine: Combine wet ingredients with the flour mixture and then mix until combined. It will be stiff. Spread evenly into the prepared pan.
- Drop and swirl: In a medium bowl, combine the butter, brown sugar, flour, and cinnamon. Then, drop by tablespoons over the cake and swirl with a knife.
- Bake: Bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes or until the toothpick comes out nearly clean from the center.
- Drizzle: Place powdered sugar, maple syrup, milk, and vanilla in a large bowl. Whisk until smooth. Drizzle over warm cake and then serve warm or at room temperature.
Tips and Variations to the Best Pumpkin Cake
This pumpkin cinnamon cake is for sure going to be a favorite at your house after you try it! Use these tips and tricks to make it the best of the best!
- Cream Cheese Frosting: You can definitely make cream cheese frosting and drizzle it on top instead of the glaze if you want. Add a teaspoon of Maple flavoring to the cream cheese frosting to keep that intense maple flavoring.
- Swirl: To get a good even swirl, run your knife halfway into the batter and swirl back and forth 10-15 times. You want that scrumptious cinnamon swirl all the way through.
- Spice: You can add pumpkin pie spice instead of just cinnamon and nutmeg. It’ll give it more of a pumpkin taste and then you will really want to make this recipe again!
Storing and Reheating Leftovers
If you have leftover pumpkin cinnamon roll cake, then call yourself lucky! This stores great and tastes just as good the next day!
- In the Refrigerator: Keep in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days. If you store it in the fridge, it will last about 5 days.
- In the Freezer: This cake can also be frozen in a freezer-safe container. Make sure it’s airtight and it will keep for up to 2-3 months.
- To Reheat: This is best served warm, so it’s all ooey and gooey and tastes fresh! Microwave individual servings for 10-20 seconds.
More Pumpkin Recipes to Try
If you can’t get enough pumpkin recipes like me then don’t you worry! I have a lot more where this one came from. They are all so delicious, the hardest part will be deciding which one to make next!
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Pumpkin Cinnamon Roll Cake
Ingredients
Cinnamon Sugar Topping:
- 1 cup butter softened
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 2 Tbsp. flour
- 1 Tbsp. cinnamon
For the Glaze:
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- ¼ cup pure maple syrup
- 2 tablespoons milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
Instructions
To Make the Cake
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9×13 inch pan and set it aside.
- In a large bowl, combine flour, salt, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, and nutmeg.
- In a medium bowl whisk eggs, milk, pumpkin, and vanilla. Slowly stir in melted butter.
- Combine with the flour mixture and mix until combined. It will be stiff. Spread evenly into the prepared pan.
- In a medium bowl combine the butter, brown sugar, flour, and cinnamon. Drop by tablespoons over the cake and swirl with a knife.
- Bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes or until the toothpick comes out nearly clean from the center.
To Make the Glaze
- Place powdered sugar, maple syrup, milk, and vanilla in a large bowl. Whisk until smooth. Drizzle over warm cake. Serve warm or at room temperature.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
This has my taste buds jumping for joy!! Can this recipe be made smaller and baked in a smaller pan? Has anyone done that? Hopefully someone has experience and can advise me……thanks for your help.
I had a bit of pumpkin left from another dessert and decided to give this a try. It was only the pumpkin purée not pumpkin pie filling. It turned out really good! I added pumpkin pie spice 2 t.into the cake batter and just the one t. of cinnamon as stated in the recipe. It was moist and tasty! We had it with cinnamon ice cream. Wow! This will be on our fall menu again! Thank you for sharing.
Looks so good, I cannot wait to try it! October is already booked solid with social gatherings, I think this will be the recipe I’ll make!! Thank you for the Yumm!!
Hi Alyssa. This looks delicious. I do have one question: The recipe says pumpkin pie filling. Is that canned pumpkin? I ask because most recipes call for canned pumpkin and not the filling. Have a beautiful day! Thanks for the recipe!!
This cake looks amazing! My cinnamon buns usually come with cream cheese icing but I’m loving the idea of the maple icing glaze. My family would totally love this. Let the pumpkin eating fun begin!!
Thanks for sharing.