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Cinnamon Roll Cake is a cinnamon roll turned into an ooey-gooey, delicious cake! Swirled with buttery brown sugar cinnamon and topped with a sweet glaze… this is the BEST cake EVER!
We love all things cinnamon roll at our house! You should also try: Quick 45 minute Cinnamon Rolls, Cinnamon Roll Cupcakes, and Baked Cinnamon Roll Oatmeal!
The Best Cinnamon Roll Cake
This cinnamon roll cake first made its debut on the blog in 2012. One of the first and BEST recipes here on the blog. But the pictures just weren’t doing it any justice. A soft and gooey Cinnabon cinnamon roll turned into a cake!? You know this HAS to be good! The best part is every time I make it, I have all of the ingredients on hand, so there’s no grocery trip required.
This cake gets swirled with buttery cinnamon brown sugar and is baked to perfection. Once you pull it out of the oven, you add on the glaze and it just melts on top perfectly. I am telling you, this cake is to die for. It’s the perfect comfort dessert and great for any occasion! My kids beg me for it all of the time. Serve it fresh out of the oven and it will be gone in a matter of minutes!
Ingredients for Cinnamon Roll Cake
Together, these ingredients come together to create a delightful cinnamon roll cake that’s both comforting and delicious! I know your family will love it as much as mine does.
- Flour: Provides the base for the cake, giving it structure and texture.
- Salt: Enhances the overall flavor of the cake, balancing the sweetness.
- Sugar: Adds sweetness to the cake batter and the cinnamon filling.
- Baking Powder: Helps the cake rise and become light and fluffy.
- Milk: Adds moisture and richness to the batter, so you have an extra tender cake.
- Eggs: Contribute to the cake’s structure and also help bind the ingredients together.
- Vanilla: Infuses a warm, aromatic flavor into the cake, enhancing its taste.
- Butter (melted and softened): Melted butter in the batter adds richness, while softened butter in the filling creates a gooey texture.
- Brown Sugar: Creates a luscious, caramel-like filling with a hint of molasses flavor.
- Cinnamon: For that classic cinnamon roll taste.
- Nuts (optional): Adds crunch and a nutty flavor for those who enjoy extra texture.
For the Glaze:
- Powdered Sugar: Adds sweetness and also gives the glaze a smooth texture.
- Milk: To adjust the consistency.
- Vanilla Extract: For some extra delicious flavor!
How to Make Cinnamon Roll Cake
Grab all of your ingredients and get ready to make the most amazing cinnamony dessert! Cinnamon roll cake will have the whole family hooked after the first bite.
- Preheat Oven, Prepare Batter: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Then with an electric mixer or stand mixer, combine the flour, sugar, salt, baking powder, milk, eggs, and vanilla. Once that is combined, you slowly stir in 4 T melted butter. Pour the batter into a greased 9×13 inch pan.
- Brown Cinnamon Sugar Mixture: In a medium sized bowl, mix the softened butter, brown sugar, cinnamon and nuts if you are using them. Then drop evenly over the cake better in your 9×13 inch pan. Use a knife to marble and swirl over the cake.
- Bake: Bake for 25-30 minutes or until toothpick comes out nearly clean from center.
- Top With Glaze: Make the glaze by adding the powdered sugar, milk and vanilla to a medium sized bowl. Then whisk until smooth and drizzle over warm cake. Serve warm or at room temperature.
Tips and Variations
Get ready to dive into the delicious world of cinnamon roll cakes. Even though this is a super simple recipe, a little insider knowledge can make all the difference. So, I’ve whipped up some handy tips and creative twists to help you create a cinnamon roll cake that you’ll absolutely love!
- Can I Add Nuts to My Cake? The recipe has an option to add nuts with the butter cinnamon brown sugar mixture. You can add chopped pecans or even walnuts for an even better cake!
- How Do I Tell if The Cake is Done? Stick a toothpick in the center and if it comes out clean it is done. The cinnamon roll cake will be slightly brown and the edges will slightly pull away from the sides.
- Even Spreading: When spreading the buttery cinnamon filling, try to distribute it as evenly as possible over the cake batter to ensure a consistent swirl throughout.
- Room Temperature Ingredients: Ensure that ingredients like butter, eggs, and milk are at room temperature. This helps them mix together smoothly and evenly.
- Cream Cheese Filling: Mix softened cream cheese with the brown sugar and cinnamon for a tangy and creamy filling.
Storing Leftovers
Got some of that irresistible cinnamon roll cake left? No worries, it’s all about savoring the goodness later on! Once it’s cooled down, wrap it snugly in plastic wrap or foil and pop it in the fridge. It will stay good for 3-4 days. When you’re ready to indulge, a quick warm-up in the microwave or a gentle reheat in the oven will bring back that freshly baked magic.
More Ooey Gooey Cinnamon Recipes
Who doesn’t love cinnamon? It’s so delicious and you can eat it for breakfast, lunch, dinner or dessert (at least I do)! Check out some more of my cinnamon favorites.
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Cinnabon Cinnamon Roll Cake
Ingredients
- 3 cups flour
- ¼ tsp salt
- 1 cup sugar
- 4 tsp baking powder
- 1½ cup milk
- 2 eggs
- 2 tsp vanilla
- 4 T butter melted
- 2 sticks 1 cup butter, softened
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 1 T cinnamon
- ⅔ cups nuts optional
Glaze:
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- 4-5 T milk
- 1 tsp vanilla
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. With an electric mixer or stand mixer, combine the flour, sugar, salt, baking powder, milk, eggs, and vanilla. Once that is combined, you slowly stir in 4 T melted butter. Pour the batter into a greased 9×13 inch pan.
- In a medium sized bowl, mix the softened butter, brown sugar, cinnamon and nuts if you are using them. Drop evenly over the cake better in your 9×13 inch pan. Use a knife to marble and swirl over the cake.
- Bake for 25-30 minutes or until toothpick comes out nearly clean from center.
- Make the glaze by adding the powdered sugar, milk and vanilla to a medium sized bowl. Whisk until smooth and 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 is the first time I review your recepie. I do a lot of your recepies love them always well explained, I am French so I have a little hard time sometimes but your blog is fantastic. I made the cake today and came out great and so good, I also made one of your other recepies the vegetarian enchiladas also excellent
Can you bake ahead of time (maybe a day or 2)?
Yes, you can! Store at room temperature fo those 2 days.
Do you think I could make this in a standard Bundt pan instead of a 9×13 size pan?
That look so good
Super delicious!! I’ve made this several times…I usually bake it in glass pan and have a gas oven. At 350°, it takes about 38-40 to bake and have the toothpick come out partially clean.
Thank you for this! I’m making it in a glass pan too & “thought 25 min is NOT enough” 😆. I’ll keep it baking & look forward to the end result!!
Made for the first time and it is so good. Question should I put this in the fridge because it has milk for the icing?
These do not have to be stored in the refrigerator but it would not hurt at the same time.
This is really yummy! Thanks! 🙂
I’m trying this right now, wish me luck ! It sure looks delicious!
Can this cake be frozen?
Yes, you can freeze this cake for 1 month. Simply, place in an airtight container or plastic bag. When ready to reheat, thaw in the refrigerator or counter overnight. You can also reheat in the oven frozen at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 45 minutes or until warmed up.
Hi Alyssa! My husband was craving for Cinnabon and I’ve been waiting to try your recipe. It was so easy to make, moist and delicious too! We loved it and it’s a perfect winter dessert😋💗Thank you for sharing such a fab recipe.
Do you put 2 tsp of vanilla flavoring in the cake mix and another tsp in the glaze for a tototal of 3 for the whole cake?
Yes, that is correct. 2 tsp in the cake mix and 1 tsp in the glaze.
Is the batter supposed to be thick? It was hard to swirl the cinnamon mixture in.
Yes, it will be a little thick but fluffy.
My entire family loves this!
What does “4T” mean ? Teaspoon ? Tablespoon ?
The uppercase T means Tablespoon and the lowercase t means teaspoon.
Very delicious cake, it’s a keeper!!
Absolutely delicious, my wife’s new favorite
Thank you for the recipe! I will definitely try it.
I have one question: what is T?
A large or uppercase T stands for Tablespoon. A lowercase or small t stands for teaspoon. Hope that helps!
Delicious but it took much longer than 25 to 30 minutes I would say 50 min is more accurate. And our oven runs fine. Maybe if you split the batter into two pans, 25 to 30 min should be spot on. Also the video seemed to show only 2 tsp of baking powder and the recipe calls for 4. I still used 4 as per the recipe. But it really does taste like cinnabon once its done.