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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.
for the 1 1/2 cups milk can i replace just a 1/2 cup with heavy whipping cream or even coconut mlk?
I would choose heavy whipping cream over the coconut milk but either will be okay for substitution. I have not tried either. Let me know how it turns out!
Waiting for it to come out of the oven, the cinnamon swirl was a bit thin but swirl Ed it anyway. Can’t wait
Will definitely try and bake this delicious recipe. Just a quick question: What type of flour you prefer to use on this one? Thank you!
I used all-purpose flour for the cake.
Truly a fabulous recipe. I don’t swirl since the batter is rather thick. Instead I hand roll into marble sized pieces and drop as evenly as possible over the entire cake. I try so every piece/bite will have the cinnamon/brown sugar concoction. It’s one of my most requested cakes at work.
I’ve made this cake a few times. I just asked my Son what kind of cake he wanted for his Birthday, and he said the Cinnabon Cake. He says it’s the best cake I’ve ever made. So another one is getting baked today! It really is delicious. I try not to make it too often as I’m in my 60’s and trying to eat healthy, lol!!
Delicious. Warmed a piece in microwave for 10 seconds. Very moist and addicting.
Can this be put together and refrigerated overnight, then bake the next morning?
Yes, that will work great!
Does this turn into a cake like that would be used for a birthday, or a coffee cake? Thanks!
It is more of a coffee cake dessert.
Excellent recipe, thank you for sharing!!!! The cake base is fluffy and just dense enough to support the cinnamon swirl on top. I did 35 minutes on mine (old oven). Perfect way to start this rainy morning in Houston. 😀
Hi, I’m due to make snacks for my 87 year old dad’s Sunday School class next week. I would like to make your blueberry crumb cake and this cinnabon cake. However, I plan to cut the Cinnabon recipe in half and bake in 9×9 pan. Do you think this will affect the recipe? How long should I bake it? Thanks, love your recipes!
It should still be okay. You can always make the full recipe and cut the cake ahead of time saving some slices in the refrigerator or freezing them for later.
The brown sugar mixture was too thick, what is the best way to thin it so I could actually spread and marble it around?
The thickness is what it is supposed to be. You can use a fork or knife to help spread it around.
This is so good! Can I possibly make this in 3 layer cake? Planning to make it with cream cheese frosting
Yes, that would be delicoius! Let me know how it turns out!
Can I possibly stack this for a 2 tier base cake?
Sounds great! Let me know how it turns out!
So good!!!!!! Quick and easy when I crave cinnamon rolls
I have all the ingredients ready to put together
Do you use regular flour or cake flour?
I used regular all purpose flour.