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This extra sweet breakfast recipe is a family FAVORITE!!
Imagine Homemade Cinnamon Rolls in cake form. Sounds amazing, right? It really is. Our kids clean the pan every time we whip this up.
If you’re looking for a shortcut, this recipe is it! It has all of the delicious flavors of cinnamon rolls but in a fraction of the time (only 40 minutes from start to finish!). It is pretty much on repeat at our house as a go-to breakfast – and dessert.
And if you like this, you’ll love our Cinnamon Roll Bites and Easy Coffee Cake Recipe.
Why we think you’ll love it:
- Next level delicious. With loads of butter, cinnamon, glaze, and flavor, this recipe always gets rave reviews!
- Great for holidays. Make it for special mornings, like Christmas, or a lazy Sunday morning.
- Extra simple. Just mix, dollop, swirl, and bake. This easy cake comes together in no time – it’s ready in only 40 minutes.
Cinnamon Roll Cake Ingredients and Substitutions
Cake
- 3 cups all-purpose flour – see How to Measure Flour
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 4 teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt – omit if using salted butter
- 1½ cups milk
- 2 large eggs – room temperature
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- ½ cup unsalted butter, melted – or salted butter
- optional mix-ins – raisins or chopped nuts
Cinnamon Topping
- ¾ cup unsalted butter, softened – see How to Soften Butter Quickly
- 1 cup packed light brown sugar – or dark brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
Glaze
- 2 cups powdered sugar sifted
- 5 tablespoons milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
How to Make Cinnamon Roll Cake
- PREP. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease a 9-x-13-inch baking dish with nonstick cooking spray.
- BATTER. In a large bowl, whisk flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, milk, eggs, and vanilla together. Slowly stir in ½ cup melted butter and pour the batter into the prepared baking dish.
- In a medium bowl, mix ¾ cup softened butter, brown sugar, 2 tablespoons flour, and cinnamon. Dollop the cinnamon sugar mixture over the top of the cake mixture evenly.
- Swirl your topping and cake mixture with a knife, only inserting it halfway into the cake batter and going up and down the length of the pan.
- BAKE. Bake for 28–32 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.
- GLAZE. Meanwhile, mix powdered sugar, milk, and vanilla extract in a small bowl. Drizzle over the warm cake.
Cinnamon Roll Cake
Ingredients
Cake
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 cup sugar
- 4 teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1½ cups milk
- 2 large eggs
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- ½ cup unsalted butter, melted
Cinnamon Topping
- ¾ cup unsalted butter, softened
- 1 cup packed light brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
Glaze
- 2 cups powdered sugar, sifted
- 5 tablespoons milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease a 9×13-inch baking dish and set aside.
- In a large bowl, mix flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, milk, eggs, and vanilla.
- Slowly stir in melted butter and pour the batter into the prepared baking dish.
- Cinnamon topping: In another bowl, mix softened butter, brown sugar, flour, and cinnamon. Dollop over the top of the cake mixture evenly.
- Swirl your topping and cake mixture with a knife, only inserting it halfway into the batter and going up and down the length of the pan.
- Bake for 28–32 minutes.
- Mix all glaze ingredients in a small bowl. Drizzle over the cake while it is still warm.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Recipe FAQ
Bake it 24 hours in advance and store, unglazed, covered at room temperature. You can also wrap the baked cake with plastic and foil and freeze up to 3 months. Just reheat it in the oven for a few minutes to get warm before drizzling with the glaze.
Cool and cover with foil or saran wrap. Leave it on the counter for 3-4 days or wrap and freeze it for up to 3 months.
More Like This
Cinnamon Roll Recipes
Mini Cinnamon Rolls
1 hr 30 mins
Easy Cinnamon Roll Recipe
52 mins
Cinnamon Bites
30 mins
Cinnamon Roll French Toast Casserole
6 hrs 50 mins
Breakfast Cakes
New York-Style Crumb Cake
45 mins
Bisquick Coffee Cake
45 mins
Coffee Cake Muffins
40 mins
Cream Cheese Coffee Cake
30 mins
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This recipe was originally published January 2013.
Yummy!!! I just made homemade cinnamon rolls on New Years Day for the first time. I had a grandma that was an absolute wonderful baker so I was a little apprehensive to make them. I did though and my family loved them. My husband loves anything cinnamon so I will definitely try your cake recipe
I wish this was breakfast tomorrow. Heck, I wish it was dessert right now!
Looks sooo good! I’ve made homemade cinnamon rolls before and they take forever…this looks yummy, fast and easy! I’m pinning it. Do you have any idea if you could mix it up the night before and put it in the fridge? Thanks!
KC
This looks o seriously YuMMy! I love my moms cinnamon rolls, I took a bunch of them to my faculty Christmas thing and all 4 trays were eaten with in 2 hours! It was AWESOME! I am so going to try this for breakfast in the morning! Thanks for sharing!
Mine is in the oven now for 32 min and I went to check it and it was jiggly. I’m sure it depends on the oven and I may have used a smaller pan. Hope they are still as delicious as it looks and sounds!!
mine is baking right now and already the baking time is way past due! I’m watching it to see how long it takes……but already the time is close to 50 minutes.
I’m using a disposable 9×13 alluminum…..don’t usually use this type but saving clean up dishes for Easter prep.
How long did it end up taking? I’m at 40 minutes right now and it’s jiggly
I doubled the recipe, just removed it from the oven. It took me 55m.
My mom and I have been trying to figure out how to make gluten free cinnamon roles. The results have not been fabulous. Gluten free dough is really sticky and difficult to roll out. Adapting this recipe would be so easy! Thanks so much for the idea! Pinning.
What will you use in place of the flour to make this gluten free?
I would use gluten-free flour. 🙂
King Arthur makes a gluten free flour that you can Substitute in any Recipe.
Thanks for sharing that!! 🙂
Yummy!!! I love a little behind the scenes!
I bake once a week or so for work. I made this a few months ago and it was a hit. One of my coworkers is leaving and he requested this cake for his last day. It is so good. I have even made your cinnamon rolls and they are always a hit. They disappear fast.
Every recipe of yours I try always turns out yummy!
Oh thank you so much!! This cake is a favorite of ours as well. 🙂 I’m so happy to hear you are enjoying the recipes!
I love how easy this is! It looks incredible!
Now that looks amazing!
Has anyone made the casserole the night before and waited to bake until morning? If so, any modifications?
Wondering the same thing.
I haven’t, but I am sure it would be ok. You can also make ahead & bake & just reheat.
Are you kidding me!!!! I so want to be your neighbor : ) This looks so FINGER LICKING good!!! I think I should have been sitting there in the photo next to your daughter with the same BIG smile, just waiting to get the go ahead to “Dig In”
Yummy!!
Angelina
I made this last night and it was sOo so good . You should warn any one wHo makes it that It is magical . Mine dissappearEd as sOon as i took it iyt if the iven . Will for sure make again Thanks
FOr sharing your recipe
Monika
LOL..that’s what I love to hear! Thank you so much!
Made this for a girl’s night. Everyone loved it!!
So glad everyone loved it! It’s definitely a family fav of ours. Thanks for stopping by!
This cake is perfection! The batter was a bit stiff so I added a bit more milk. Cooked a tad longer, no biggie; everyone’s oven is different. I have a second one in oven with raisins. As well, I forgot to put the glaze on top and I think we will leave it that way. Not too sweet 🙂
Thank-You!
So glad you liked it Ulanda!! And great idea to add raisins. 🙂
Can you use 1% milk or coconut milk for this recipe?