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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
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Adding cinnamon batter to white batter in a baking dish.
Swirling cinnamon batter into the white batter of a baking dish.

How to Make Cinnamon Roll Cake

  1. PREP. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease a 9-x-13-inch baking dish with nonstick cooking spray.
  2. 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.
  3. BAKE. Bake for 28–32 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.
  4. GLAZE. Meanwhile, mix powdered sugar, milk, and vanilla extract in a small bowl. Drizzle over the warm cake.
A slice of cinnamon roll cake served on a white plate.
5 from 219 votes

Cinnamon Roll Cake

By: Lil’ Luna
Cinnamon roll cake is a favorite breakfast treat in cake form. With a quick prep and cook time it's on the table in only 40 minutes!
Servings: 12
Prep: 10 minutes
Cook: 30 minutes
Total: 40 minutes

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

Frosting. This recipe uses a glaze topping, but you can make a cream cheese frosting instead. 
Make ahead of time. 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 for up to 3 months. Just reheat it in the oven for a few minutes to get warm before drizzling with the glaze.
Store leftovers, covered, on the counter for 3-4 days or wrap and freeze for up to 3 months.

Nutrition

Serving: 1slice, Calories: 538kcal, Carbohydrates: 82g, Protein: 6g, Fat: 21g, Saturated Fat: 13g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g, Monounsaturated Fat: 6g, Trans Fat: 1g, Cholesterol: 83mg, Sodium: 132mg, Potassium: 270mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 56g, Vitamin A: 692IU, Vitamin C: 0.02mg, Calcium: 140mg, Iron: 2mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Recipe FAQ

Make ahead of time?

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.

How to store?

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.

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This recipe was originally published January 2013.

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About Kristyn

Kristyn Merkley is a published cookbook author, wife, mom of six, and major food enthusiast! For the past 15 years, she has been sharing foolproof, family-friendly recipes—each one tested in her kitchen—that anyone can master. As a seasoned recipe creator, she loves making cooking simple, stress-free, and totally doable for everyone!

More About Kristyn

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5 from 219 votes (78 ratings without comment)

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383 Comments

  1. Lovada Timothy says:

    5 stars
    My hubbies favorite dessert is cinnamon rolls but I am definitely not the cinnamon roll making time. But when I found this recipe I knew I had to make it for him. He was at work and told me he was craving cinnamon rolls so I whipped this up and had it for dessert for him. He said it is better than regular cinnamon rolls cause he likes the thickness of the cake, or as he calls it, the meat part of the cake lol.

    So if you are looking for an alternative to making cinnamon rolls, you should try this. I followed the recipe to a “t” and it came out perfect.

    Thanks for the great recipe.

    Reply
    1. Lil' Luna says:

      That makes me so happy, Lovada!! This is still my “go to” cinnamon treat recipe that I make. Everyone loves it and it’s easier than cinnamon rolls. 😉

      Reply
  2. Audrey McDevitt says:

    Hi I live in Glasgow, Scotland and I am looking forward to making this yummy cake however I am not sure about the flour you use? You say flour would I be right in saying that this is plain flour as we know it because you are using baking powder?

    Thank you Audrey

    Reply
    1. Lil' Luna says:

      Hi Audrey!! So COOL that you are from Scotland – it’s my favorite accent of all the languages and home of my favorite actor, James McAvoy! 😉 And yes, it’s all-purpose flour. You’ll have to let me know how it turns out. 😉

      Reply
  3. Coralie says:

    Hi there, this looks amazing but I am in the UK, do you happen to know the measurements in grams? Many thanks

    Reply
  4. sabrina says:

    5 stars
    Made this recipe. Oh my goodness yum! And super simple

    Reply
  5. Rachelle Feretti says:

    5 stars
    Tried this morning and it tasted great! The only thing is the cake batter turned out a bit thick. Also the cinnamon brown sugar mixture stayed on top instead of mixed inside the cake. How do you get the cake batter to be more of a fluid consistency, and how does the brown sugar mixture get to the bottom and middle of the cake?

    Reply
  6. Martha says:

    anyone have any idea whether I could use self-raising flour and forgo the baking powder?

    Reply
  7. Kellie says:

    This recipe looks soo good I’m excited to make it! But I was wondering how much butter was melted in grams?

    Reply
  8. Lynn says:

    Hi, is swans down cake flour or all purpose flour ?

    Reply
    1. Lil' Luna says:

      All-purpose flour. 😉

      Reply
      1. Lynn says:

        Ok thanks but iis it ok ti use the cake flour I don’t have any regular flour?