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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.
This looks wonderful! What is the best way to make in advance and reheat without drying it out?
I thought about making just the cake part and heating it up on low in the oven and also adding the topping just before serving. Would this work? Thanks.
That should work 🙂 It doesn’t have to be served warm. When I make it for functions, I will make the morning of, cover, then serve later. But, really it’s up to you.
Sounds great! Thanks!
I made this over the weekend. It is truly amazing. I should have swirled the filling in better to reach the bottom, but it was stil great. I did not have any vegetable oil so I used all butter…extra delicious!! Eat it warm. Still good cool, but better warm.
I am so glad you enjoyed it! Thank you for trying it & letting me know!
I thoroughly enjoyed making the cake and it turned out well for my first time. I didn’t get the swirl right. I made dinner for some students that I advise. I hope to make it again and get the swirl right this time.
Thank you for giving it a try!! You’ll get it right 🙂 Mine wasn’t perfect the first time & it usually comes out different every time.
Do you think I could make these as cupcakes? I want to be able to share this at school and I feel it may be easier to share, but I don’t know if that will mess with the cake.
Honestly, I haven’t tried. I’m not quite sure how those would work. You could always double the recipe, make the cake & pour the other half in cupcake liners, to see how’d they turn out?? I’d love to know! Good luck!
LOVE IT! I made it last night for my office today, and it was a smash. The only thing I did differently was I added Cream Cheese to my icing…….Awesome! I will totally make this again.
Love to hear that! I am so glad it was a hit! Adding cream cheese is a great idea!
Well I forgot to put the ingredient that is so important it is in the title! You guessed it, I forgot the cinnamon!
I enriched the glaze with cinnamon and maple syrup on a desperate attempt to give it more flavor!
It came out great , a bit bready but super soft with a crispy top. Amazing cake Kristyn , thanks you! I will be making it again!
LOL..oh, no! Thank you so much for trying it & hopefully, it will taste even better next time!
I would love to get more recipes and ideas.
Thank you.
Thank you for stopping by! I will keep ’em coming 🙂
I wanted to know would this be ok to make the night before and throw back in the oven the next morning to warm up or would it be dryer
You know, I haven’t tried. If anything, I would make it, but not bake it, until you are ready for it, then top with the glaze. I hope that helps 🙂
I made the Cinnamon Roll cake this morning and decided, with gusto, IT’S A KEEPER!
Thanks for sharing the recipe.
Yay!! I love to hear that! Thank you! It’s one of our favs!
I’ve made this cake TONS of times, and I absolutely love it. I have one issue, though. Every time I make it, the cinnamon mixture seems to transfer from the top of the batter to the bottom. The cake still has amazing flavor, but if you want any cinnamon taste you have to scrape the bottom of the dish pretty good.
It does sink and kind of goes throughout the whole cake, but some should be on top. I’m not sure why it would all sink to the bottom. I’m glad you like it though! I wish I could answer your problem!