Table of Contents

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

  • 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
Save This Recipe!
Just enter your email and get it sent to your inbox! Plus you’ll get new recipes from us every week!

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 218 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
  • 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.

This recipe was originally published January 2013.

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!

Get my cookbook!

My cookbook is the ultimate resource for feeding your friends and family with 200+ simple recipes with videos, tips & more!

5 from 218 votes (78 ratings without comment)

Leave a comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




382 Comments

  1. Rosemary John says:

    Are we able to use self rising flour?

    1. Kristyn Merkley says:

      I personally haven’t tried, but it should be ok 🙂

  2. Heather miller says:

    5 stars
    This cake was divine! Everyone loved it. It was a mix between a streusel cakE and a cinnamon roll but way easier than all the rolling out anx waiting for them to rise. I coukd eat this everyday!

    1. Kristyn Merkley says:

      I agree..way easier, but just as good! Thank you so much!

  3. Melanie says:

    5 stars
    Very delicious! Easy to makE! It was perfect! I wanted cinnamon rolls but didn’t feel like spending the time to make them.

    1. Kristyn Merkley says:

      This is a great option! I am glad you liked it!

  4. Kelly says:

    5 stars
    Delicious and loved by all!

    1. Kristyn Merkley says:

      Makes me so happy to hear!! Thank you for trying them & letting me know!

  5. Kyra Rodriguez says:

    5 stars
    Oooooh.. My love for cinnamon! WIll definitely try this recipe!!!! Thanks for sharing. Keep posting more cinnamon cake! 🙂

    1. Kristyn Merkley says:

      I will 🙂 I’d love to know what you think, if you give it a try!

  6. Barbara Walker says:

    Mexican chicken and corn soup sounds simply delish. Can’t wait to try on a cool fall evening.

    1. Kristyn Merkley says:

      Thanks!! They definitely are a cool night!

  7. Maddy says:

    This was very easy to prepare but the glaze is more like a buttercream or a icing texture. I followed the direction and I just want to know if it’s supposed to never like that.

    1. Kristyn Merkley says:

      It’s supposed to be more like a glaze, not thick. I would add more milk until it’s the right consistency. Hope that helps!

  8. Carly says:

    5 stars
    I have made this recipe for years now and we love it so much! Everyone I’ve given it to loves it as well. However, I came back to this recipe today and I can’t seem to find the flour measurement in the cake recipe! Did it just disappear? Is it just me?! Is it 3 cups? You’d think I’d have it memorized by now, I’ve made it so often. I’m going to just guess and use 3 cups and hope it’s the correct amount!

  9. Adri de Bruyne says:

    Hi there.

    I have my little boy’s 2nd birthday this sunday and want to move away from traditional birthday cake. Want to make brownie muffins, and something cinnamonny.

    Do you think your cinnamon roll cake will work if I make it in the shape of cupcakes? I’m sure I’ll need to adjust the bake time? I’m going to give it a try… Holding thumbs it’s going to work!

    If by any chance you see this before saturday, please give me some tips.
    Thanks!

    1. Kristyn Merkley says:

      How did they turn out? I hope they were good! I haven’t tried these as cupcakes, so I’d love to know!

      1. Adri de Bruyne says:

        5 stars
        It was quite an adventure… the paper cupcake cups made it hard to swirl the cinnamon mix in properly so it bubbled out while baking – causing a lot of smoke. LOL. After that the papers were stuck to the cake and I let them sit overnight and managed to remove the paper cups the following day. Apart from that they tasted great!

        Next time I won’t use paper cups!
        Thanks everyone loved them!

      2. Kristyn Merkley says:

        Well, I guess we know now 🙂 Thank you so much for letting me know! Glad everyone loved them!

  10. Mona says:

    5 stars
    Okay, this is my first ever feedback for a recipe, but this recipe deserves it. It is a total understatement to say this cake is delicious. I served it yesterday at a get together, and it was a landslide smash hit. I got sooooo many positive responses it was unbelievable (even from the pickiest dessert eaters). All I could hear once it was served was children chanting “this is, yummy this is yummy.” One boy said to his mom, “this is the best cake I ever had in my life.” It goes without saying that I will make it every chance I get. So easy (I screwed up several steps while rushing and still turned out to be gold). Thanks for this awesome recipe 🙂

    1. Kristyn Merkley says:

      That makes me so happy to hear! It is always a hit! I am so glad you tried it! Thank you for letting me know!