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Cinnamon roll cake is a favorite breakfast treat in cake form. With a quick prep and cook time it’s on the table in no time!

Cinnamon roll cake is a cake version of classic Cinnamon Rolls. If you’re looking for a shortcut, this recipe is it! And if you like this, you’ll love our Cinnamon Roll Bites too!

Cinnamon roll cake recipe on a white plate.
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A Family Favorite!

This next breakfast recipe is a family favorite.

Imagine Homemade Cinnamon Rolls in cake form. I can tell you right now that it is AMAZING, and a Family Favorite!

Why you will love it too:

  • Delicious. With loads of butter, cinnamon, glaze and flavor, this recipe always gets rave reviews!
  • Great for holidays. Make it for parties or for special mornings, like Christmas.
  • Simple. Just mix, dollop, swirl and bake. This cake comes together in no time.

It’s pretty much a family favorite dessert (and breakfast) and has become a go-to like our Easy Coffee Cake Recipe.

Ingredients

  • all-purpose flour
  • sugar
  • baking powder
  • salt
  • milk
  • eggs
  • vanilla extract
  • unsalted butter, melted

Cinnamon Topping

  • unsalted butter softened
  • brown sugar
  • all-purpose flour
  • ground cinnamon

Glaze

  • powdered sugar, sifted
  • milk
  • vanilla extract
Adding cinnamon batter to white batter in a baking dish.

Just Mix and Bake!

  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 melted butter and pour batter into the prepared baking dish.
  3. CINNAMON TOPPING. In a medium bowl, mix softened butter, brown sugar, flour, and cinnamon. Dollop over the top of the cake mixture evenly.
  4. SWIRL. 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.
  5. BAKE. Bake for 28–32 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.
  6. GLAZE. Meanwhile, mix all glaze ingredients together in a small bowl. Drizzle over the warm cake.
Swirling cinnamon batter into the white batter of a baking dish.

Recipe Tips

Do not overmix. If you over-mix the cinnamon swirls it may take longer for the cake portion to fully bake.

Flour. If you have self-rising flour, you can use 3 cups of that, but you will also need to omit the baking powder and salt as the self-rising flour already has it mixed in.

Mix-ins. You can add raisins or chopped nuts to the cake.

Swirling cinnamon batter into the white batter of a baking dish.

Storing Info

STORE. Allow homemade cinnamon roll cake to cool before covering it with foil or saran wrap and leaving it on the counter before reheating. If you are making it ahead of time, I recommend serving it within 24 hours but leftovers will keep for 3-4 days.

FREEZE. Let the easy cinnamon roll cake recipe cool and cover it tightly in plastic wrap and again with aluminum foil. It will keep in the freezer for up to 3 months. You can reheat pieces in the microwave or the whole pan at a low temp in the oven.

Cinnamon roll cake slice served on a white plate.

For more Cinnamon Roll recipes:

5 from 218 votes

Cinnamon Roll Cake Recipe

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 no time!
Servings: 12
Prep: 10 minutes
Cook: 30 minutes
Total: 40 minutes

Ingredients 

Cake

Cinnamon Topping

  • ¾ cup unsalted butter, softened
  • 1 cup packed light brown sugar
  • 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
  • 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon

Glaze

Instructions 

  • Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 9-x-13-inch baking dish and set aside.
  • Make the cake: In a large bowl, mix flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, milk, eggs, and vanilla together.
  • Slowly stir in melted butter and pour batter into the prepared baking dish.
  • Make the 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.
  • Make the glaze: Mix all glaze ingredients together in a small bowl. Drizzle over the cake while it is still warm.

Video

Notes

Make ahead of time. We love making this fresh to serve warm, but you can also make it 24 hours in advance and store, unglazed, covered at room temperature. Just reheat it in the oven for a few minutes to get warm before drizzling with the glaze.
Frosting. This recipe uses a glaze topping, but you can make a cream cheese frosting instead. 
STORE. Allow homemade cinnamon roll cake to cool before covering it with foil or saran wrap and leaving it on the counter before reheating. If you are making it ahead of time, I recommend serving it within 24 hours but leftovers will keep for 3-4 days.
FREEZE. Let the easy cinnamon roll cake recipe cool and cover it tightly in plastic wrap and again with aluminum foil. It will keep in the freezer for up to 3 months. You can reheat pieces in the microwave or the whole pan at a low temp in the oven.

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.

About Kristyn

My name is Kristyn and I’m the mom of SIX stinkin’ cute kids and the wife to my smokin’ hot hubby, Lo. My mom’s maiden name is Luna, and I’m one of the many crafty “Lil’ Lunas” in the fam. On this site I like to share all things creative - from recipes to home decor to gifts and home decor ideas. Welcome!

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5 from 218 votes (78 ratings without comment)

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Recipe Rating




382 Comments

  1. Rae Ru says:

    Dying to try this, but all i have right now is cake flour. do you think it would suffice? a similar question was asked before but i’m afraid it might have been missed. would really appreciate a response~! ♥

    1. Kristyn Merkley says:

      I personally have not tried that, but I am sure it would suffice 🙂 Hope you like it!

  2. Scarlett says:

    5 stars
    I made this with half almond flour and half all purpose since I ran out of flour. It had a nutty flavor that made it taste like apple fritter. It was a hit. Thanks for sharing.

    1. Kristyn Merkley says:

      Glad to share 🙂 That still sounds good! Thanks for sharing!

  3. DogRescuer says:

    5 stars
    I made three changes to the recipe to save some major calories: 1. I used erythritol instead of sugar, 2. I used Greek yogurt instead of butter, and 3. I skipped the glaze. This way, one large slice came out to only 154 kCal.
    My low-calorie hacks don’t work all the time, but I gotta tell you, even this way, this cake is TO DIE FOR. It is amazing. It is Chewy and soft, and I really could have eaten the whole thing.
    If there is anyone reading the comments who is afraid to use some low/no-cal substitutions in this recipe, I am here to tell you: you can go right ahead. This recipe is bulletproof. I will definitely make this again and again.
    Thank you from Hungary. 🙂

    1. Kristyn Merkley says:

      Thank you so much for sharing that!! I will definitely need to try that! Sounds perfect!

  4. Kristina says:

    5 stars
    I made this for my kids a couple weeks ago. They loved It and snacked On it all weekend.

  5. melissa says:

    5 stars
    My family loved it! Adding this to the Christmas morning menu!

  6. Katie says:

    5 stars
    So making this Christmas morning! My family LOVES it!

  7. stephanie says:

    5 stars
    what a brilliant idea to combine my two favorite desserts! I just love how fluffy and soft they turned.

  8. Kathy DEGROOT says:

    Could not print

    1. Kristyn Merkley says:

      It should print. Could it be a setting on your computer or printer that needs to get changed?

  9. Joy says:

    5 stars
    We love making this on the weekends & for get togethers! Everyone always loves it & asks for the recipe. It’s so soft & has the perfect cinnamon flavor & love the glaze!

  10. Lisa says:

    4 stars
    This cake is really yummy. I gave it 4 stars because it did take a little longer to bake and the cinnamon part is still a little gooey inside. So it was hard to tell when the cake was actually done. Maybe it’s my fault? I think it’s tasty but my husband wasn’t a huge fan.

    1. Kristyn Merkley says:

      Thank you for giving it a try 🙂 All ovens vary, so some may take longer than others..it’s just so hard to know.