Our easy Cinnamon Roll Cake recipe has all of the flavors of a cinnamon roll but without all the work! It's a crowd pleaser and great for lunch or dessert.
Any occasion is worthy of Cinnamon Roll Cake
Any occasion is worthy of Cinnamon Roll Cake It's easy enough to make anytime, and as much as I love traditional cinnamon rolls, these have that great flavor without the rising, rolling and overall time commitment. It's appropriate for breakfast or a mouthwatering dessert. I love making it for holidays, baby showers, or any special occasion.
Check out all of my cake recipes like Sour Cream Coffee Cake, Orange Olive Oil Cake, or Fresh Apple Cake!
Ingredients Needed:
How to make a Cinnamon Roll Cake:
Make Batter: Combine flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, egg, milk, and vanilla. Stir in the melted butter then pour into greased 8×8 baking dish.
Cinnamon Swirl Topping: Mix butter, brown sugar, flour, and cinnamon together. Drop small spoonfuls of the cinnamon swirl topping evenly over the top of the batter. Using a knife, swirl through the cake to disperse it throughout the batter.
Bake: Place in oven at 350°F for 32-37 minutes, until an inserted toothpick comes out clean. Make cream cheese frosting and drizzle on top of warm cake. Enjoy this homemade cinnamon roll cake with a fresh fruit salad or strawberry banana smoothie.
Storing and Freezing Instructions:
To store: Cinnamon roll cake is best served the day it's made. It will dry out the longer it sits, just like regular cinnamon rolls. Store in an airtight container in the fridge.
To Freeze: Cover frosted cake with a double layer of aluminum foil or lid, and freezer for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator before serving. If desired, rewarm slices in the microwave on half power.
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Recipe
Cinnamon Roll Cake
Ingredients
Cinnamon Roll Cake:
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour , or cake flour
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 3/4 cup milk
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/4 cup butter , melted
Cinnamon Swirl:
- 1/2 cup butter , softened
- 1/2 cup light brown sugar
- 1 Tablespoon all-purpose flour
- 1 Tablespoon ground cinnamon
Cream Cheese Frosting:
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 2 Tablespoons butter , softened
- 4 ounces cream cheese
- 1-2 Tablespoons milk
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease an 8×8'' baking dish.
- Cake Batter: In a large bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, milk, egg and vanilla. Stir in melted butter. Pour mixture into prepared pan and smooth into an even layer.
- Cinnamon Swirl: Combine ½ cup butter, ½ cup brown sugar, 1 Tablespoon flour, and 1 Tablespoon ground cinnamon, mixing until smooth.
- Swirl into cake: Drop small spoonfuls of the mixture evenly over the top of the cake batter. Use a knife to swirl through the cake and disperse the mixture throughout the cake batter.
- Bake 30-37 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Drizzle cream cheese frosting over warm cake. Serve warm.
- Cream Cheese Frosting: Cream the butter and cream cheese together. Add powdered sugar, vanilla, and enough milk to make a smooth, soft frosting. Drizzle frosting over the cake with a spoon, or use a ziplock bag and snip a hole out of one of the corners to pipe the frosting on.
- Serve: This cake is best served warm from the oven, the same day it's made.
Notes
Nutrition
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I originally shared this recipe October 2017. Updated August 2020 and December 2024.
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The initial cake batter looked great, was the right consistency. I was a little worried with the amount of butter going in to the cinnamon swirl and I was right to be concerned. Once baked the cake was a buttery mess. When I check the doneness butter poured out the hole the toothpick left. I knew it was too good to be true.
I also had a hard time with this. The cake was extremely thick and the cinnamon swirl was very runny. Perhaps I should have reversed the butter amounts. I ended up just mixing the cinnamon swirl through all the batter.
Could i substitute a cake mix for the cake portion?
Sure! Although you’ll need a bigger pan, and then you may want to double the cinnamon swirl and frosting.
I made this cinnamon roll cake for the first time in 2018, for Christmas brunch with my family. It was a huge hit, even with my grown son, who doesn’t really like cake. Everyone agrees it tastes like Cinnabon cinnamon rolls. Needless to say, it’s now on the request list for almost every special occasion.
I usually double the recipe, & use a 9×13 baking dish. To save time, I also use canned cream cheese frosting. Thanks so much for this delicious recipe!
The cinnamon topping seemed to have exploded and spilled out from my pan while baking. any idea why this happened?should i add lesser cinnamon topping then?
Made it this morning, it came out great my family loves it. I also doubled the ingredients and it was fully cooked it 37 minutes. Bonus it made our apartment smell so good!
Turned out great! Fast and easy dessert on a cold snowy night.
Just made this and it turned out delicious. I incorporated a 1/2 cup chopped walnuts to the cinnamon swirl mixture for added flavor and texture. Will definitely make this again!
I would suggest adding raisins to the cinnamon swirl as it is what I am used to with a cinnamon bun. I made this gluten free by using Bob Mills 1 to 1 gluten free flour mix. Also agreed with others that the cinnamon swirl was very thick.
Note: Baked for 40 minutes until internal temperature was at 200 degrees fahrenheit. Recipe otherwise very good.
I had so much trouble with this cake. The batter was way too thick, but I only had skim milk at home – I don’t know for sure because a liquid is a liquid. The cinnamon swirl was beyond thick – it did not swirl through the cake. I didn’t go as far as the icing and we just ate the cake as is because I didn’t want to invest anymore money into the cake. Could you tell me how to get the batter and cinnamon swirl into a thinner consistency. I’m great at making icing. I didn’t have any ideas how to thin both out and help would be greatly appreciated.
I made this exactly as the recipe said to and my batter was SO thick!! I had to add more butter vanilla and milk
So good and so easy to make! My whole family raved about how delicious it was and I agree! It was gone within days.