Cinnamon Roll Cake Recipe

  |  126 Comments

This Cinnamon Roll Cake has all the delicious flavor of homemade cinnamon rolls, but without all the work! Simple cake made from scratch, swirled with cinnamon, butter and brown sugar with a sweet glaze drizzled on top makes this cake an absolute favorite.

Every Halloween I make homemade cinnamon rolls and hot chocolate for all the trick-or-treaters in our neighborhood.  It’s quite the undertaking!

I absolutely love homemade cinnamon rolls, but I don’t love the time and mess it takes to make them.

The other great thing about this recipe is you don’t have to fuss with yeast, which so many people hate dealing with when it comes to making cinnamon rolls.

That’s where this Cinnamon Roll Cake comes in.  All the delicious flavor of homemade cinnamon rolls in one easy-to-make cake (with ingredients you probably already have!).

How to make Cinnamon Roll Cake:

Don’t let the words “cinnamon roll” scare you away!  This cake is so simple and has just a few ingredients.

Step 1: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Step 2: With a hand or stand mixer, combine flour, salt, sugar, baking powder, milk, eggs and vanilla. Once combined, mix in melted butter.

Step 3: Pour batter into a 9×13-inch baking pan sprayed with nonstick cooking spray.

Step 4: In a large bowl, mix together softened butter, brown sugar, flour and cinnamon until combined.

Step 5: Drop by spoonfuls over the batter and use a knife to swirl cinnamon topping into the cake for a marbling effect.

Step 6: Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean.

Step 7: Whisk together all glaze ingredients until smooth and drizzle over warm cake.

Step 8: Cut into slices and serve.

My kids thought this was the best cake ever.  I love how the top gets a little bit of a crispy, sweet topping.

I love how light and fluffy this cake is!

My husband said this Cinnamon Roll Cake “melts in your mouth” and I have to agree!

Have you heard about our newest cookbook, Copycat Cooking? We took over 100 of our favorite restaurant recipes and simplified them so that you can make them right at home!

Every recipe has a beautiful mouth-watering photo and has been picky-eater approved. The directions are simple, easy to follow, and do not require any strange ingredients.

This cookbook includes copycat recipes from Wingers, Texas Roadhouse, Starbucks, Panera, Cheesecake Factory, Kneaders, and so much more. We have you covered from drinks, to dessert and everything in-between.

We are so excited to share these recipes with you. Order your copy today!

Six Sisters’ Stuff COPYCAT COOKING <—– Click here to order!

Other delicious cake recipes:

Serves: 12

Cinnamon Roll Cake Recipe

A fluffy homemade cake with cinnamon filling and a sweet glaze drizzled on top. All the flavor of cinnamon rolls in an easy-to-make cake!

10 minPrep Time

30 minCook Time

40 minTotal Time

Save RecipeSave Recipe

Ingredients

    Cake:
  • 3 cups flour
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 4 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1 1/2 cups milk
  • 2 eggs
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla
  • 4 Tablespoons butter (melted)
    • Cinnamon Topping:
  • 1 cup butter (softened)
  • 1 cup brown sugar
  • 2 Tablespoons flour
  • 1 Tablespoon cinnamon
    • Glaze:
  • 2 cups powdered sugar
  • 5 Tablespoons milk
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
  2. With a hand or stand mixer, combine flour, salt, sugar, baking powder, milk, eggs and vanilla. Once combined, mix in melted butter.
  3. Pour batter into a 9 x 13 inch baking pan sprayed with nonstick cooking spray.
  4. In a large bowl, mix together softened butter, brown sugar, flour and cinnamon until combined.
  5. Drop by spoonfuls over the batter and use a knife to swirl cinnamon topping into the cake for a marbling effect.
  6. Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean.
  7. Whisk together all glaze ingredients until smooth and drizzle over warm cake.
  8. Cut into slices and serve.

Tags

Courses
Dessert
Cooking
Baking
Allergy
soy free
seafood free
treenut free
sulfite free
sesame free
mustard free
7.8.1.2
1993
https://www.sixsistersstuff.com/recipe/cinnabon-cinnamon-roll-cake-recipe/

Be sure to not miss another recipe!
Follow Six Sisters’ Stuff on Instagram | Facebook | Pinterest | YouTube

Have you checked out our YouTube channel?
If you love this Cinnamon Roll Cake, try our Caramel Pumpkin Poke Cake!

Print Friendly, PDF & Email

Menu Plans

We know how hard it can be to get dinner on the table and that is exactly why we created our  menu planning service! We offer several menu options so you can find the plan that works best for your family. Each week you will receive a menu plan and detailed shopping list that will make shopping a breeze! Each plan includes 6 main dish, 2 side dish, 2 dessert, and optional side dish recipes. We’ve done all the busy work for you, so you just need to shop and cook!

See Plan Options

Related Recipes

Here are some other recipes you may like

Cake Mix Cinnamon Rolls Recipe
Cake Mix S’mores Cinnamon Rolls
Slice of Apple Cinnamon Roll Pie on plate Apple Cinnamon Roll Pie
Cinnamon Roll French Bread Bake
Cinnamon and Sugar Sticky Buns Recipe
Easy Cinnamon Roll Twists Recipe

Comment on this Recipe

126 Responses to “Cinnamon Roll Cake Recipe”

  30. Alisnotmartha
    for people who are complaining about a gooey mess - I put the butter mixture on top and DID NOT swirl it. While it mostly sank down, it was fine (and I managed to forget the flour, which would have helped it stay afloat). I also tripled the cinnamon and used a cream cheese frosting. This is now going to replace my regular Christmas morning breakfast (Grands Cinnamon Rolls with Cinnabon cinnamon filling) because it is DELICIOUS and EASY!
    March 21, 2012 at 7:15 pm
    Reply to this comment
  43. Jen
    Made this tonight for my family - I've never seen such huge smiles on my hubby's and son's faces! Big gooey mess=yummy! Super easy, and perfect for Sunday evening! (Or monday breakfast.... if it lasts that long!) Thanks so much for sharing your amazing talents! It's appreciated!
    May 20, 2012 at 9:26 pm
    Reply to this comment
  49. Priceless
    I'm so glad I found this recipe on Pinterest and I've now joined your blog ladies.. my husband took me out shopping for shoes yesterday and in our haste to get home he forgot to get some cinnabon to take home as his treat for spoiling me yet again. I'm about to make this recipe for him now as a thank you for all the shoes he bought for me.. thanks for sharing this recipe and love your blog by the way!!!
    Cheers from Canada.....
    June 30, 2012 at 7:00 am
    Reply to this comment
  52. LilOne
    Just made this today for my husband's birthday (he is the ULTIMATE cinnamon roll fanatic.) I added more cinnamon - though next time I may add some to the batter itself, too - and left out one of the 2 sticks of butter based on some of the comments and it was FABULOUS! He loved this cake. Thanks so much, sisters, for sharing this :) You made the best 6x6 (since he refuses to admit to being 36) birthday cake ever.
    August 3, 2012 at 5:57 pm
    Reply to this comment
    • Camille
      I think that it's totally a preference thing! If you don't want a salty taste and only have salted butter, I would maybe cut the additional salt from the recipe? I usually only bake with unsalted butter, but I am not the biggest help!! I am so sorry about that!
      September 14, 2012 at 8:19 pm
      Reply to this comment
  56. Amanda
    Has anyone tried making a "healthy" version of this? I always try to sneak in things like whole wheat flour, etc. What about cutting some of the butter and using pumpkin, applesauce, etc.? Let me know if you have any suggestion because this sounds amazing, but just trying to make it a little healthier for the family! :)
    October 2, 2012 at 12:53 pm
    Reply to this comment
  62. John
    It's in the oven now. Only substitutions I made were cake flour for the all purpose because I didn't have any and 1/4 cup egg beaters + 2 tbsp oil for the two eggs because (surprise!) I have no eggs. Otherwise everything is exactly the same. I'll let you know how it turns out.
    November 3, 2012 at 9:33 am
    Reply to this comment
    • John
      So ya 25 minutes in my oven is all it took. Turned out great! No gooey mess here. Stays together well and tastes fantastic. Perfect substitution for the cinnamon rolls I was craving.

      But now after one piece I feel like I need to spend the next couple hours on the treadmill lol.
      November 3, 2012 at 9:42 am
      Reply to this comment
  63. Rhiannon
    I'm glad I read the reviews first about the cooking time. It definitely took much long than the recipe stated. About 20 more minutes. I wasn't impressed with this cake. I added more cinnamon and I'm glad I did because I don't think it would have had enough flavor. The actual yellow cake part was pretty bland.
    December 30, 2012 at 7:54 am
    Reply to this comment
  66. Sasha Nelson
    I made this recipe for my dad and daughter and it turned out a little gooey after 30 mins so i popped it back in the oven for 10 more minutes and it came out perfectly. It's absolutely mouth watering and even better with vanilla ice cream!!
    March 27, 2013 at 11:29 am
    Reply to this comment
  69. Sharanda
    This is SO GOOD! I was glad to see I had all the ingredients on hand. Due to some of the comments, I only used one stick of butter; the cake came out great! It was even better after it sat overnight. Mmm-MM! Thanks for sharing this recipe! I found you via Pinterest. :)
    June 14, 2013 at 8:28 pm
    Reply to this comment
  70. Tana McIntosh
    I made this tonight and it was a BIG hit! I did have to bake it 40 minutes for it to get done in the middle but it turned out fabulous. My husband and brother-in-law loved it! Will definitely bake this again. Thanks for the recipe! And I love your blog. I am 1 of 4 sisters and we get together once a month with our husbands and kids to have a meal together and play board games. I will have to try this recipe on them, i know they will love it! Thanks again.
    June 20, 2013 at 11:23 pm
    Reply to this comment
  72. Silvia
    Hello, I live in the United KIngdom and love your site!!! I really want to try out some of your recipes but I find it hard to find a conversion chart on the internet that tells me exactly how many grams are in a cup of flour or salt or sugar etc. Could you help please? Thank you :D
    July 8, 2013 at 4:36 pm
    Reply to this comment
  79. Sandy
    Melody, I agree. I made this and helped myself to a modest portion and thought it was delicious. I brought the rest to work and it was gone before I knew it. Everyone loved it, including myself! Thank you for sharing this recipe. Have a happy holiday!
    December 4, 2013 at 3:00 am
    Reply to this comment
  80. Denise
    I have to say that I absolutely LOVE this cake, it is delicious and so easy to toss together at the last minute! But, that picture at the top is TOTALLY deceiving! lol You could make it look like that I suppose, but why would you want to when you can pour all of that lovely icing on top and let it ooze and melt and get in all those little nooks and crannies instead? If you haven't tried this recipe yet, then what are you waiting for? It's AMAZING! Just do it. Who cares about calories and carbs anyway, they don't count when things are this delicious!
    December 8, 2013 at 8:37 pm
    Reply to this comment
  81. Kacy
    Always a hit, and uses basic ingredients I always have on hand. The only changes I make are halving the butter in the cinnamon topping from 2 sticks to 1, and using an extra tsp cinnamon and baking 10-15 mins longer. I just pour the icing over the warm cake and it makes it so moist and yummy! I wonder if the people who complain about this cake being a gooey mess realize that the cinnamon filling/topping part is meant to be the same consistency as the filling in a cinnamon roll..it is not firm like cake, the cinnamon part of this cake is a bit gooey but that makes it so delicious! Definitely recommend!
    December 31, 2013 at 1:34 pm
    Reply to this comment
  85. Janice
    Made this today as a last minute dessert and it is fantastic! Just like a cinnamon roll with a somewhat neutral tasting cake but a luscious cinnamon and butter filling and achingly sweet glaze. It's everything a cinnamon roll should be. This is going in the favorites... Family loved it. But, yes, it needed a few additional minutes in my oven. As with any recipe, timing is based on your particular oven's temperature. Thanks so much for this. Love your recipes!
    January 19, 2014 at 2:43 pm
    Reply to this comment
  87. Kathy
    I have made this cake twice and both times it was gone in 20 minutes. I served it warm. The first time the filling was very gooey and the filling sank to the bottom, the second time I melted the butter a little and it the mixture was much easier to marble through the cake. I have to make it again tomorrow night for my husband's work. I give this a 5 star rating!
    January 23, 2014 at 7:08 am
    Reply to this comment
  88. Heather
    I made this for the first time last night for a dinner with our church. I overheard many people commenting on how good it was and wanting the recipe. I sheepishly said I made it and told them where to find your recipe. This will most likely become a new family favorite. Thank You.
    February 9, 2014 at 11:53 am
    Reply to this comment
  96. Leslie
    I just made this for the first time. I'm sure how it should look coming out of the oven but I have a little bit of the "gooey mess" in the corners. Any ideas on why this happens? And how to avoid for next time because it smells so good I know I will want to make it again. Thank you!
    January 24, 2015 at 7:11 pm
    Reply to this comment
  98. DS
    This recipe was a real disappointment. I was so excited to make it after seeing the picture and reading the ingredients. All the comments about it being a gooey mess are CORRECT. This is a terrible recipe for anyone who wants a yummy, moist cinnamon cake that actually bakes normally and doesn't have tablespoons of butter dripping everywhere!
    January 3, 2016 at 10:38 pm
    Reply to this comment

Leave a Comment