Cinnamon Roll Cake

Prep Time 20 minutes
Total Time 50 minutes
Servings 12 servings

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Cinnamon Roll Cake feature a soft homemade cake that’s swirled with the most scrumptious cinnamon roll filling! It’s baked to perfection in a casserole dish in just 30 minutes before being served with a generous amount of sugary sweet glaze.

a piece of cinnamon roll cake on a white plate with glaze being drizzled on top.

If you love cinnamon rolls as much as I do, be sure to check out more recipes like Cinnamon Roll Casserole, Cinnamon Roll Bites and Cinnamon Roll Pretzel Bites!

This Cinnamon Roll Cake is exactly as magical as it sounds — like a warm, soft cinnamon roll fresh out of the oven but SO much easier!

And while I really love my warm cinnamon treats during the fall, make no mistake – you can find me enjoying a slice of Cinnamon Roll Cake all year round. I think we can all agree that cinnamon rolls are too good to enjoy just once a year!

The very best part? While this cinnamon cake may be made from scratch (and with lots of love), it’s super quick and easy to make. It’s fuss-free as can be and takes less than half an hour to make and another 30 to bake.

full pan of cinnamon roll cake with glaze on top.

Why we love this Cinnamon Roll Cake:

  • Homemade: Homemade cakes always have a special place in my heart! A box mix is fine in a pinch but there’s nothing like the flavor of a scratch made cake.
  • Best of Both Worlds: Cinnamon roll and cake lovers, rejoice! This recipe takes everything you love about a cinnamon roll and bakes it up into cake form.
  • Easy: You can make this easy cake with about 20 minutes of effort on your part. Then, the oven does the rest of the work for you.
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Cinnamon Roll Cake Ingredients:

ingredients needed for cinnamon roll cake in bowls.
  • Flour – Don’t dunk your measuring cup straight into the bag of flour. That ends up packing the flour, which results in too much flour. The best way is to either lightly scoop it, or use a scale.
  • Eggs – This is what binds the cake batter together and makes it fluffy.
  • Brown Sugar – If you’re ever in a bind and need to make your own brown sugar, simply combine 1 cup of granulated white sugar with 1 tbsp of molasses.
  • Butter – It needs to be softened. Let it rest on the kitchen counter for about 1 hour prior to using.
  • Sugars – You’ll need white granulated sugar for the cake batter and powdered sugar for the glaze.
  • Baking Powder and Baking Soda – Make sure that neither of these are expired! Check your expiration dates on both containers.
  • Vanilla – I always recommend using pure vanilla extract (not imitation) when possible for the best flavor.
  • Cinnamon – obviously!
  • Salt – Just a pinch is all you need to enhance all of the other ingredients.
  • Plain Greek Yogurt – Sour cream will also work if that’s what you have on hand.
  • Oil – Use a neutral flavored oil like canola.
  • Milk – Any kind of milk you like best will get the job done.

How to make Cinnamon Roll Cake

This Cinnamon Roll Cake recipe comes together so quickly! For precise step by step instructions, keep on scrolling down to the recipe card.

  • Whisk together the wet ingredients.
  • Sift in the dry ingredients and whisk to combine.
  • Drop the cinnamon swirl mixture all across the top of the cake batter in a casserole dish.
  • Swirl the cinnamon roll filling.
  • Bake.
  • Cover generously with icing!

Recipe Tip

Not sure if the cake is fully baked? Use a trusty toothpick! Insert a toothpick right into the center of the cake. If it comes out with wet batter, the cake needs a few more minutes of bake time. If it comes out mostly clean with some moist crumbs, your cake is good to go!

Variations and Substitutions

  • Use whole wheat flour. This is a great swap to make if you’d like a high fiber breakfast cake!
  • Add flour to the swirl. You can certainly add flour to the cinnamon roll filling to help prevent it from sinking if you’d like. However, I just like to chill it in the fridge or freezer until the butter is cold.

How to store Cinnamon Roll Cake

You can store this Cinnamon Roll Cake in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days. I recommend microwaving individual slices for just a few seconds to warm it back up!

a piece of cinnamon roll cake on a white plate with cinnamon sticks behind it.

Can I freeze leftover cake?

Sure thing! If you plan on freezing your Cinnamon Roll Cake, I recommend doing it before adding the glaze!

Bake it and let it fully cool to room temperature prior to freezing in an airtight, freezer-safe container. Date, label and freeze for up to 3 months.

When you’re ready to serve it, let it defrost, then warm it back up in the oven just a little bit if desired. Serve with the icing.

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Easy Cinnamon Roll Cake

5 from 3 votes
Cinnamon Roll Cake feature a soft homemade cake that's swirled with the most scrumptious cinnamon roll filling! It's baked to perfection in a casserole dish in just 30 minutes before being served with a generous amount of sugary sweet glaze.
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 50 minutes
Cuisine American
Course Dessert
Servings 12 servings
Calories 378cal

Ingredients

Cinnamon Roll Filling

  • ½ cup brown sugar (lightly packed)
  • ¼ cup softened butter
  • teaspoons ground cinnamon

Cake

  • cup granulated sugar 200 grams
  • 1 cup plain 0% Greek yogurt (240 grams)
  • ½ cup oil (100 grams)
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 2 cups all purpose flour (fluffed and scooped) 260 grams
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon baking soda
  • ½ teaspoon salt

Glaze

  • cup powdered sugar
  • 3 tablespoons milk
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla

Instructions

Cinnamon Swirl

  • In a medium bowl, stir together the brown sugar, butter and cinnamon.
  • Set in the fridge or freezer for 10 minutes while you make the cake batter

Cake

  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees and lightly grease a 9×13" baking dish.
  • In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the sugar, yogurt and oil.
  • Add the eggs and vanilla and whisk until combined.
  • Stir in the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt until no white remains.
  • Spread into prepared baking dish.
  • Remove cinnamon roll filling and drop by teaspoonfuls all over the cake batter and swirl gently with a knife.
  • Bake for 25-35 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the cake comes out clean or with moist crumbs.
  • Let cool for 10-15 minutes before adding the glaze.

Glaze

  • Stir together powdered sugar, milk and vanilla and pour evenly over cake.
  • Serve warm.

Notes

Ingredients and Substitutions:
  • There aren’t many substitutions for this recipe! One that I make often is to swap half of the flour with whole wheat flour for a higher-fiber breakfast cake. 
  • Some people add flour to the cinnamon swirl to keep it from sinking into the cake — I prefer to just pop in the freezer or refrigerator until the butter is cold. If you forget to do this, you can always stir in a tablespoon of flour instead.
 

Nutrition Information

Calories: 378cal | Carbohydrates: 59g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 14g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 7g | Trans Fat: 0.2g | Cholesterol: 38mg | Sodium: 200mg | Potassium: 140mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 42g | Vitamin A: 164IU | Vitamin C: 0.01mg | Calcium: 74mg | Iron: 1mg
Keywords cinnamon roll cake

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Meet Ashley

My name is Ashley Fehr and I love creating easy meals my family loves. I also like to do things my way, which means improvising and breaking the rules when necessary. Here you will find creative twists on old favorites and some of my favorite family recipes, passed down from generations!

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Comments

  1. Katie says

    I just made this, oh wow it is delicious! I wanted to add pecans but didn’t have any so I made the recipe as is and it is great. I’d make it again but maybe with half of the portions for the cinnamon/brown sugar/butter, as I’m sure it would still be wonderful.

5 from 3 votes

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