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4.7 from 147 votes

Cinnamon Roll Cake

A simple cake batter, cinnamon swirl, and cream cheese glaze come together in this delicious cinnamon roll cake. Get all of the flavors of the classic breakfast favorite in a fraction of the time!

Prep Time
45 mins
Cook Time
45 mins
Additional Time
10 mins
Total Time
1 hr 35 mins
Servings: 16
Course: Cake

Ingredients

For the batter:
  • 3 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 tablespoon baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • ½ cup salted butter browned and cooled
  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 cup whole milk
  • ½ cup sour cream
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste
For the cinnamon swirl:
  • ¾ cup salted butter browned and cooled
  • 1 cup packed brown sugar
  • 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
  • 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
For the glaze:
  • 2 tablespoons salted butter room temperature
  • 4 ounces cream cheese room temperature
  • 2 cups powdered sugar
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste
  • 2-3 tablespoons whole milk

Instructions

    Cup of Yum
  1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray a 9x13-inch baking dish with nonstick spray.
For the batter
  1. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and baking soda and set aside. In another large bowl, whisk together the butter and sugar. Add in the eggs one at a time and whisk until fully incorporated. Add in the milk, sour cream, and vanilla and whisk until smooth. Gradually stir in the flour until the mixture is smooth and no clumps remain. Pour the batter into the prepared pan.
For the cinnamon swirl
  1. In a large bowl, whisk together the butter, brown sugar, cinnamon and flour. Add dollops of the mixture all over the top of the cake batter and use a knife or chopstick to swirl it into the batter.
  2. Bake in preheated oven for 40 minutes. Allow the cake to cool on a wire rack for 5-10 minutes before you prepare the glaze.
For the glaze
  1. In a large bowl with an electric mixer, beat the butter and cream cheese until smooth, add powdered sugar, vanilla and milk and beat for about 3 minutes. If the mixture is too thick, gradually add a bit more milk, 1 teaspoon at a time until you reach the desired consistency. Spread glaze over the warm cake.

Notes

  • Store in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Let come to room temperature before serving.
  • You can substitute the cream cheese glaze for the powdered sugar glaze used on my overnight cinnamon rolls.
  • Helpful resources:
  • Before getting started, make sure you know the basics of
  • measuring flour
  • correctly. This will start you off on the right track toward a perfect cinnamon roll cake! 
  • Most of the butter in this cake is browned before using it. I have a whole post dedicated to teaching you
  • how to brown butter
  •  – it’s a simple trick you’ll love using again and again.
  • If you ran out of brown sugar, don’t panic. You can make a simple
  • brown sugar substitute
  • to use instead. 
  • If your brown sugar hardened in the pantry, learn some tricks for
  • softening brown sugar
  • and save yourself a trip to the store.
  • I never remember to buy powdered sugar and always run out! Luckily, it’s easy to make a
  • powdered sugar substitute
  • that we can use insead.
  • Adapted from msemilyrose11 on TikTok
  • Before getting started, make sure you know the basics of measuring flour correctly. This will start you off on the right track toward a perfect cinnamon roll cake! 
  • Most of the butter in this cake is browned before using it. I have a whole post dedicated to teaching you how to brown butter – it’s a simple trick you’ll love using again and again.
  • If you ran out of brown sugar, don’t panic. You can make a simple brown sugar substitute to use instead. 
  • If your brown sugar hardened in the pantry, learn some tricks for softening brown sugar and save yourself a trip to the store.
  • I never remember to buy powdered sugar and always run out! Luckily, it’s easy to make a powdered sugar substitute that we can use insead.