This Cinnabon Cake mixes the best parts of a cinnamon roll and coffee cake for a delicious breakfast treat. The sweet vanilla icing is the perfect finishing touch!
If you love cinnamon, be sure to try this snickerdoodle banana bread, which doubles as a breakfast and a dessert. You’ll also love these snickerdoodle cookies and my honey bun cake recipe!
Cinnamon Roll Cake Recipe
I enjoy buying pumpkin scones or blueberry muffins from local bakeries, but I prefer to bake at home.
But I have one weakness when it comes to “fast food” baked goods: Cinnabon’s Cinnamon Rolls. Who can resist that alluring cinnamon aroma that stops you in your tracks when you’re hurrying through the airport or mall?
This Cinnabon Cake is a little bit like a giant cinnamon roll, but in the form of a sliceable coffee cake!
Here’s why you’ll love it:
- The recipe makes two cakes, so it’s perfect for holiday brunches and potlucks.
- Today’s easy cinnamon roll cake recipe is freezer-friendly. If you can’t finish both cakes right away, you can eat one now and freeze one for later.
- Although the flavor is cinnamon roll inspired, this is a cake, which means there’s no yeast and no wait time for the rolls to rise. Mix together a batter, bake, drizzle with icing and eat! From start to finish, this cake took well under an hour to be ready to eat.
- Top the Cinnabon cake with gooey vanilla icing, which takes it to the next level! (And unlike other cakes, you don’t even have to wait for it to cool before adding the icing.)
Important Ingredient Notes
- All-purpose flour – Be sure to measure the flour by lightly spooning it into the measuring cups, rather than scooping it. This ensures you don’t use more than you need. Use my guide on how to measure flour.
- Milk – Whole milk creates an extra-tender crumb, but any milk you have on hand will work.
- Eggs – Let these come to room temperature. They’ll mix more smoothly into the batter and hold more air when beaten, giving your cake a lighter texture.
- Unsalted butter – You’ll need melted butter for batter and softened butter for the cinnamon swirl.
- Cinnamon can lose flavor over time, so make sure it’s fresh and aromatic when you open the jar.
How to Make Cinnamon Roll Cake
Prepare: Preheat your oven to 350ºF and grease two 9-inch cake pans, then line the bottoms with parchment paper.
Make the Batter:
- Using a hand mixer or stand mixer, combine the batter.
- Divide the batter between the cake pans.
Make the Cinnamon Filling: In a large bowl, make the cinnamon filling.
Add the Swirl: Using two tablespoons, drop the butter mixture onto the top of the cake batter. Swirl it in with a butter knife.
Bake: Place the pans in the oven and bake the cakes for about 25-30 minutes.
Cool: Remove the pans from the oven and let the cakes cool for 10 minutes before turning them out onto serving plates.
Frost: Whisk the powdered sugar with the milk and vanilla extract. Drizzle the mixture over the Cinnabon cakes while they’re still warm.
Tips and Tricks
- It can be a pain to cut parchment paper to size for round pans, so I like to buy parchment rounds, which are the perfect size for the job.
- When you’re adding the cinnamon filling, don’t swirl too much. If you go overboard, you’ll end up mixing the cinnamon into the batter completely, which isn’t what we want! Go for elegant marbling here.
- If your powdered sugar is lumpy, sift it first to keep those lumps out of your icing.
- Once the cakes cool, store them in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days, or freeze for up to 3 months.
- Homemade cinnamon roll cake tastes best when slightly warmed. If you have leftovers, just pop your slice of cake in the microwave for a few seconds to reheat.
- Make it even more authentic. Top this cake with homemade cream cheese frosting instead!
More Delicious Breakfast Recipes
- Apple Cinnamon Coffee Cake
- Zucchini Bread Recipe
- Chocolate Chip Cake
- Blueberry Buckle Recipe
- Amish Friendship Bread
- Sour Cream Coffee Cake
- Crumb Cake
Pin this now to find it later
Pin It
Cinnamon Roll Coffee Cake Recipe
Ingredients
For the Cakes:
- 3 cups all-purpose flour plus 2 Tablespoons divided
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 ½ Tablespoons baking powder
- 1 ½ cup milk
- 2 large eggs
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- ¼ cup unsalted butter melted
- ¾ cup unsalted butter softened
- ¾ cup light brown sugar packed
- 2 Tablespoons cinnamon
For the Icing:
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- ¼ cup milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- For the cake, preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease two 9-inch cake pans, lining the bottom with parchment paper.
- In mixer, blend 3 cups of the flour, sugar, salt, baking powder, milk, eggs, vanilla and 1/4 cup melted butter. Divide batter evenly between cake pans.
- In another mixing bowl, beat 3/4 cup butter with brown sugar, 2 Tbsp flour, and cinnamon. Continue to beat until fully blended and fluffy (about 3 minutes). Using two tablespoons, drop butter mixture onto cake batter. Use a knife to swirl.
- Bake cakes for about 25-30 minutes. Remove from oven and cool in pans 10 minutes. Flip cakes out onto serving plates.
- For icing, whisk the powdered sugar with 1/4 cup milk and 1 tsp vanilla extract. Drizzle over warmed cakes. Enjoy!
Notes
- Storage: Store cooled cakes in airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days. Or freeze for up to 3 months.
- Cinnamon Roll cake tastes best when slightly warmed. If you have leftovers, pop a slice in the microwave for 15 seconds to reheat.
- See blog post for more recipe tips and tricks.
This is cinamon overload and therefore I love it 😀
Great recipe!
Cheers
Choc Chip Uru
I am a total cinnamon addict, so this looks like I’d devour half the cake in one sitting! 😉
Looks sinful! Can’t wait to try this
This looks amazing! Great with a cup of tea. Thanks so much for sharing at Mix it up Monday 🙂
This looks incredible! Definitely going to make this as soon as possible!!!
My kids love it when I make stuff like this and consider it breakfast food! I’m going to pin this later today. Come, share at Must Try Monday. I’d love to see ya there!
Oh my! This looks so good!!! This would be soooooooo perfect with my coffee right now!!!!
Now how in the world am I supposed to keep sugar out of my mind when you are posting awesomeness like this??? 🙂 So ooey gooey and delicious looking…I love it!!!
My family would adore these! Thanks for sharing 🙂
Oh my goodness! This looks awesome. I’m on top of anything that has the cinnamon bun taste without the long wait of yeast bread baking. Pinning this one!
OH. MY. GAW.
Yes please!
I made a cinnamon bun pie about 2 weeks ago but I cheated and used premade cinn rolls, then doctored them up (tons!) and baked. This looks so good and do-able without tons of time spent!
I also procrastinate recipes. Sometimes you’re just not feeling it, ya know?
I can almost smell the cinnamon through the computer screen…
Um… I am in love with the sound of this deliciousness!! Bookmarked! 🙂
Oh. My. God. I need this! If I workout can I eat both cakes?
Oh my I just gained 5 pounds looking at the beautiful pictures. I think I would like to try this, maybe made and eat all by myself………..andi
This cake is seriously my dream! Love it!
Yum. Yum. And MORE yum! I’m such a sucker for anything cinnamon…and of course cakey cinnamon bliss defintely catches my attention! 🙂
Oh my, this looks SO GOOD. Totally pinning this to make for breakfast next weekend! I have my stretchy pants at the ready.
First of all, I was going to bake something else tomorrow, but you totally made me change my mind. I see now that I MUST make this cake. Second, I intended to make this for someone else but then thought, “How am I going to taste it then if I give it away?” Then, I saw that you had split the recipe into two cake pans. My problem’s solved now. One for them, and one for me.