Cinnamon Roll Breakfast Cake

All the best parts of a giant cinnamon roll and a cake come together to make Cinnamon Cinnabon Cake. Oozing with vanilla icing, this cinnamon roll cake is the ultimate in breakfast decadence.

If you love cinnamon desserts and breakfast recipes, be sure to try this Snickerdoodle Banana Bread. Or give our snickerdoodle cookies a try tonight.

Slice of Cinnabon Cinnamon Roll cake with dripping vanilla glaze on white scalloped plate.


Why this Recipe Works

While I love to indulge by buying a Starbucks Scone or a blueberry muffin from my favorite local bakeries now and then, I’m not the biggest fan of most treats from chain restaurants.

But I have one weakness when it comes to “fast food” baked goods: Cinnabons Cinnamon Rolls. Who can resist that alluring cinnamon aroma that stops you in your tracks when you’re hurrying through the airport or mall?

Every so often, I get one of those big sticky buns for myself and savor it slowly, every last sticky bite. Heaven.

Today’s recipe:

  • Makes two cakes
  • Freezer friendly
  • No wait time for “rising rolls”
  • No yeast
  • Topped with gooey vanilla icing

Just 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. Unlike other cakes, you don’t even have to wait for it to cool before adding the icing.

The whole point of cinnamon roll frosting is that it gets a little melty!

Don’t forget to give our honey bun cake recipe a try next!

Step by step swirling of cinnamon filling in cinnamon roll cake
Pie shaped slice of cinnamon roll cake on a white plate.

PRO TIP: Cinnamon Roll Cake tastes best when slightly warmed. If you have leftovers that get cool, just pop your slice of cake in the microwave for a few seconds to reheat.

Big slice of cinnamon roll cake topped with cream cheese icing.
Slice of cinnamon roll cake on a white plate with whole cake in background.

More Delicious Breakfast Recipes

Cinnamon Roll Breakfast Cake Recipe

4.80 from 24 votes
By: Aimee
All the best parts of a giant cinnamon roll and a cake come together to make Cinnamon Cinnabon Cake. Oozing with vanilla icing, this cinnamon roll cake is the ultimate in breakfast decadence. 
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 50 minutes
Servings: 24 servings

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
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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.

Nutrition

Calories: 178kcal, Carbohydrates: 25g, Protein: 1g, Fat: 8g, Saturated Fat: 5g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g, Cholesterol: 37mg, Sodium: 158mg, Sugar: 23g
Course: Breakfast and Brunch
Cuisine: American
Did you make this recipe?Mention @shugarysweets or tag #shugarysweets!

All the best parts of a giant cinnamon roll and a cake come together to make Cinnamon Cinnabon Cake. Oozing with vanilla icing, this cinnamon roll cake is the ultimate in breakfast decadence.



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About Aimee

Aimee is a dessert lover (specifically rice krispie treats), workout enthusiast, self-taught foodie, and recipe creator.

Learn more about Aimee.

Affiliate Disclosure:**There may be affiliate links in this post! By clicking on them, or purchasing recommended items I may receive a small compensation. However, I only recommend products I love! Thank you for supporting Shugary Sweets! See my disclosure policy for more info**

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Posted on January 22, 2020

Comments & Reviews

  1. Just made this recipe and have to say it was not only easy to bake but just one made it to the freezer ready for Christmas Morning. My husband and I ate the other one. So yummy. Thank you xoxo

  2. 5 stars
    This was super tasty! My kids gobbled it up. I halved the recipe to make only one cake as it would have been too much for my family of 4. Might make the full recipe and freeze one next time!

  3. If I did decide to go with the 9 x 13 pan, would the results be the same as baking in the 9″ pans? And approx how long would I have to bake it for?

  4. Hey Aimee!  I made this cake and absolutely loved it.  I shared it with some grateful neighbors too.  It has all the flavor of a cinnamon roll without all the work.  And I love that there is so much goo – that’s the best part!  I posted about it on my blog and would love if you’d check it out 🙂 http://piesandplots.net/cinnamon-roll-cake-giveaway/

  5. I love this cake!! 😀

    Ok, so today I baked a couple of them and I accidentally forgot the 2 tbsp. of flour in the brown sugar/butter mix! I remembered right after I popped them in the oven and stressed a little over how they might turn out. Well, to my surprise they turned out great! The brown stuff still came out crispy and dark brown! I actually like it without the flour, or next time I may just omit 1 tbsp. instead of 2 just to see the difference!! 😀

    1. I love hearing back when people make my recipes!! Thanks for stopping over and sharing 🙂 Glad it turned out great with your twist on it!

  6. I know this post is over 2 years old, but I just made this this morning for my family. I followed the recipe exactly except I had 9 inch cake pans, not 8. Baked for 32 min. Turned out wonderful, and delicious. I could have eaten one whole pan by myself. I could see it being gooey if you don’t bake it long enough, but I didn’t have that problem. Definitively will make again.

  7. Sorry, taste good but was too gooey l think from too much butter with the cinnamon. I checked out basic coffee cake and theres is better.

  8. I used two 8″ rounds. Took approximately 50 minutes to bake. Perhaps the 25-30 minute baking time applies to a 9×13″ pan? I added a little cinnamon to the cake batter and to the icing. Kids loved it!

  9. I must have done something wrong with the butter/sugar/cinnamon thing. For some reason it seemed I had WAY too much to add to my cakes and it just ended up making a big gooey mess that never fully cooked. It also made a mess all over my oven. What did I do wrong?? Could you add some pics of you adding the butter/sugar and swirling it in? I would really appreciate it!

    1. Hmmm, it is a little gooey, but not undercooked/raw. I’ll have to add photos next time I make it.

      1. Thanks! I think I must have put too much of the butter/sugar/cinnamon in the middle so even after cooking an additional 10 min it was still undercooked. My kids still ate it and are begging me to make it again. =) Do you add the whole butter/sugar mixture? I also think I should try the 9×13 like you said some others do.
        Thanks for replying!

        1. Jeanne, I made my cake in a 9×13, and felt there was no way I could use all of the cinnamon mix either. I put the rest in a small bowl to use for cinnamon toast. The cake still seems to have plenty! Can’t wait to take this to work tomorrow!! I did try a small corner and an so eager to have a piece with coffee in the morning. Mmmmm….

  10. First off, this is by far the BEST cake recipe EVER! I made this the other day and I can’t get over how good it is! I brought it in to work and all of my co-workers wanted the recipe. So very good! Making it again tonight and sharing with my parents and friends!

  11. Would be nice if someone commented on this recipe and actually baked it first. Lots of yum yums. Hows the recipe??? This is the feed-back I need. I want to know if this recipe is indeed worth making,

    1. Hi Trina. If you scroll above there are at least 6 or 7 readers who commented that they tried it. Some left their own tips, tricks, etc! And, as the blogger who wrote the post, I’ve personally made it half a dozen times and we love it 🙂

  12. I just made this and it’s delicious!! My husband is not much of a person who eats sweets and he LOVED IT!!! It was quick and it looks and tasts like from a bakery!! Thanks for sharing this recipe!!
    🙂

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