Cinnamon Roll Cake
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This cinnamon roll cake has a fluffy yellow cake, with a brown sugar cinnamon swirled throughout, then topped with a cinnamon roll icing. It tastes just like a cinnamon roll in cake form!
If you’ve been around my blog for a while, you know cinnamon rolls are one of my love languages. I make them for holidays, for snow days, for “just because it’s Sunday,” and pretty much anytime I need something cozy in the kitchen.
But as much as I adore a good yeasted cinnamon roll, sometimes I want that same buttery-cinnamon swirl goodness without waiting hours for dough to rise. And you know I love easy dessert recipes around here so I started testing this Cinnamon Roll Cake—a soft, buttery vanilla cake base with pockets of cinnamon-brown sugar filling swirled throughout topped with my cinnamon roll icing—and honestly? It tastes like a pan of cinnamon rolls and a slice of yellow cake teamed up to make the world’s best brunch dessert.
It’s simple, totally satisfying, and comes together with pantry ingredients. If you love cinnamon rolls but want something faster and easier for a crowd, this one’s for you.
Ingredients You Need
Cinnamon Filling:
- Unsalted butter – You can also use salted butter.
- Salt
- Light brown sugar – If you run out try my homemade brown sugar.
- Ground cinnamon
- All-purpose flour
Cake:
- All-purpose flour
- Baking powder
- Salt
- Unsalted butter
- Canola or vegetable oil – Use a neutral-tasting oil
- Granulated sugar
- Eggs – You want room temperature eggs.
- Vanilla extract
- Buttermilk – If you run out, make your own homemade buttermilk.
Glaze:
- Powdered sugar – If you run out make your own homemade powdered sugar.
- Unsalted butter
- Vanilla extract
- Milk – Any milk will work.
How to Make Cinnamon Roll Cake
1. Prep your pan and oven
Get your oven heating to 350°F. Grease a 9×13 pan—I like to use nonstick spray and line the bottom with parchment for easy cleanup later. Starting with a properly prepped pan helps the cake bake evenly and release cleanly.
2. Make the cinnamon filling
In a small bowl, mix the very soft butter with salt, brown sugar, cinnamon, and flour until you have a thick, smooth paste. The butter really does need to be very soft here. If it’s still firm, the filling won’t swirl easily and you’ll end up with clumps instead of ribbons.
Set this aside while you make the cake batter.
3. Whisk together the dry ingredients
In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Whisking evenly distributes the baking powder so you don’t end up with random “puffy pockets” in your cake.
4. Cream the butter, oil, and sugar
In a large mixing bowl, beat the softened butter, oil, and sugar together for 2–3 minutes until smooth and slightly fluffy. The combination of oil + butter gives you both flavor and moisture—this is one of the reasons this cake turns out so tender.
5. Add in the eggs and vanilla
Beat in the eggs one at a time, scraping down the bowl between each to make sure everything is incorporated. Add vanilla and mix again. Adding eggs one at a time keeps the mixture smooth. Dumping them all in at once can cause curdling, which affects the texture of the cake.
6. Alternate the dry ingredients with the buttermilk
Add the flour mixture in three additions, alternating with the buttermilk. Begin and end with the flour mixture, and mix just until everything is combined.
When the last streaks of flour disappear, switch to a spatula and give it a few gentle folds to avoid overmixing. Overmixing leads to a dense, tough cake. This method keeps it soft and tender.
7. Assemble & swirl
Spread the batter into your prepared pan, smoothing the top. Now dollop the cinnamon filling over the batter in small teaspoon-sized amounts.
Do not use large scoops—big dollops will sink as the cake bakes. Smaller dollops stay suspended beautifully.
Use the tip of a knife to create swirls throughout the batter. A few figure-eights is plenty; don’t over-swirl or everything blends together instead of creating ribbons.
8. Bake
Bake for 35–40 minutes, or until the top is golden and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs. Check around the 32-minute mark—every oven is different, and you don’t want to overbake this cake.
Let the cake cool for about 15 minutes while you make the glaze.
9. Make the glaze
Whisk together powdered sugar, melted butter, vanilla, and milk until smooth. Add more or less milk depending on how thick you like your glaze. Spread it over the slightly warm cake so it melts into all those cinnamon swirls.
Slice and enjoy warm—or at room temperature. Either way, it’s hard to stop at just one piece.
More Recipes To Try
If you’re craving more easy cake recipes, be sure to try my sour cream cinnamon coffee cake with a pecan streusel. I also love making my apple crumb cake when apples are in season.
Cinnamon Roll Cake
Ingredients
For the filling:
- 12 Tablespoons (1 ½ sticks, 170 g) unsalted butter very soft
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup (213 g) packed light brown sugar
- 1 ½ tablespoons ground cinnamon
- 2 Tablespoons all purpose flour
For the cake
- 3 ¼ cups (390 g) all purpose flour spooned and leveled
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ cup (1 stick, 113 g) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- ½ cup (120 mL) canola oil (or vegetable)
- 2 cups (400 g) granulated white sugar
- 4 large eggs room temperature
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 1 ½ cups (360 mL) buttermilk
For the glaze
- 2 cups (226 g) powdered sugar
- 2 Tablespoons (28 g) unsalted butter melted
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 3-4 Tablespoon milk
Instructions
- Preheat and prepare pan. Position a rack in the center of the oven. Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C). Grease a 9×13 cake pan.
- Make filling. In a small bowl, beat together the very soft butter, salt, brown sugar, cinnamon and flour until a soft wet paste forms. Set aside. 12 Tablespoons (1 ½ sticks, 170 g) unsalted butter ¼ teaspoon salt 1 cup (213 g) packed light brown sugar 1 ½ tablespoons ground cinnamon 2 Tablespoons all purpose flour
- Combine dry ingredients. In a mixing bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside. 3 ¼ cups (390 g) all purpose flour 1 tablespoon baking powder 1 teaspoon salt
- Cream butter oil and sugar. In a second mixing bowl with an electric mixer on medium speed, cream butter, oil and sugar together until smooth and combined about 2 to 3 minutes. ½ cup (1 stick, 113 g) unsalted butter, ½ cup (120 mL) canola oil (or vegetable) 2 cups (400 g) granulated white sugar
- Add eggs, vanilla. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl after each addition. Add vanilla extract. Beat to combine. 4 large eggs 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- Alternate dry ingredients with buttermilk. Alternate adding the flour mixture with the buttermilk, beginning and ending with the flour mixture. Do not overmix. Stop mixing once the last of the flour has been mixed in. I like to give the last few stirs with a spatula to ensure it's not overmixed. 1 ½ cups (360 mL) buttermilk
- Bake. Spread the batter in the pan. Dollop the cinnamon mixture on top in small teaspoon amounts (do not do big dollops or they have a tendency to sink to the bottom). Swirl with the tip of the knife. Bake for about 35-40 minutes. The cake is done when it's golden brown on top and toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs. Remove cake from the oven.
- Make glaze. In a small bowl, whisk together glaze ingredients. Spread glaze over a slightly warm cake. Slice and serve. 2 cups (226 g) powdered sugar 2 Tablespoons (28 g) unsalted butter ½ teaspoon vanilla extract 3-4 Tablespoon milk
Notes
- Storage: Keep leftovers covered tightly at room temperature for up to 3 days—I like to cover the pan with foil or press plastic wrap directly against the cut sides so they don’t dry out. For longer storage, place slices or the whole cake in an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 1 week. The glaze firms up in the fridge, but the cake stays tender. You can also freeze individual slices for up to 2 months; just wrap well and thaw at room temp before reheating.
