Easy Cinnamon Roll Cake Recipe

This easy cinnamon roll cake is one giant cinnamon roll baked in an 8 or 9 inch springform pan: a soft yeast dough coiled around a brown sugar cinnamon filling, then glazed while warm. It bakes at 350°F for 30 to 35 minutes and takes about 3 hours start to finish, most of it rising time. You get 10 to 12 slices.

What makes it easier than a pan of rolls is the shaping. There is no cutting and spacing a dozen buns. You roll one rope for the center, cut the rest of the dough into 2 or 3 long strips and wind them around it.

For a bite-sized version of the same swirl, try my cinnamon roll cookies.

One Giant Roll or a No-Yeast Batter Cake?

A lot of recipes called cinnamon roll cake are a plain batter cake with a cinnamon sugar swirl on top. They are ready in under an hour, need no kneading and no rising, and taste a lot like a coffee cake with a sweet glaze poured over it. This one is a real yeast dough, so it pulls apart in layers and slices like a cinnamon bun. The work is short, about 30 minutes of hands-on time. The waiting is the long part: 1 to 1½ hours for the first rise and 30 to 45 minutes for the second.

If you need something baked within the hour, make my cinnamon coffee cake instead. On a slow Sunday, the giant roll is worth the wait.

Mixing and Rising the Soft Dough

Stir 3¾ cups flour, ¼ cup sugar, one packet of active dry yeast and ¾ teaspoon salt together. Whisk ¾ cup whole milk warmed to 110°F, ¼ cup warm water, one egg and ¼ cup melted butter, then pour it into the flour. The milk should feel warm on your wrist, never hot. Much hotter than 110°F weakens the yeast and the rise drags.

Knead for 8 to 10 minutes until the dough is smooth and springs back. If it is sticky, add flour a tablespoon at a time and stop as soon as it stops clinging to your hands. Extra flour makes a dry cake. The whole milk, egg and butter in this dough are what keep the crumb soft for two days on the counter.

Cover the bowl and leave it somewhere warm for 1 to 1½ hours, until doubled. Press a floured finger into the dough. If the dent fills back slowly, it is ready. Springs right back? Give it 15 more minutes.

Brown Sugar Cinnamon Paste for the Coils

The filling is ½ cup softened butter, ¾ cup brown sugar and 2 tablespoons cinnamon, mashed into a thick paste while the dough rises. Softened, not melted. Melted butter runs out of the coils in the oven and scorches on the pan, and the swirl ends up dry. A paste stays where you spread it, so each layer gets the same amount.

Shaping the Spiral in a Springform Pan

Grease an 8 or 9 inch springform pan. Then punch the dough down and cut off one third. Roll that piece into a 20 inch rope, flatten it a little, spread it thinly with filling and coil it tightly. It goes flat in the middle.

Roll the larger piece into a long rectangle about 6 inches wide and 24 to 30 inches long. Spread the rest of the filling right to the edges. Cut it lengthwise into 2 or 3 long strips with a pizza cutter. Wrap the first strip around the center coil, filling side in. Pinch the end of each strip to the start of the next and keep winding until the pan is full.

Cover loosely and let it rise again for 30 to 45 minutes, until puffy and nearly doubled. Heat the oven to 350°F while it rises.

When Is a Giant Cinnamon Roll Baked Through?

Bake for 30 to 35 minutes. The outside browns long before the thick center is done. Check the middle. The top should be deep golden, and the dough between the center coils should look dry, not pale and shiny. An instant-read thermometer in the center should show about 190°F. If the top darkens before then, lay foil over it for the last 10 minutes.

In an 8 inch pan the spiral stands taller, so it often needs the full 35 minutes. Cool it in the pan for 10 to 15 minutes, then take off the ring.

Milk or Cream in the Vanilla Glaze

Whisk 1 cup powdered sugar with ½ teaspoon vanilla, a pinch of salt and 2 tablespoons milk or cream, then add the third tablespoon only if it is too thick to drizzle. Milk sinks in. Cream makes a richer, whiter glaze that sits on top of the swirl and shows every groove. I use milk for brunch and cream when it is dessert.

Pour it over the cake while it is still warm so it runs down into the grooves. Then wait. Ten minutes is enough, and slicing sooner drags the filling. For a thicker topping, my cinnamon roll icing or this cream cheese frosting for cinnamon rolls both work.

Overnight Dough and Warm Slices the Next Day

For a brunch, make the dough the night before. Let it finish the first rise, punch it down, cover it and refrigerate overnight. In the morning let it come to room temperature, about an hour, then fill, shape, rise and bake as usual.

Wrap leftovers well and keep them at room temperature for up to 2 days. Warm a slice in the microwave for 10 to 15 seconds and the filling goes soft again. The oven dries the top layer. Straight from the fridge it tastes firm and dull. Let refrigerated slices sit on the counter for 20 minutes first.

Cinnamon Bun Cake Questions

Can I use instant yeast instead of active dry?

Yes, use the same amount. Instant yeast works faster than active dry, so start checking the first rise after about 45 minutes and go by the finger test, not the clock.

Can I make cinnamon roll cake in a regular cake pan?

A springform pan is best because you can lift the ring off without flipping the cake. A 9 inch round pan with high sides works too; line the bottom with parchment and lift it out once cool.

Can I serve it as a birthday cake?

Yes. It cuts into 10 to 12 wedges like a layer cake. Glaze it, let the glaze set for 10 minutes, then add candles.

Save this cinnamon roll cake for your next slow weekend. For more swirl, there are brown butter cinnamon rolls, a three layer cinnamon cake and a pull-apart cinnamon roll focaccia on the site too.