Prepare to fall in love with this Cinnamon Roll Cake! Light and fluffy sour cream cake with a thick cinnamon swirl and cream cheese frosting. All the flavors of a cinnamon roll in a delicious homemade cake. VIDEO below.
YOU GUYS. This Cinnamon Roll Cake is to die for. It’s one of my favorite recipes ever, because it is a cake that TASTES LIKE A CINNAMON ROLL! If you like cinnamon rolls (that’s everyone, right?), then you will go crazy for this. I mean, how can any living, breathing person not want to faceplant right into this beautiful thing?
Cinnamon Roll Cake
This delicious cake is filled with all the flavors of a cinnamon roll. Here are the three components:
- Sour Cream Cake: The base of the cake is a moist and fluffy sour cream cake. The cake itself is soft and sweet with a tender crumb, and a bit of tang from the sour cream. The easy homemade batter comes together in minutes.
- Brown Sugar Cinnamon Swirl: This is the star of the cake! A simple mixture of softened butter, brown sugar, flour, and cinnamon is added to the top of the cake batter. It gets swirled into the cake batter, creating little pockets of brown sugar-cinnamon flavor all throughout the cake.
- Cream Cheese Frosting: After baking, we spread a generous layer of cream cheese frosting over the top of the cake. This adds the finishing touch to make this cake taste exactly like a cinnamon roll!
Each slice of cake has that perfect combo of fluffy cake, cinnamon swirl and tangy cream cheese frosting. It is heaven on a plate, my friends.
Another thing I love about this recipe it its versatility. It can be served for breakfast or dessert. It’s perfect with coffee, tea, or a glass of cold milk. It hits the spot midday, early morning, or after dinner. It can be served for holidays or lazy weekends, or a big fat slice can get ya moving on a Monday morning.
When I say this is one of my favorite recipes, that is not an exaggeration. I rave about this cake after each and every bite (my family is like, “OK, we get it, shut up already.”) The nostalgic and comforting flavors will have you reaching for one slice after another.
Whether you make this for a special occasion or no occasion at all, it’s an absolutely lovely cake to make and enjoy “just because.”
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MORE BREAKFAST RECIPES: Chai Tea Crumb Cake – Blueberry Pancake Casserole – Cinnamon Vanilla Baked French Toast – Maple Gingerbread Coffee Cake
** Recipe updated February 2019 to make the cake a bit less thick (so it bakes faster). Cake will be thickness pictured.**
Cinnamon Roll Cake
Ingredients
Cake:
- 2 1/4 cups all purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 10 tablespoons unsalted butter (1/2 cup plus 2T) softened
- 2 large eggs
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 1 cup sour cream
- 3 tablespoons milk
Cinnamon Filling:
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter very soft
- 2/3 cup brown sugar packed
- 2 tablespoons all purpose flour
- 1 heaping tablespoon ground cinnamon
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
Cream Cheese Frosting:
- 6 oz cream cheese softened
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter softened
- 3 cups powdered sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1-2 tablespoons half and half
Instructions
Cake:
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease a 13x9x2-inch baking pan.
- In a large bowl whisk flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
- Using a hand mixer or stand mixer, beat sugar and butter until smooth and creamy. Beat in eggs 1 at a time, then vanilla extract. Add the flour in three additions and the sour cream in two additions, beginning and ending with the flour. Once combined, add milk and beat until incorporated. Spread batter in prepared pan (it will be thick).
Cinnamon Filling:
- Mix together all ingredients until well combined (I use a fork or a rubber spatula).
- Drop small spoonfuls of filling evenly around the top of the cake batter. Use a thin knife to swirl the filling around and down into the batter.
- Bake the cake for 30-40 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Begin checking the cake around 25 minutes. If it begins to get dark, place a piece of foil loosely over the top. Place the pan on a wire rack to cool completely.
Frosting:
- Using a hand mixer or stand mixer, beat cream cheese and butter until combined. Beat in powdered sugar, vanilla and 1 tablespoon half and half. Increase speed to high and beat for 1-2 minutes, until light and fluffy. If desired, you can make the frosting thicker by adding more powdered sugar, or thinner by adding more half and half. I like it thicker than a glaze but slightly thinner than a traditional frosting (like what you would see on a cinnamon roll). Spread the frosting evenly over the top of the cooled cake.
Kate says
I made this cake and the first piece was good. Then I put it in the fridge because of the cream cheese frosting. The next pieces were good, but nothing special, kind of dense. Then, after we were about 3/4 of the way through (hey, it’s still cake), my mom was over and microwaved her slice. And holy crap it was AMAZING. We were kicking ourselves that we didn’t even think to warm it (again, because of the cream cheese). Generally I try not to have too many baked goods readily available since my husband and I both have massive sweet tooths, but we both agreed that I need to make this again asap. This recipe is SO good, just make sure you have it warm.
Celebrating Sweets says
I’m glad you enjoyed it! Thanks for taking the time to share your experience. 🙂
Kate says
I made it again last night. I kept it warm in the oven and frosted right before serving. There were 4 of us and we ate more than half of it in one sitting! This is definitely a “keeper” recipe for future gatherings! Thanks!