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Home » Cake & Cupcakes » Cinnamon Roll Cake

Cinnamon Roll Cake

Published: Apr 13, 2022 · Modified: Jan 10, 2023 by Allison · 34 Comments

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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.

This is one of my favorite recipes ever, because it is a CAKE that TASTES LIKE A CINNAMON ROLL! All the flavor with a fraction of the work. If you like cinnamon rolls (that’s everyone, right?), then you will go crazy for this recipe. Try our Cinnamon Roll Cookies, Cinnamon Roll Blondies or Churro Cheesecake, too!

Slice of cinnamon roll cake on a white plate.
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This cake is

  • Soft and tender
  • Filled with a thick cinnamon swirl
  • Topped with cream cheese frosting
  • Easier than making cinnamon rolls
  • Delicious served for breakfast or dessert
  • Perfect for feeding a crowd

Recipe overview

Here are the three components of this recipe:

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. Love sour cream cake? Try our White Cake Recipe, too.

Collage of cake batter in a bowl and a baking pan,

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.

Butter, brown sugar, flour, and cinnamon in a white bowl.
Brown sugar cinnamon butter in a white bowl with a fork.
Dollops of cinnamon butter on cake batter in a white pan.
Swirled cake batter in a white pan.

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!

Cream cheese frosting being spread onto cinnamon cake.

Recipe tips

Don’t have sour cream? Try one of our Sour Cream Substitutes.

When swirling the cinnamon into the cake batter swirl it down into the cake as well as around the top.

Allow plenty of time for the cake to cool before adding the frosting.

Is your frosting too soft? Pop it in the refrigerator for 20 or 30 minutes.

Store this cake in the refrigerator and bring to cool room temp before serving.

Slice of cinnamon roll cake on a white plate.

More breakfast recipes

  • Blueberry Buttermilk Pancake Casserole
  • Brown Sugar Banana Pancakes
  • Healthy Apple Crisp
  • Cinnamon Vanilla Baked French Toast

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Recipe

Slice of cinnamon roll cake on a white plate.

Cinnamon Roll Cake

Light and fluffy sour cream cake with a thick cinnamon swirl and cream cheese frosting. All of the flavors of a cinnamon roll in a delicious homemade cake!
4.98 from 39 votes
Print Pin SaveSaved!
Course: Breakfast, Dessert
Cuisine: American
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 35 minutes
Cooling: 2 hours
Total Time: 3 hours 5 minutes
Servings: 16
Calories: 442kcal
Author: Allison – Celebrating Sweets

Ingredients

Cake:

  • 2 ¼ cups all purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • ¾ cup granulated sugar
  • 10 tablespoons unsalted butter , softened
  • 2 large eggs, room temperature
  • 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
  • 1 cup full fat sour cream
  • 3 tablespoons milk

Cinnamon filling:

  • ½ cup unsalted butter, very soft but not melted
  • ⅔ cup packed brown sugar, light or dark
  • 2 tablespoons all purpose flour
  • 1 heaping tablespoon ground cinnamon
  • couple pinches salt

Cream cheese frosting:

  • 6 oz cream cheese, softened
  • 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
  • 3 cups powdered sugar
  • ¼ teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Instructions

Cake:

  • Preheat oven to 350°F with a rack in the center. 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 fitted with the paddle attachment, beat sugar and butter until smooth and creamy. Beat in eggs 1 at a time, then vanilla extract, scraping the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed. 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, scraping the sides and bottom of the bowl as necessary. 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 all around on the top of the cake batter.
    Dollops of cinnamon butter on cake batter in a white pan.
  • Use a thin knife to swirl the filling around and down into the batter.
    Swirled cake batter in a white pan.
  • Bake the cake for 30-40 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. When checking for doneness make sure you're checking the cake portion, don't worry about the cinnamon swirls. Peek at 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 and vanilla. 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 a splash of milk. 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.

Video

Nutrition

Calories: 442kcal | Carbohydrates: 56g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 23g | Saturated Fat: 13g | Cholesterol: 87mg | Sodium: 224mg | Potassium: 100mg | Sugar: 41g | Vitamin A: 755IU | Vitamin C: 0.2mg | Calcium: 60mg | Iron: 1.2mg

Nutritional Information is an estimate based on third-party calculations and may vary based on products used and serving sizes.

Tried this recipe?Leave a comment and rating below!

** Recipe updated February 2019 to make the cake a bit less thick (so it bakes faster). Cake will be thickness pictured.**

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Comments

  1. Catalina

    February 26, 2019 at 6:13 am

    5 stars
    What a beautiful day starter! Cinnamon rolls are my favorite!

    Reply
  2. Erin | Dinners,Dishes and Dessert

    February 27, 2019 at 8:34 am

    5 stars
    This looks delicious! I could eat this everyday 😀

    Reply
  3. Krista

    February 27, 2019 at 8:46 am

    5 stars
    Loving this for breakfast! Perfect for the weekend!

    Reply
  4. Deseree

    February 27, 2019 at 9:10 am

    5 stars
    The best of both worlds! I would eat this for breakfast since it has cinnamon roll in the title 😉

    Reply
  5. Annemarie

    March 06, 2019 at 11:11 am

    5 stars
    I love how you swirl the cinnamon in! My kids would go crazy over this cake.

    Reply
  6. Chris Collins

    March 06, 2019 at 1:38 pm

    5 stars
    Oh wow! This has to be one of the most delicious cakes I’ve ever seen. I’m a sucker for cinnamon rolls too so this is right up my street!

    Reply
  7. Gloria

    March 06, 2019 at 1:56 pm

    5 stars
    This is perfect for the weekend brunch. Also, what a great dessert to take along to a potluck. I know this would be a crowd pleaser, and people would be fighting over the last crumbs.

    Reply
  8. Bhawana

    March 06, 2019 at 1:57 pm

    5 stars
    wow I am drooling over this cinnamon roll cake, looking so delicious and yummy. Perfect for a family gathering or small party gathering.

    Reply
  9. Lisa Bryan

    March 06, 2019 at 5:03 pm

    5 stars
    Oh yum! This sounds like the perfect breakfast item for a delicious and lazy Sunday at home!

    Reply
  10. Helen

    November 18, 2019 at 4:44 am

    If left unfrosted, would this cake freeze well ?

    Reply
    • Celebrating Sweets

      November 18, 2019 at 8:43 am

      I haven’t tried it, but I would assume so. Enjoy!

      Reply
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aboutHi, I'm Allison! I'm a busy wife and mom with a passion for cooking and baking. This is where you'll find my favorite homemade recipes, designed to help you make every day delicious! Read more....

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