Sometimes you need a cinnamon roll without the roll, wrapped up in a quick and easy cake, and drizzled with a cream cheese frosting! This cake is soft, fluffy, and tastes just like your favourite cinnamon roll! But it will be ready in less than an hour.
One evening, my dearest husband and I had a shared craving for a cinnamon roll. Feeling inspired, I took my basic vanilla cake recipe, combined it with my Chelsea bun (Cinnamon Roll) filling and icing...and voila - a cinnamon roll inspired cake was born.
This is a quick, easy from-scratch cinnamon roll cake that will satiate that cinnamon roll craving in less than an hour!
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What You Need for this Recipe
Equipment
This recipe requires an 8" or 20cm cake tin, a handheld mixer (or stand mixer), a kitchen scale, a rubber or silicone spatula, baking paper (parchment paper), and a variety of mixing bowls.
Ingredients
The Vanilla Sponge Requires:
- Plain, standard grade or cake flour
- Butter or a baking margarine
- Caster or granulated white sugar
- Eggs
- Vanilla Extract
- Baking Powder
- Salt
- Milk - either whole milk (full cream) or lower fat options
The Cinnamon Filling Requires:
- Brown Sugar
- Butter
- Cinnamon
- Nutmeg (optional)
The Cream Cheese Icing Requires:
- Icing Sugar / Confectioner's Sugar / Powdered Sugar
- Cream Cheese
- Dash of lemon juice (optional)
- Vanilla extract
Refer to the recipe card for exact quantities.
Making the Cinnamon Roll Cake
Step 1 - Preheat oven to 190/170°C Fan. Grease and line an 8" (20cm) round cake tin.
Note - a conventional oven needs to be set at 20°C higher than a fan-forced or convection oven.
Step 2 - Make the cinnamon filling by melting the butter. Add in the brown sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg. Mix until well combine and set aside.
Note - the cinnamon-sugar mixture may need to be reheated before pouring over the top of the cake batter.
Step 3 - Melt the butter, and set it aside to cool. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the eggs and caster sugar until the mixture has tripled in volume. This will take about 3 to 5 minutes using a stand mixer or handheld electric mixer.
Step 4 - Add the melted butter, salt, vanilla and milk to the eggs, and mix through on a low speed until just combined. Whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt. Add the flour to the wet ingredients and mix together at a low speed just until you have a smooth cake batter.
Step 5 - Pour the cake batter into the cake tin. Then pour the cinnamon sugar (reheat this mixture if necessary until you have a pouring consistency) over the top of the batter. Using a knife or the back of a spoon, swirl the cinnamon sugar mixture into the cake batter. Bake for 30-35 minutes or until a tester or toothpick just comes out clean from the centre of the cake.
Step 6 - Remove the cake from the oven and allow it to cool in the tin for at least 30 minutes before turning it out onto a wire rack and then onto a plate or cake stand.
Step 7 - In a bowl, whisk together the cream cheese, vanilla, lemon juice and icing sugar until you have a nice pourable but thick icing sugar. Drizzle over the top of a cold cake. Slice and serve
Pro Tips for this Recipe
If you glaze the cake while it is still warm (because who can wait?!) the icing will melt into the cake, which will still yield a delicious cinnamon roll cake.
The temperatures stated are for conventional ovens. For convection, fan-forced, fan-assisted, or air-fryers, the temperature must be reduced by 20°C/25°F.
For baking, make sure the oven is fully preheated, and that the rack is in the middle of the oven. Open the oven as little as possible. For best baking results use an oven thermometer.
Remember that all ovens work slightly differently and bake times may need to be adjusted for your specific oven.
Substitutions / Variations
Have evaporated milk on hand? Use evaporated milk in this cinnamon roll cake for an even more delicious and rich cake batter.
Cream cheese can be replaced with sour cream or creme fraiche for the frosting. Need more frosting (I understand), simply double up the frosting ingredients.
Storage
This cake can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for 3-4 days.
Cinnamon Roll Cake FAQ
Yes! I suggest using a 10 cup bundt pan. Simply place about half the cake batter into the bundt pan, pour in about two-thirds of the cinnamon-sugar mixture, swirl it around. Then top the cake off with the remainder of the cake batter and cinnamon sugar.
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📖 Recipe
Cinnamon Roll Cake
Ingredients
Sponge
- 85 grams butter
- 150 grams white sugar (caster/granulated)
- 2 eggs (large)
- 160 grams milk
- 200 grams plain flour (all-purpose/standard grade)
- 3 teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Cinnamon Sugar Filling
- 35 grams butter
- 50 grams light brown sugar
- 3 teaspoons cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
Cream Cheese Frosting
- 20 grams cream cheese
- 100 grams icing sugar (powdered/confectioner's)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 190/170°C Fan. Grease and line an 8" (20cm) round cake tin.
- Make the cinnamon filling by melting the butter. Add in the brown sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg. Mix until well combine and set aside.
- Melt the butter, and set it aside to cool. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the eggs and caster sugar until the mixture has tripled in volume. This will take about 3 to 5 minutes using a stand mixer or handheld electric mixer.
- Add the melted butter, vanilla and milk to the eggs, and mix through on a low speed until just combined. Whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt. Add the flour to the wet ingredients and mix together at a low speed just until you have a smooth cake batter.
- Pour the cake batter into the cake tin. Then pour the cinnamon sugar (reheat this mixture if necessary until you have a pouring consistency) over the top of the batter. Using a knife or the back of a spoon, swirl the cinnamon sugar mixture into the cake batter. Bake for 35-40 minutes or until a tester or toothpick just comes out clean from the centre of the cake.
- Remove the cake from the oven and allow it to cool in the tin for at least 30 minutes before turning it out onto a wire rack and then onto a plate or cake stand.
- In a bowl, whisk together the cream cheese, vanilla, lemon juice and icing sugar until you have a nice pourable but thick icing sugar. Drizzle over the top of a cold cake. Slice and serve.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is an estimate. If scaling the recipe remember to scale your cook and bakeware accordingly. As an Amazon Associate and member of other affiliate programs,I earn from qualifying purchases.
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