Cinnamon Roll Cake
When you need a decadent, simple, please-everyone dessert, look no further because this cinnamon roll cake will completely win you over.
Um, yeah, so this cake? This gooey, buttery, cinnamon and sugar concoction? It needs you. Badly.
And I’m not even going to pretend it’s light. Or healthy. Or unfilled with butter. Because it’s not.
But that next once in a while when you need a decadent, simple, please-everyone dessert, look no further because this cinnamon roll cake has completely and utterly won us over.
Using one of my very, very favorite {ultra-simple} cakes as the base, dollops of buttery cinnamon and sugar are swirled into the cake batter before baking and then drizzled with a sweet glaze after baking.
The silky glaze soaks into all the sticky crevices of gooey cinnamon and sugar, and served warm, it is like cakey cinnamon roll nirvana.
I just can’t get over this cake; made it twice in the last two weeks (partly because of my adoration and partly to perfect my version of it) and it has quickly become a family favorite (as in, the second time I made it, I saw a vast number of fist pumps and cinnamon roll cake dances).
I love the fact that it uses every day pantry ingredients, is simple to put together and creates an absolute showstopper of a dessert.
All the joy of a cinnamon roll but even sweeter and more delicious in cake form.
One Year Ago: 40+ Make Ahead Meals!
Two Years Ago: Loaded Baked Potato Salad
Three Years Ago: Glazed Poppy Seed Bread
Cinnamon Roll Cake
Ingredients
Cake:
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 1/3 cups light or regular sour cream
- 2/3 cup butter, softened
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 3 large eggs
Cinnamon Swirl:
- 3/4 cup butter, softened
- 3/4 cup light brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon flour
- 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
Glaze:
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- 4-5 tablespoons milk
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease a 9X13-inch baking pan with nonstick cooking spray and set aside.
- In a large bowl, combine all the cake batter ingredients and mix well. Spread the batter evenly in the prepared pan.
- In a small bowl, stir together the butter, light brown sugar, flour and cinnamon for the swirl mixture. The butter should be soft enough to make a smooth (but not soupy) mixture. Drop the cinnamon/butter mixture by tablespoons over the cake batter. Make sure to get a few dollops close to the edges (otherwise the cake bakes up and squeezes all the cinnamon sugar mixture to the middle).
- Using a butter knife, swirl the cinnamon mixture into the cake batter, reaching all the way to the edges and pulling in to create swirls from edge to edge. Don't overswirl - just enough to create generous loops of cinnamon and sugar throughout the cake batter.
- Bake the cake for 30-32 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs.
- For the glaze, whisk together the powdered sugar, milk and vanilla until smooth. Pour evenly over the cake while it is still warm within 5-10 minutes of removing from the oven.
- Serve the cake warm or at room temperature (it can be reheated slightly as individual servings in the microwave and tastes just lovely warmed up like that).
Notes
Serving: as if the glazed cake isn't grand enough, this is absolutely insane served warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.
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