Easy Cinnamon Roll Cake is absolute perfection. It’s simple to make, crazy delicious loaded with cinnamon sugar and covered in sweet icing!
This cinnamon roll cake recipe is easily a favorite in my house. I actually thought I had shared the recipe for this cake a long time ago…turns out I didn’t. You see when you bake as often as I do things get jumbled. Maybe it’s all the sugar? Nah…
Anyhow, this is the world’s easiest cake. My kids even request it for their birthday cake which seems so weird to me…hello no buttercream…but we all know kids are weird. Or maybe they aren’t…this cake is that good.
Yes, my cake mix-phobic friends I short-cutted this. I know, I know, you are all probably so disappointed in me. I am always looking for doctored up yellow cake mix recipes, and this cinnamon roll cake is the perfect example of when it’s RIGHT to use a cake mix. But yes please, if you would like to use your own cake recipe please do so. Just start the recipe when you add cinnamon sugar…I’ll explain that in a minute.
But first let’s take a look…the gooey cake, the drippy icing, the swirly cinnamon.
Hold me.
How to make Easy Cinnamon Roll Cake
Like I said the cinnamon roll cake itself it super duper easy. You’re basically doctoring up a cake mix a little bit.
THEN you make a little (a lot) of cinnamon sugar.
You sprinkle that all over the top of the batter…
And gently swirl that in with a knife…
Don’t over swirl it though. You don’t want to mix it all in, you want gorgeous ribbons of cinnamon throughout.
Bake it up and it behold…
And then make a quick icing and behold again…
Your cake will be drowning in icing and loving every minute.
And if you can, wait until the icing sets up to cut it…
Or don’t. I get you.
Make it. Eat it. Love it.
This Easy Cinnamon Roll Cake Recipe will quickly become a favorite in your house!
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Easy Cinnamon Roll Cake
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: serves 10 1x
- Category: Cake
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: Dessert
Description
This recipe is one of the most requested cake recipes in my house. My family loves it!
Ingredients
- 1 (15.25- ounce) box yellow cake mix
- 4 eggs
- 3/4 cup vegetable oil
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 cup sour cream (not light)
- 1 cup light brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- 3 tablespoons milk
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 325°F. Coat a 9×13 pan with nonstick spray and set aside.
- In the bowl of your stand mixer combine the cake mix, eggs, oil, vanilla and sour cream. Mix on low for 30 seconds and then raise the speed to medium and mix for 2 minutes, scraping the sides of the bowl as necessary.
- Spread the cake batter into your prepared pan. In a medium bowl whisk together the brown sugar and cinnamon. Sprinkle this evenly on top of your cake.
- Using a butter knife gently swirl the cinnamon sugar into the cake batter. Don’t over-swirl, as you want ribbons of the mixture throughout the cake.
- Bake for 35-40 minutes or until a toothpick entered into the center of the cake comes out clean.
- Cool cake for 15-20 minutes.
- In a medium bowl whisk together the powdered sugar and milk. Pour this over the slightly warm cake. Allow the icing to set, or eat right away!
Notes
Store airtight at room temperature for up to 3 days.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 slice
- Calories: 367
- Sugar: 36 g
- Sodium: 79.9 mg
- Fat: 21.9 g
- Carbohydrates: 40.3 g
- Protein: 4.5 g
- Cholesterol: 82.5 mg
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Helpful tip… Out of sour cream? Here’s a sour cream substitute!
This cake is divine! The sour cream makes it so tender and moist; the cinnamon/brown sugar swirl gives it flavor and texture; the icing sets up just like the topping of a cinnamon roll. Besides, it is one of the easiest recipes ever! I will be baking this one again and again.
My family loved it and my grandson requests it for his birthday. . Even without icing it’s great – don’t worry about leftovers, there won’t be any ! Super easy, too !
I modified it a smidge, I used sourdough discard in place of sour cream and used unsweetened Applesauce in place of oil and it was incredible! Will be making this again, family loved it!
Thanks so much for sharing your adaptations! Love hearing different variations!
Just wanted to say this cake was excellent. The only thing I’d change would be to cut the sugar/cinnamon topping by half. It was way too much compared to the amount of cake imo so the sweetness was a little too much for me. Will definitely be making it again. Thanks so much!
This is the best cake I’ve had in a long time. Due to my health, I don’t cook as much or well. But when I can I try to find something to make that’s worth taking my bit of energy to do. I can safely say this one was. My kids loved it, hubby too. I’ve made it twice since finding. I’m hoping to make on tomorrow! Thank you for sharing it!!
Denise
Is the top with the brown sugar and cinnamon supposed to be crunchy?
Made this cake today for a party, everyone loved it. Followed the recipe exactly, made it in a Bundt pan, it was delicious! Thank you
thanks for sharing that you made it in a bundt pan! Love that idea!
How long did you bake it in the bundle pan?
My friends keep requesting this cake! So good even for breakfast the next day 🙂
I have made this cake over a dozen times…always perfect!! I do add chopped walnuts to the cinnamon & brown sugar mixture. Crowd pleaser!!
I liked the cake but I agree super sweet. Mine also rose more than what was pictured. I have 4 extra large eggs? What size eg did you use when creating recipe? I used 9X13 pan too.
Love this recipe I use a sheet pan and bake it about 23 mins. Also the frosting I use a stick of butter powder sugar milk and vanilla, people don’t talk enough about vanilla. Whoever is reading this please do yourself a huge favor and get Watkins vanilla it will change your life lol
recipe says 12 eggs!!!!?
nope the recipe calls for 4 eggs. I am thinking you must have clicked on the option to “3x” (triple) the recipe.