Looking for the ultimate brunch recipe? look no further than this cinnamon roll cake! This is essentially a giant cinnamon roll, but allows for the best part of the roll, the gooey, soft center, to be the majority of the cake. Topped with a vanilla cream cheese frosting, this recipe is truly the perfect breakfast to pair with your morning coffee.
Recipe tips
- The filling: For the filling I prefer to combine soft butter with brown sugar, cinnamon and my secret ingredient, vanilla extract! I make this while the dough I rising the first time to allow the flavors to meld. Spreading will also be easier once the butter mixture is soft.
- Don’t fill to the edge: When spreading on the filling make sure to leave about a 1/4 inch around the outside. Otherwise your filling will ooze out everywhere and we don’t want that!
- How to cut the strips: For this recipe I find it easiest to roll the dough to about a 14×9 inch rectangle. I trim the edges off to make it a perfect rectangle then cut about 6 2-2 1/2 inch strips. I mark them with a ruler and then use a pizza cutter after I spread the filling on. This is the easiest way to cut the strips.
- How to roll the cake: After cutting the strips, start by rolling one up, then place on top of the next strip and continue rolling. This will not be perfect and you may have some area’s that stick out or don’t line up. It does not need to be perfect! My advice is to try to line it up as best as possible, and just keep rolling. The dough will rise and fill the pan so the edges don’t need to be perfectly lined up.
- Parchment paper: Lining your pan with parchment paper is key to ensuring any filling that does leak out stays under the rolls and will absorb back in. It also makes it significantly easier to clean the pan and keeps all that gooey brown sugar in the bottom.
- Pan: I use a 9 inch springform pan. You can also use a cake pan but I like that the sides and bottom can be removed
This Cinnamon Roll Cake, aka just a giant cinnamon roll, is so yummy I can’t wait for you to try it! If you end up making the recipe, please leave a rating and comment below! If you’re looking for other brunch recipes, click here!
Cinnamon Roll Cake
Ingredients
For the cinnamon roll:
- 1 packet instant dry yeast 2 ¼ ounces
- 1 cup whole milk warm
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- ¼ cup salted butter melted
- 2 eggs room temperature
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 3 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp kosher salt
For the filling:
- ½ cup salted butter softened
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 cup light brown sugar
- 3 tbsp ground cinnamon
For the frosting:
- ¼ cup salted butter room temperature
- 4 oz cream cheese full fat, room temperature
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- ½ tsp kosher salt
- 2-3 tbsp heavy cream or milk room temperature
Instructions
For the cinnamon roll:
- Add milk to a heatproof bowl and microwave for 20-30 seconds, until warm. Add the milk, instant dry yeast and granulated sugar to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook. Stir on low to incorporate.
- Add in the melted butter, vanilla extract and eggs and mix on low until combined. While the mixer is on low, add the flour one cup at a time and then the salt. Mix on low for an additional 5 minutes. This will knead the dough so you don't have to! If you do not have a stand mixer, knead by hand. When the 5 minutes is up, add the dough to a well oiled (with vegetable oil or butter) large bowl. Cover loosely with a towel or plastic wrap and place in the oven to let it rise for 1 hour. After 1 hour, the dough should almost double in size.
- Spray and line the bottom of a 9 inch springform pan with parchment paper.
For the filling:
- While the dough is rising, make your filling! In a small bowl combine the softened butter, brown sugar, cinnamon, vanilla and salt. Set aside until needed.
For assembly:
- Once the dough has risen lightly flour the counter and kneed the dough until it comes into a ball. The dough will be sticky so add more flour to the counter and your hands as needed. Once it can be brought into a ball, flour the surface again and use a rolling pin to roll the dough to about a 14×9 inch rectangle.
- Spread the filling onto the dough leaving about ¼ around the edges without the filling. Trim the edges off to make it a perfect rectangle then cut 6 1 1/2 inch strips. I mark them with a ruler and then use a pizza cutter after I spread the filling on.
- Rollthe first strip like you would a cinnamon roll, then place on the beginning of the next strip and continue to roll. Continue this process until all the strips are rolled into one giant cinnamon roll. Try to line the strips up as best as possible, but it doesn't have to be perfect!
- Place in the center of the prepared pan and cover gently with Saran Wrap. Let rise for 30 minutes while you preheat the oven to 350°. Remove the Saran Wrap and bake for 35 minutes, or until golden brown and baked through. Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely before removing from the pan.
For the frosting:
- In the bowl of a stand mixer beat the butter and cream cheese until smooth, about 2 minutes. Add in the vanilla, powdered sugar and salt and mix on medium high until smooth. Add in milk, 1 tablespoon at a time, until you reach desired consistency. Spread over the top of the cake, slice and enjoy! Because this has a cream cheese frosting store in the refrigerator.
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