Looking for an amazing brunch idea? Check out this delicious cinnamon roll cake! It’s like a big cinnamon roll with the best part— the gooey, soft center—spread throughout the cake. And with a creamy vanilla cream cheese frosting on top, it’s the perfect treat to enjoy with your morning coffee.
Here are some tips for making this recipe:
- The Filling: Mix together softened butter, brown sugar, cinnamon, and vanilla extract for the filling. Do this while the dough is rising to let the flavors blend. It’ll also make spreading easier when the butter mixture is soft.
- Leave Space: When spreading the filling, leave about a quarter-inch around the edges. This prevents the filling from oozing out too much.
- Cutting Strips: Roll out the dough into a rectangle, then trim it to about 14×9 inches. Cut the dough into strips about 2-2½ inches wide. Rolling and cutting with a pizza cutter makes this step a breeze.
- Rolling the Cake: After cutting the strips, roll each one up like a cinnamon roll. Place each rolled strip on top of the next and continue rolling until they’re all combined. It doesn’t need to be perfect; just aim to line them up as best you can.
- Parchment Paper: Line your pan with parchment paper to catch any filling that leaks out. This makes cleanup easier and keeps all the deliciousness in the cake.
- Pan Choice: A 9-inch springform pan works great for this recipe, but a regular cake pan will also do. The removable sides and bottom of a springform pan make it easy to take the cake out.
Cinnamon Roll Cake
Ingredients
– For the cinnamon roll:
- – 1 packet 2 ¼ ounces instant dry yeast
- – 1 cup warm whole milk
- – ¼ cup granulated sugar
- – ¼ cup melted salted butter
- – 2 eggs at room temperature
- – 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- – 3 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
- – 1 teaspoon kosher salt
– For the filling:
- – ½ cup softened salted butter
- – 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- – 1 cup light brown sugar
- – 3 tablespoons ground cinnamon
– For the frosting:
- – ¼ cup room temperature salted butter
- – 4 ounces room temperature full-fat cream cheese
- – 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- – 2 cups powdered sugar
- – ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- – 2-3 tablespoons room temperature heavy cream or milk
Instructions
- **Prepare the Dough**: Warm the milk, then mix it with yeast and sugar in a stand mixer. Add melted butter, vanilla, and eggs, then gradually add flour and salt. Let the mixer knead the dough for 5 minutes. If you don’t have a mixer, knead by hand. Let the dough rise in a greased bowl in a warm place for an hour.
- **Prep the Pan**: Line a 9-inch springform pan with parchment paper.
- **Make the Filling**: Mix softened butter, brown sugar, cinnamon, vanilla, and salt in a bowl.
- **Assembly**: Roll out the risen dough into a rectangle on a floured surface. Spread the filling over it, leaving a border. Cut the dough into strips, then roll each strip into a cinnamon roll shape. Place them in the prepared pan, cover with plastic wrap, and let rise for 30 minutes while preheating the oven to 350°F.
- **Bake and Frost**: Remove the plastic wrap and bake the cake for 35 minutes until golden brown. Let it cool completely before removing from the pan. For the frosting, beat butter and cream cheese until smooth, then add vanilla, powdered sugar, salt, and cream/milk until smooth. Spread over the cooled cake and enjoy!