I tried this cinnamon roll cake for the first time five years ago and it quickly became a family favorite! When the weather starts getting cooler I start thinking about this cake. It is moist, gooey, and has the most wonderful flavor of homemade cinnamon rolls. In fact, I’ve had people ask me how do I have time to make “cinnamon rolls” that taste so good(they actually think this is a pan of cinnamon rolls)! Well, it only takes a fraction of the time to make this cake compared to cinnamon rolls. In my opinion, it tastes just as good.
Early Morning Riser
I have been known to get up around 5:00 in the morning just to make three of these cinnamon roll cakes so the hubs can take them to work with him.
Photo credit:Lil Luna
It makes him instantly popular and the guys at work think I’m a rockstar! They can’t wait to get their hands on this cake. One guy even commented, “Wow! It’s still warm from the oven!”.
You’re welcome.
I popped over to Kristyn’s blog at Lil Luna where she also has the recipe for cinnamon roll cake showcased. Feel free to try either one, both are very similar.
As I mentioned, this cake is very moist and gooey and comes out of the oven smelling like heaven. In the above picture, you can see that this is not a smooth cake at all. It will have little indentions all throughout the cake. This is due to adding the butter to the batter. Now don’t be put off with how much butter goes into the recipe. This is not a typo. After you taste your first bite, you will understand and then you will have all the answers to the universe.
Here is the recipe for your eating pleasure. Enjoy!
Cinnamon Roll Swirl Coffee Cake
This super moist Cinnamon Roll Swirl Coffee Cake is worth making from scratch! Rich, moist coffee cake is swirled with a cinnamon roll filling and topped off with a simple glaze. This cake is to die for!
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease a 9×13 pan.
In a large mixing bowl, cream together butter and sugar using a hand mixer until creamy. Then mix in eggs, sour cream, and vanilla extract until combined. Beat in 3 cups flour, baking powder, and salt until just combined. Pour into prepared pan.
Make the topping in another mixing bowl by whisking together melted butter, brown sugar, 2 tablespoons flour, and cinnamon. Spoon in globs over the top of the cake batter. Then use a butter knife to swirl it into the batter.
Bake in the preheated oven for 35-40 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center, comes out clean.
Meanwhile, make the glaze by whisking together powdered sugar, milk, and vanilla in another bowl. Drizzle over the cake while it is still warm.
Hi Stephanie,
Yes, it really does! I know it sounds like a lot, but I think you will like it!
Sherry
Kendra
|
30th Apr 21
Could this recipe be halved?
Sherry Lee
|
8th Jun 21
Hi Kendra,
I have never tried to make this recipe by halving it but I don’t know why you couldn’t. Of course, you would want to use a smaller pan for the rolls to bake in. Let me know if you try it!
Sherry
Sara Barden
|
30th Jun 21
Really good.
Sherry Lee
|
1st Jul 21
Thank you Sara! ❤
Robynn Fulton
|
11th Sep 21
This has become our favorite cinnamon cake. My 9×13 pan was over flowing. I will use a bigger pan next time. I am going to try cheese cake flavoring instead of vanilla in the frosting and see how it tastes.😊
Sherry Lee
|
1st Nov 22
Thank you Robynn! It’s my family’s favorite!
Leveta
|
10th Nov 21
This is the most awesome cake. I made it exactly as instructed. One of my pet peeves is people that give a recipe five stars and then list all the changes they made. You do not need to change a thing. If you don’t like the amount of butter or sugar used then look for another recipe.
Sherry Lee
|
1st Nov 22
Hi Leveta,
I agree with you completely! Thanks for your rating!
Tanya Raverty
|
13th Nov 21
I will make this over and over again. The whole family agrees… best cake ever!!
Linda
|
14th Dec 21
Way too sweet!
Megan
|
1st Jan 22
I had a really hard time getting this to cook through. After 45 min it was still pretty jiggly in the middle. I added another 10 and it still wasnt done but the top was browning sonI covered with foil and checked it every 5-10 min. Probably baked it for another 20 min and eventually pulled it. It seems like some spots are done and some are goopy. I’m thinking it may be fine, but it’s the pockets of the topping that stay gooey? My hubs is afraid to eat it. Ha
Carole
|
7th Jan 22
Can this be made at night and baked in the morning?
Sherry Lee
|
1st Nov 22
Hi Carol,
You will not get the same results if you make it the night before (in my opinion)I think it’s best when it’s warm from the oven. If you decide to go ahead and bake the night before, you will still need to add the icing while the cake is warm. Hope this helps!
Sue
|
15th Jan 22
Hi Sherry,
If I’m baking the night before, should I wait to add the icing until after I reheat it in the morning?
Susan
|
31st Mar 22
Followed recipe to a T and it was a flip.
That’s a lot of ingredients to have a recipe not turn out.
I’ve made other cinn.roll cakes on the Pinterest with no issues.
Not sure what went wrong with this one..
Very disappointed.
Pattie
|
17th Apr 22
I had high hopes for this recipe. I had to bake it for nearly an hour to get a large part of the middle set, and I still had to throw most of it because it was so mushy. Unless it was an edge piece, it fell apart when I tried to lift a cut piece out of the pan. Even the edges were not quite done. It is very dense and heavy.
I am at 5200 feet elevation and kniw how to make adjustments and am usually successful. I followed the recipe very carefully and have not had trouble with my oven.
I was looking for a cinnamon cake that not call for milk as I only had half a cup left and happened across your recipe. Let me tell you this is the best cake I have ever made. However, I did cut the sugar back to 2 cups as I do not like my baked goods too sweet. I did not notice a difference cake was very moist. Will be making again today. I also mentioned this cake to a friend in Australia. He made and has already had 4 requests for the recipe and his wife asked him to make again. Thank you for posting the best cake ever.
Nancy M
|
21st Apr 22
I was looking for a cinnamon cake that not call for milk as I only had half a cup left and happened across your recipe. Let me tell you this is the best cake I have ever made. However, I did cut the sugar back to 2 cups as I do not like my baked goods too sweet. I did not notice a difference cake was very moist. Will be making again today. I also mentioned this cake to a friend in Australia. He made and has already had 4 requests for the recipe and his wife asked him to make again. Thank you for posting the best cake ever.
Sherry Lee
|
1st Nov 22
Hi Nancy,
Thanks for the feedback, it’s appreciated! Yes, everyone loves this cake!
Nancy M
|
21st Apr 22
I tried to post a review for this recipe but it tells me I have already said that, which I have not. This cake is the best I have ever made.
Sherry Lee
|
1st Nov 22
Hi Nancy,
I’m sorry you had problems positing. Yes, everyone loves this cake! Thanks for stopping by!
Karen
|
23rd Apr 22
Could I mix this tonight and bake tomorrow before church for coffee hour?
Deb
|
24th Apr 22
Can you make this up the night before and then bake it in the morning?
Sherry Lee
|
1st Nov 22
Hi Deb,
I really wouldn’t advise it. You’re just going to get the same results as making it all at the same time.
Karen
|
2nd May 22
Fabulous, I made for church. We meet before Sunday School,drink coffee and share breakfast treats. Every one loved it and only had a little left to bring home. This is my new favorite right now. I love love sour cream in a cake! Thank you
Sherry Lee
|
1st Nov 22
Hi Karen,
I’m so glad you enjoyed it! I have made it and taken to church with the same results! lol. My husband’s co workers love it too and ask for it several times a year lol
Beth Pierce
|
18th May 22
Was going to make this because it looks wonderful. Right up until I read the 808 calorie count per serving. GOOD GRIEF!
This will be my go to recipe from now on. Just delicious
|
21st Jun 22
I have made a lot of coffee cakes and most of them I give away, but this was one of the best ever. This will be my go to recipe from now on. Just delicious!
This is a fabulous cake, easy to make and tastes delish . My family loves it. Thank you for this recipe.
Sherry Lee
|
1st Nov 22
Thanks Deborah! Yes, it’s a great cake!
Judi
|
12th Jul 22
My family loves it
Sherry Lee
|
1st Nov 22
Thanks Judi, glad they enjoyed it!
Dee
|
8th Aug 22
In the cake part it calls for 1 1/2 cups of butter. Was that supposed to be 1 1/2 sticks?
Sherry Lee
|
1st Nov 22
Hi Dee,
No, that is accurate, 1 1/2 cups
Paula
|
21st Aug 22
Should you refrigerate the leftovers and just warm them up?
Sherry Lee
|
1st Nov 22
Paula, honestly, I never have leftovers to refrigerate, but yes you can. Just warm up in the microwave for 30 seconds and you should be good to go!
Debra
|
22nd Aug 22
This makes a lot of batter. I used a bit larger pan to bake in and glad I did. It had a hard time getting done, but i tent foiled it and kept baking. The flavor great. I added just 2 oz cream cheese to drizzle and sprinkled on some pecans. I read other recipes that used less sugar and more ripening agent, but I followed your recipe….It took at least 1 hour to bake. It looked pretty and fluffy when I pulled it out of oven. Someone brought home made ice cream. Didn’t have a single piece oof cake left. It put me into a sugar coma😉
Debra Bledsoe
|
22nd Aug 22
I think I wrote review without rating. Although this could kill a diabetic
for sure, I will give a 5 star for the fact non of it was left after serving at a breakfast gathering. I would suggest a larger cake pan than said. Had I used a 13X9, it would have overflowed and never gotten done. My pan was 11×15 and filled to the brim. It took a good 65 minutes to bake.
Don’t think oven was off, cause I baked cupcakes recently and they baked 15-20 as usual.
I did grate 1 granny Smith into this. I also added a bit of cream cheese to brown sugar topping and toasted pecans. This cake must be eaten while warm. Someone brought home made ice cream. Wow! Nothing to hate about this cake except for sugar
crash.
Sherry Lee
|
1st Nov 22
Thanks for the review Debra! Yes, it’s definitely a sugar rush in the best sense!
Amy
|
27th Aug 22
Just make it! Holy wow it’s delicious. A Friend of mine passed on the recipe because she said it was oh -my -goodness yummy! I scaled back on the sugar by about 20%, and it was so great. I only did this because most desserts are a little sweet to me, so if you like usual desserts… just follow this to a T. Easy to make. As far as the time, I set multiple timers on my device to bake it to my preference (soft, not dense).
Sherry Lee
|
1st Nov 22
Hi Amy,
I’m glad you enjoyed it! It’s a favorite at our house!
Michell oliver
|
29th Aug 22
Going to make this today hope for good results
Tee
|
2nd Sep 22
Can you bake the cake and freeze it for a few days and then ice after it thaws out
Sherry Lee
|
1st Nov 22
Hi Tee,
I personally think the cake is going to be at its very best when it comes out of the oven hot and then add the icing after it cools some. Let me know if you try it, I’m curious if it will work. Thanks!
Ben Tebbens
|
16th Sep 22
This is incredible, simply amazing and sooo easy 🙂 I actually add about a 1/4 cup of apple pie filling, diced up which gives you almost a bite of apple in every piece. This is amazing. Thank you Sherry, wow, wow, wow 🙂
Sherry Lee
|
1st Nov 22
Glad you enjoyed it Ben! Great idea with the apples!
Can I prepare this cake/breakfast item the night before and bake it in the morning?
Sherry Lee
|
1st Nov 22
Hi Karen,
I don’t think the cake will do well preparing it the night before, but I have not tried it. Good luck!
Andrea
|
2nd Oct 22
If this cake tastes half as good baked as it does on the beater, then it will be amazing. I did add some buttermilk to the recipe because it was quite a dry cake mix. But I’m sure it will be so good!
Gwen
|
25th Oct 22
Absolutely the best cinnamon “OF ANY RECIPE “ even my husband likes it & he is not a cinnamon lover like me. My friends ask for the recipe. Thank you for sharing!
Sherry Lee
|
1st Nov 22
Thank you Gwen, I’m glad you and your husband enjoyed it!
Stephanie | 16th Apr 21
Does this really take 3 cups of sugar?
Sherry Lee | 8th Jun 21
Hi Stephanie,
Yes, it really does! I know it sounds like a lot, but I think you will like it!
Sherry
Kendra | 30th Apr 21
Could this recipe be halved?
Sherry Lee | 8th Jun 21
Hi Kendra,
I have never tried to make this recipe by halving it but I don’t know why you couldn’t. Of course, you would want to use a smaller pan for the rolls to bake in. Let me know if you try it!
Sherry
Sara Barden | 30th Jun 21
Really good.
Sherry Lee | 1st Jul 21
Thank you Sara! ❤
Robynn Fulton | 11th Sep 21
This has become our favorite cinnamon cake. My 9×13 pan was over flowing. I will use a bigger pan next time. I am going to try cheese cake flavoring instead of vanilla in the frosting and see how it tastes.😊
Sherry Lee | 1st Nov 22
Thank you Robynn! It’s my family’s favorite!
Leveta | 10th Nov 21
This is the most awesome cake. I made it exactly as instructed. One of my pet peeves is people that give a recipe five stars and then list all the changes they made. You do not need to change a thing. If you don’t like the amount of butter or sugar used then look for another recipe.
Sherry Lee | 1st Nov 22
Hi Leveta,
I agree with you completely! Thanks for your rating!
Tanya Raverty | 13th Nov 21
I will make this over and over again. The whole family agrees… best cake ever!!
Linda | 14th Dec 21
Way too sweet!
Megan | 1st Jan 22
I had a really hard time getting this to cook through. After 45 min it was still pretty jiggly in the middle. I added another 10 and it still wasnt done but the top was browning sonI covered with foil and checked it every 5-10 min. Probably baked it for another 20 min and eventually pulled it. It seems like some spots are done and some are goopy. I’m thinking it may be fine, but it’s the pockets of the topping that stay gooey? My hubs is afraid to eat it. Ha
Carole | 7th Jan 22
Can this be made at night and baked in the morning?
Sherry Lee | 1st Nov 22
Hi Carol,
You will not get the same results if you make it the night before (in my opinion)I think it’s best when it’s warm from the oven. If you decide to go ahead and bake the night before, you will still need to add the icing while the cake is warm. Hope this helps!
Sue | 15th Jan 22
Hi Sherry,
If I’m baking the night before, should I wait to add the icing until after I reheat it in the morning?
Susan | 31st Mar 22
Followed recipe to a T and it was a flip.
That’s a lot of ingredients to have a recipe not turn out.
I’ve made other cinn.roll cakes on the Pinterest with no issues.
Not sure what went wrong with this one..
Very disappointed.
Pattie | 17th Apr 22
I had high hopes for this recipe. I had to bake it for nearly an hour to get a large part of the middle set, and I still had to throw most of it because it was so mushy. Unless it was an edge piece, it fell apart when I tried to lift a cut piece out of the pan. Even the edges were not quite done. It is very dense and heavy.
I am at 5200 feet elevation and kniw how to make adjustments and am usually successful. I followed the recipe very carefully and have not had trouble with my oven.
Billie Jo | 17th Apr 22
Mine needed cooked about 15 minutes longer
Jean | 20th Apr 22
Love your recipes
Sherry Lee | 1st Nov 22
Thanks Jean!
Nancy | 21st Apr 22
I was looking for a cinnamon cake that not call for milk as I only had half a cup left and happened across your recipe. Let me tell you this is the best cake I have ever made. However, I did cut the sugar back to 2 cups as I do not like my baked goods too sweet. I did not notice a difference cake was very moist. Will be making again today. I also mentioned this cake to a friend in Australia. He made and has already had 4 requests for the recipe and his wife asked him to make again. Thank you for posting the best cake ever.
Nancy M | 21st Apr 22
I was looking for a cinnamon cake that not call for milk as I only had half a cup left and happened across your recipe. Let me tell you this is the best cake I have ever made. However, I did cut the sugar back to 2 cups as I do not like my baked goods too sweet. I did not notice a difference cake was very moist. Will be making again today. I also mentioned this cake to a friend in Australia. He made and has already had 4 requests for the recipe and his wife asked him to make again. Thank you for posting the best cake ever.
Sherry Lee | 1st Nov 22
Hi Nancy,
Thanks for the feedback, it’s appreciated! Yes, everyone loves this cake!
Nancy M | 21st Apr 22
I tried to post a review for this recipe but it tells me I have already said that, which I have not. This cake is the best I have ever made.
Sherry Lee | 1st Nov 22
Hi Nancy,
I’m sorry you had problems positing. Yes, everyone loves this cake! Thanks for stopping by!
Karen | 23rd Apr 22
Could I mix this tonight and bake tomorrow before church for coffee hour?
Deb | 24th Apr 22
Can you make this up the night before and then bake it in the morning?
Sherry Lee | 1st Nov 22
Hi Deb,
I really wouldn’t advise it. You’re just going to get the same results as making it all at the same time.
Karen | 2nd May 22
Fabulous, I made for church. We meet before Sunday School,drink coffee and share breakfast treats. Every one loved it and only had a little left to bring home. This is my new favorite right now. I love love sour cream in a cake! Thank you
Sherry Lee | 1st Nov 22
Hi Karen,
I’m so glad you enjoyed it! I have made it and taken to church with the same results! lol. My husband’s co workers love it too and ask for it several times a year lol
Beth Pierce | 18th May 22
Was going to make this because it looks wonderful. Right up until I read the 808 calorie count per serving. GOOD GRIEF!
Betty Krulik | 24th May 22
Could I add pecans?
Sherry Lee | 1st Nov 22
Hi Betty,
I think it would be great with pecans!
This will be my go to recipe from now on. Just delicious | 21st Jun 22
I have made a lot of coffee cakes and most of them I give away, but this was one of the best ever. This will be my go to recipe from now on. Just delicious!
Sherry Lee | 1st Nov 22
Thank you so much! Yes, it’s a great recipe!
Deborah | 29th Jun 22
This is a fabulous cake, easy to make and tastes delish . My family loves it. Thank you for this recipe.
Sherry Lee | 1st Nov 22
Thanks Deborah! Yes, it’s a great cake!
Judi | 12th Jul 22
My family loves it
Sherry Lee | 1st Nov 22
Thanks Judi, glad they enjoyed it!
Dee | 8th Aug 22
In the cake part it calls for 1 1/2 cups of butter. Was that supposed to be 1 1/2 sticks?
Sherry Lee | 1st Nov 22
Hi Dee,
No, that is accurate, 1 1/2 cups
Paula | 21st Aug 22
Should you refrigerate the leftovers and just warm them up?
Sherry Lee | 1st Nov 22
Paula, honestly, I never have leftovers to refrigerate, but yes you can. Just warm up in the microwave for 30 seconds and you should be good to go!
Debra | 22nd Aug 22
This makes a lot of batter. I used a bit larger pan to bake in and glad I did. It had a hard time getting done, but i tent foiled it and kept baking. The flavor great. I added just 2 oz cream cheese to drizzle and sprinkled on some pecans. I read other recipes that used less sugar and more ripening agent, but I followed your recipe….It took at least 1 hour to bake. It looked pretty and fluffy when I pulled it out of oven. Someone brought home made ice cream. Didn’t have a single piece oof cake left. It put me into a sugar coma😉
Debra Bledsoe | 22nd Aug 22
I think I wrote review without rating. Although this could kill a diabetic
for sure, I will give a 5 star for the fact non of it was left after serving at a breakfast gathering. I would suggest a larger cake pan than said. Had I used a 13X9, it would have overflowed and never gotten done. My pan was 11×15 and filled to the brim. It took a good 65 minutes to bake.
Don’t think oven was off, cause I baked cupcakes recently and they baked 15-20 as usual.
I did grate 1 granny Smith into this. I also added a bit of cream cheese to brown sugar topping and toasted pecans. This cake must be eaten while warm. Someone brought home made ice cream. Wow! Nothing to hate about this cake except for sugar
crash.
Sherry Lee | 1st Nov 22
Thanks for the review Debra! Yes, it’s definitely a sugar rush in the best sense!
Amy | 27th Aug 22
Just make it! Holy wow it’s delicious. A Friend of mine passed on the recipe because she said it was oh -my -goodness yummy! I scaled back on the sugar by about 20%, and it was so great. I only did this because most desserts are a little sweet to me, so if you like usual desserts… just follow this to a T. Easy to make. As far as the time, I set multiple timers on my device to bake it to my preference (soft, not dense).
Sherry Lee | 1st Nov 22
Hi Amy,
I’m glad you enjoyed it! It’s a favorite at our house!
Michell oliver | 29th Aug 22
Going to make this today hope for good results
Tee | 2nd Sep 22
Can you bake the cake and freeze it for a few days and then ice after it thaws out
Sherry Lee | 1st Nov 22
Hi Tee,
I personally think the cake is going to be at its very best when it comes out of the oven hot and then add the icing after it cools some. Let me know if you try it, I’m curious if it will work. Thanks!
Ben Tebbens | 16th Sep 22
This is incredible, simply amazing and sooo easy 🙂 I actually add about a 1/4 cup of apple pie filling, diced up which gives you almost a bite of apple in every piece. This is amazing. Thank you Sherry, wow, wow, wow 🙂
Sherry Lee | 1st Nov 22
Glad you enjoyed it Ben! Great idea with the apples!
Karen | 18th Sep 22
Can I prepare this cake/breakfast item the night before and bake it in the morning?
Sherry Lee | 1st Nov 22
Hi Karen,
I don’t think the cake will do well preparing it the night before, but I have not tried it. Good luck!
Andrea | 2nd Oct 22
If this cake tastes half as good baked as it does on the beater, then it will be amazing. I did add some buttermilk to the recipe because it was quite a dry cake mix. But I’m sure it will be so good!
Gwen | 25th Oct 22
Absolutely the best cinnamon “OF ANY RECIPE “ even my husband likes it & he is not a cinnamon lover like me. My friends ask for the recipe. Thank you for sharing!
Sherry Lee | 1st Nov 22
Thank you Gwen, I’m glad you and your husband enjoyed it!