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Cinnamon Roll Cake

Cinnamon roll cake bakes as a golden sheet cake with cinnamon-brown sugar swirls mixed throughout, then gets a glossy cream cheese glaze poured warm over every crevice. This easy cinnamon roll cake recipe makes an easy breakfast cake-style dessert with dramatic spiral pockets in every slice.
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Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 35 minutes
Total Time 50 minutes
Servings: 12 servings
Course: Breakfast
Cuisine: American
Calories: 430
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

For the cake
  • 3 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • 4 tsp baking powder
  • 0.5 tsp salt
  • 1.5 cup whole milk
  • 2 large eggs
  • 2 tsp vanilla extract
  • 0.5 cup butter, melted
For the cinnamon swirl
  • 1 cup butter, softened
  • 1 cup brown sugar, packed
  • 2 tbsp cinnamon
For the cream cheese glaze
  • 4 oz cream cheese, softened
  • 2 cup powdered sugar
  • 5 tbsp milk
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract

Equipment

  • 1 sheet pan

Method
 

Prep and bake the cake base
  1. Preheat the oven to 350°F and grease a 9x13 baking dish.
  2. Whisk together all-purpose flour, granulated sugar, baking powder, and salt.
  3. Stir in whole milk, large eggs, vanilla extract, and melted butter until just combined, then spread the batter into the prepared dish.
Make the cinnamon swirl
  1. Beat softened butter, brown sugar, and cinnamon until fluffy.
  2. Drop spoonfuls of the cinnamon mixture over the batter and use a knife to swirl it into the batter.
Bake and glaze
  1. Bake for 30-35 minutes at 350°F until a toothpick comes out clean and the top is golden.
  2. While the cake is still warm, beat cream cheese, powdered sugar, milk, and vanilla extract until smooth.
  3. Pour the glossy cream cheese glaze over the warm cake so it pools into the swirls and crevices.
  4. Let the glaze soak in for 5 minutes before serving warm, until the surface looks set but still moist.

Notes

Pro tip: swirl the cinnamon mixture lightly—aim for ribbon-like spirals rather than fully mixing, so the brown sugar stays in dramatic pockets. Store covered in the refrigerator up to 4 days; rewarm slices briefly in the microwave. Freezing is not recommended for the best swirl texture. For a dairy swap, use lactose-free milk and lactose-free butter/cream cheese in the same amounts.