Love Cinnamon Rolls but Not Making Them? This Cake Is for You

My mom has always made nearly everything she cooks from scratch, including her famous cinnamon rolls. And really, there are few things in this world that are better than fresh, homemade cinnamon rolls. Warm, gooey, yeasty cinnamon rolls… oh man, now I’m hungry! :-)

Unfortunately, the “amazing cinnamon rolls” gene appears to have skipped a generation. No matter how hard I try, I just cannot seem to master the art of the cinnamon roll. The yeast, the rolling and cutting… all of it just escapes me. I’ve accepted this shortcoming of mine, but occasionally I get an unshakeable craving for a warm, cinnamon-y treat. It used to be a conundrum, but I’ve found the perfect solution: cinnamon roll CAKE.

That’s right! This cinnamon roll cake has all the warm, gooey goodness of cinnamon rolls, but it’s SO MUCH EASIER to make! If you can stir things together, you can make this cake. And I highly recommend that you do! :-)

Cinnamon Roll Cake Recipe

Cake Ingredients:

• 3 cups flour (regular or gluten-free)
• 1 cup sugar
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 4 tsp baking powder
• 1 1/2 cups milk
• 2 eggs
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup melted butter

Cinnamon Swirl Ingredients:

• 1 cup softened butter
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 2 Tbsp flour
• 1 Tbsp cinnamon

Glaze Ingredients:

• 2 cups powdered sugar
• 5 Tbsp milk
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

Directions:

In your stand mixer (or a large mixing bowl,) combine all of the cake ingredients.

When the batter is ready, pour it into a greased 9″ x 13″ baking pan.

Next, you’ll make the cinnamon swirl. Mix all of the swirl ingredients together in your mixer or a mixing bowl. Add the cinnamon swirl to the batter by dropping spoonfuls at a time around the pan.

Use a butter knife to swirl the cinnamon filling and batter together, until the filling is evenly distributed. Put the pan in the oven to bake at 350 degrees for 35-40 minutes (or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.)

While the cake is baking, prepare the glaze. Combine all glaze ingredients in a bowl and whisk until the mixture is thoroughly combined.

When the cake is done, pull it out of the oven and drizzle the glaze over the top. You can eat it as soon as you want, but be warned, if you pull a piece out when the cake is still warm, it will be somewhat of a crumbly mess. A delicious mess, though! :-) Let the cake cool for a half hour or so if you want a more sturdy piece.

Don’t have time for homemade cinnamon rolls? The tip featured in this video is the next best thing:

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