A simple cake batter, cinnamon swirl, and cream cheese glaze come together in this delicious cinnamon roll cake. Get all of the flavors of the classic breakfast favorite in a fraction of the time!
Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray a 9x13-inch baking dish with nonstick spray.
For the batter
In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and baking soda and set aside. In another large bowl, whisk together the butter and sugar. Add in the eggs one at a time and whisk until fully incorporated. Add in the milk, sour cream, and vanilla and whisk until smooth. Gradually stir in the flour until the mixture is smooth and no clumps remain. Pour the batter into the prepared pan.
For the cinnamon swirl
In a large bowl, whisk together the butter, brown sugar, cinnamon and flour. Add dollops of the mixture all over the top of the cake batter and use a knife or chopstick to swirl it into the batter.
Bake in preheated oven for 40 minutes. Allow the cake to cool on a wire rack for 5-10 minutes before you prepare the glaze.
For the glaze
In a large bowl with an electric mixer, beat the butter and cream cheese until smooth, add powdered sugar, vanilla and milk and beat for about 3 minutes. If the mixture is too thick, gradually add a bit more milk, 1 teaspoon at a time until you reach the desired consistency. Spread glaze over the warm cake.
Notes
Store in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Let come to room temperature before serving.You can substitute the cream cheese glaze for the powdered sugar glaze used on my overnight cinnamon rolls.Helpful resources:
Before getting started, make sure you know the basics of measuring flour correctly. This will start you off on the right track toward a perfect cinnamon roll cake!
Most of the butter in this cake is browned before using it. I have a whole post dedicated to teaching you how to brown butter – it’s a simple trick you’ll love using again and again.
If you ran out of brown sugar, don’t panic. You can make a simple brown sugar substitute to use instead.
If your brown sugar hardened in the pantry, learn some tricks for softening brown sugar and save yourself a trip to the store.
I never remember to buy powdered sugar and always run out! Luckily, it’s easy to make a powdered sugar substitute that we can use insead.