Finding this dish while searching for Christmas morning breakfast ideas was a stroke of luck. It was! At first, I was nervous about the process and worried that it would take a long time, but in the end, everything came together quickly, and it was well worth the effort. Since then, I’ve made this cinnamon roll cake for every holiday (Christmas, Easter, Thanksgiving, etc.) when the mood strikes me.
You can almost smell the cinnamon in this cake. At least not here in my house, it won’t last long. Typically, I use a Bundt pan (See Notes), but a standard cake pan works just well. The frosting is so delicious that I sometimes sneak a spoonful from the fridge and eat it straight off the spoon.
You only need to make this once for it to become a beloved annual event.
CINNAMON ROLL CAKE MADE AT HOME
Do you become visually overwhelmed by recipes with more than 5 ingredients? The fascination wanes and you move on to the next. Yes, I can relate to how you feel. The same thing happened to me when I discovered this recipe for Cinnamon Roll Cake. It wasn’t until I heard how well received it was that I decided to give it a try myself.
INGREDIENTS
- IN THE INTERIOR:
- 2 1/4 cups flour for all purposes
- Baking powder, 1 teaspoon
- 1 teaspoon of baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
- a quarter cup of white sugar
- 10 tablespoons of softened unsalted butter
- 2 medium-sized eggs, at room temperature
- Two tablespoons of real vanilla extract
- 1 cup of sour cream, full fat
- There should be 3 tablespoons of milk.
- INSTRUCTIONS FOR CINNAMON FILLING:
- 1/2 cup of unsalted butter, pliable but not melted
- 2/3 cup of brown sugar, either light or dark and packed
- Flour, all-purpose, 2 tablespoons
- Cinnamon, ground: 1 tablespoon
- 1/4 teaspoon of salt
- CAKE TOPPER INGREDIENTS
- 1 stick of softened butter
- An same amount of softened cream cheese, 1/2 a package (4 oz)
- Sifted powdered sugar, one cup
- An Extract of Vanilla, 1 Teaspoon
- The juice of one lemon, freshly squeezed, measured to be 1 teaspoon
INSTRUCTIONS
TO MAKE THE CAKE: Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and place a rack in the middle. Grease a 13-by-9-by-2-inch baking dish.
Mix flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl.
Sugar and butter need to be beaten till smooth and creamy, so use a hand mixer or stand mixer with a paddle attachment to do this.
Mix in the eggs one at a time, followed by the vanilla. When necessary, scrape the bowl’s interior.
Using a fork, stir in the flour in three increments and the sour cream in two, starting and finishing with the flour.
After everything is mixed together, add the milk and continue beating until blended, scraping the bowl as needed.
Coat the bottom of the pan with batter (it will be thick).
MAKE THE CINNAMON FILLING by thoroughly combining all of the ingredients (I use a fork or a rubber spatula).
Dot the top of the cake batter with heaping teaspoonfuls of filling.
Drag a thin knife through the filling and down into the batter to create a swirling pattern.
Bake the cake for 30–40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean (while the cake is baking, make the frosting).
Don’t bother about the cinnamon swirls in the cake until after you’ve checked the cake itself for doneness.
At the 25-minute mark, check on the cake.
When it gets dark outside, drape some foil over the top.
Set the dish up to cool on a wire rack.
Frost the cake when it is still warm but not hot.
THE ICE CREAM
Butter and cream cheese are best used while soft, so bring them to room temperature before using.
Combine and whip with a blender or electric mixer.
With the mixer on low speed, gradually add the powdered sugar.
The frosting should be beaten for 5-10 minutes, or until it is light and airy.
Then, whisk in the vanilla extract and lemon juice.