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Close-up of Cinnamon Roll Cake with thick cinnamon-brown sugar swirl and creamy vanilla glaze in a glass baking dish.

Cinnamon Roll Cake (No Yeast, Family Favorite)

This Cinnamon Roll Cake is soft, buttery, and swirled with sweet cinnamon sugar, just like classic cinnamon rolls, without yeast. It’s our go-to family breakfast cake that’s ready in under an hour and always baked with love.
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Course: Breakfast, Dessert
Cuisine: American
Keyword: cinnamon breakfast cake, Cinnamon Roll Cake, easy cinnamon roll cake, homemade cinnamon dessert, no yeast cinnamon cake
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 40 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour
Servings: 12 servings
Calories: 420kcal
Cost: $12

Equipment

  • 1 9×13-inch baking dish Glass or metal both work
  • 2 Mixing bowls One for wet, one for dry
  • 1 Whisk For smooth batter
  • 1 Rubber spatula For spreading batter
  • 1 Butter knife or skewer For swirling

Ingredients

For the Cake Batter

  • 3 cups all-purpose flour
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • 4 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1 ½ cups whole milk
  • 2 large eggs
  • 2 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • ½ cup unsalted butter Melted

For the Cinnamon Swirl

  • 1 cup unsalted butter Softened
  • 1 cup light brown sugar Packed
  • 2 tablespoon all-purpose flour
  • 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon

For the Vanilla Glaze

  • 2 cups powdered sugar
  • 5 tablespoon whole milk
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Instructions

  • Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C) and grease your 9x13-inch dish. This is the step where my little Olivia always races to the oven like it’s her big moment.
  • In a large bowl, whisk together the [flour], [salt], [sugar], and [baking powder]. My daughter loves “cloud testing” the flour to see how fluffy it feels.
  • In another bowl, whisk the [milk], [eggs], [vanilla], and [melted butter] until smooth. Olivia always sneaks a vanilla sniff here and smiles every time.
  • Pour wet into dry and gently stir. Not too much, just until smooth. Overmixing makes tough cake, and tough cake never survives snack time.
  • Pour half the batter into your dish. Olivia always tries to smooth it like icing , she takes this job very seriously.
  • Mix the [butter], [brown sugar], [flour], and [cinnamon] into a thick swirl paste. This is where the kitchen officially smells like happiness.
  • Drop spoonfuls over the batter, add remaining batter on top, and swirl gently. Olivia calls this “making tornado art.”
  • Bake 35–40 minutes until golden. The smell always brings my husband into the kitchen pretending he “just needed water.”
  • Whisk the [powdered sugar], [milk], and [vanilla] until silky smooth.
  • Pour glaze over the warm cake and watch it melt into every swirl. Olivia always says, “Mom… this should be illegal it’s so good.”

Notes

  • For a box cake version, substitute the batter with yellow cake mix prepared as directed.
  • For a cream cheese glaze, add 4 oz softened cream cheese to glaze ingredients.
  • Store covered at room temp for 2 days or refrigerate up to 5 days.
  • This cake freezes beautifully for up to 3 months.
  • Best served warm with coffee, milk, or vanilla ice cream.

Nutrition

Serving: 1slice | Calories: 420kcal | Carbohydrates: 58g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 18g | Saturated Fat: 11g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 4g | Cholesterol: 75mg | Sodium: 320mg | Potassium: 140mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 34g | Vitamin A: 420IU | Calcium: 95mg | Iron: 2mg