Cinnamon Roll Cake Recipe – aka Reddit’s Big Mama’s Secret Cinnamon Roll Cake – moist and tender cake swirled with brown sugar cinnamon and topped with a vanilla glaze. This is hands down the BEST coffee cake EVER! Sugar, shortening, self-rising flour, buttermilk, vanilla, brown sugar, cinnamon, powdered sugar, and butter. Great for breakfast or served as a dessert with vanilla ice cream.
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Pin This RecipeReddit’s Big Mama’s Secret Cinnamon Roll Cake
This Cinnamon Roll Cake is our go-to coffee cake recipe. I found the recipe on Reddit and it had tons of great reviews. I couldn’t resist giving it a try. OMG! I am so glad that I did. This cake tastes GREAT! Tons of great flavor and is super easy to make. I took this to a holiday brunch and it was gone in no time flat! Everyone raved about it. You must give this a try ASAP!
How to Make Cinnamon Roll Cake
This cake is easy to make from scratch with only a few simple ingredients. In a small bowl, stir together brown sugar and ground cinnamon. Set aside. In a large bowl, beat together sugar and shortening with a mixer until fluffy. Add self-rising flour, buttermilk, and vanilla extract to the butter mixture. Mix on medium speed for 1 to 2 minutes.
Spray a 9×13-inch cake pan with nonstick cooking spray. Pour half of the cake batter into the prepared baking dish. Sprinkle cinnamon sugar mixture over the cake. Top with the remaining cake batter. Using a butter knife, make swirly, marble-effect patterns all around the cake. Drag the knife through both the cinnamon and cake batter.
Bake cake in a preheated oven until a toothpick inserted into the middle of the cake comes out clean.
While the cake is baking, prepare the icing. In a medium saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. Add milk, powdered sugar, and vanilla extract to the melted butter. Whisk and continue cooking for a few minutes until the sugar has dissolved and the glaze is smooth.
Remove the cake from the oven and poke holes all over the cake with a fork. Drizzle the glaze over the top of the cake and cool completely.
Helpful Tips & Frequently Asked Questions
- How to make self-rising flour: for every 1 cup of all-purpose flour, add 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder and ¼ teaspoon fine salt. Whisk the ingredients thoroughly in a large bowl.
- You can make this cake batter in a stand mixer or with a hand-held mixer.
- Feel free to add some chopped pecans or walnuts to the cake. I would sprinkle them over the cinnamon sugar layer.
- I use Crisco shortening. One of the benefits of using Crisco is that it has a high melting point than butter, so the cookies don’t spread much while baking. They also have an interior texture that is softer or lighter.
- Can I use butter? Yes, but it will change the texture of the cake.
- For a richer cake, use cream cheese frosting instead of vanilla glaze.
- Here is our recipe for cream cheese frosting: https://www.plainchicken.com/caramel-carrot-poke-cake-with-homemade/
- Store the cake in an airtight container for 3 to 4 days.
Homemade Cinnamon Roll Cake with Vanilla Glaze
This cake has all the flavors of a warm gooey cinnamon roll. This is great for breakfast, brunch, potlucks, and dessert. Serve the cake slightly warm or at room temperature. If you are eating this for dessert, add a scoop of vanilla ice cream. Have mercy! Give this cake a try. It is sure to become a family favorite!
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Cinnamon Roll Cake
Ingredients:
Cake
Filling
- ½ cup brown sugar
- 1 Tbsp cinnamon
Icing
- ¼ cup milk
- 3 Tbsp unsalted butter
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla
Instructions:
Cake
- Preheat oven to 350° F. Grease and flour a 9 x 13-inch pan.
- In a small bowl, stir together brown sugar and ground cinnamon. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, beat together sugar and shortening with a mixer until fluffy. Add eggs, mixing well. Add self-rising flour, buttermilk, and vanilla extract to the butter mixture. Mix on medium speed for 1 to 2 minutes.
- Pour half of the cake batter into the prepared baking dish. Sprinkle cinnamon sugar mixture over the cake. Top with the remaining cake batter. Using a butter knife, make swirly, marble-effect patterns all around the cake. Drag the knife through both the cinnamon and cake batter.
- Bake for 35 to 40 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Remove cake from the oven and use a fork to poke holes all over the top.
Icing
- In a medium saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. Add milk, powdered sugar, and vanilla extract to the melted butter. Whisk and continue cooking for a few minutes until the sugar has dissolved and the glaze is smooth.
- Pour glaze over warm cake and cool.
Notes:
- How to make self-rising flour: for every 1 cup of all-purpose flour, add 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder and ¼ teaspoon fine salt. Whisk the ingredients thoroughly in a large bowl.
- You can make this cake batter in a stand mixer or with a hand-held mixer.
- Feel free to add some chopped pecans or walnuts to the cake. I would sprinkle them over the cinnamon sugar layer.
- I use Crisco shortening. One of the benefits of using Crisco is that it has a high melting point than butter, so the cookies don’t spread much while baking. They also have an interior texture that is softer or lighter.
- Can I use butter? Yes, but it will change the texture of the cake.
- For a richer cake, use a cream cheese frosting instead of vanilla glaze.
- Here is our recipe for cream cheese frosting: https://www.plainchicken.com/caramel-carrot-poke-cake-with-homemade/
- Store the cake in an airtight container for 3 to 4 days.
Steph
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I’m making this for the 2nd time. This cake has got to be one of my favorites which is why I don’t make it often 😆 (too dangerous to keep around). I’m going to half the recipe and make in an 8 inch square pan this time. I used both your glaze and also my own cream cheese frosting for this. I know, frosting over a glaze sounds a bit much but its its so damn good! I don’t have buttermilk on hand today so I was thinking just to make my own by adding a little vinegar to milk. Will that work here?
Thanks for an amazing recipe!
Yes – you can make your own buttermilk – 1 cup milk with 1 tablespoon of white vinegar or lemon juice. let it sit for 5 minutes to thicken.