Learn how to make a giant cinnamon roll cake using my easy 7 ingredient homemade cinnamon roll dough and swirling it into one large cake. Top with vanilla icing for an extra fun and indulgent breakfast, Easter, Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, or Christmas brunch. Kids LOVE this! (Ok, adults too.)
This recipe is brought to you in partnership with Red Star Yeast.
I originally published this recipe in 2013 and have since added new photos, a video tutorial, and more helpful success tips. Because if you’re going to make cinnamon rolls, you might as well make the best, most giant cinnamon roll ever. It’s impossible not to love this.
If you find yourself with a giant cinnamon roll craving, bored and looking for a fun baking project, want an extra special Mother’s Day recipe or Father’s Day recipe, in need of new Easter brunch recipes that WOW, and/or need of a fun family-friendly breakfast, brunch, or dessert—I have just the recipe.
Why You’ll Love This Giant Cinnamon Roll Cake
- It’s a cinnamon roll the size of your head.
- Only requires 1 short rest and 1 long rise. (Not 2 rises!)
- No special tools required.
- Perfect for yeast beginners.
- Kids love to help roll it up.
- Fun to eat.
- Smothered in vanilla icing.
- I repeat: it’s a cinnamon roll the size of your head.
One reader, Rebekah, commented: “We made this for my son’s birthday. It was a huge hit, not only because it was delicious, but also because it looks beautiful! ★★★★★“
One reader, Helene, commented: “My family’s eyes lit up when I brought this out and it didn’t disappoint. Step-by-step directions were simple and exact. I will be making this often! ★★★★★“
One reader, Zoe, commented: “I’ve always been a fan of cinnamon rolls, but I’ve never tried to make a cinnamon roll cake! I just made this and it turned out perfectly! 10/10. Thanks a lot, Sally! ★★★★★“
Perfect for Yeast Beginners
Do you love homemade cinnamon rolls, but are nervous to bake with yeast? I used to be this way too, but my easy cinnamon rolls completely changed that mindset. They only need 1 short rest period and 1 long rise, as opposed to two long rises like my overnight cinnamon rolls. Same fluffy cinnamon roll goodness, but in half the time. We’re using a very similar dough recipe for today’s cinnamon roll cake.
Here’s my #1 tip: I exclusively use Red Star Yeast in my bread baking and always recommend readers do the same. A dependable yeast like Platinum Yeast from Red Star pretty much guarantees dough success. This is an instant yeast, which helps cut down on rise time. Not only this, its careful formula strengthens your dough and makes working with yeast simple. And simple, especially when it comes to bread baking, is always good.
If you are craving cinnamon rolls right now, and just can’t wait for dough to rise, try these no yeast cinnamon rolls!
Video Tutorial: Giant Cinnamon Roll Cake
How to Make a Giant Cinnamon Roll Cake
- Make the dough: The ingredients are pretty standard: flour, sugar, salt, yeast, milk, butter, and egg. Heat the butter and milk together. Next, stir or beat the milk mixture into the dry ingredients, then add the egg. After mixing, your dough is ready to knead. You’ll notice I use all milk (no water) and *slightly* more butter than my easy cinnamon rolls recipe. I wanted a richer dough for this cinnamon roll cake. Same great results.
- Knead the dough: You can use your mixer or hands to knead the dough. Watch me knead the dough with my hands in the video tutorial above. I also have a separate in-depth How to Knead Dough video tutorial, if you need extra help with this step. When you’re finished kneading, cover the dough and let it rest for about 30 minutes. It won’t really rise during this time, but this allows the gluten to relax, which makes shaping much easier.
- Fill & shape the cinnamon roll cake: Here’s where the fun starts! Roll the dough out into a 15×12-inch rectangle. Spread the softened butter on top, then sprinkle with brown sugar and cinnamon. Using a sharp knife or pizza cutter, slice the dough into 6 horizontal strips. (Each are 15 inches long.) Roll up 1 strip and place in a greased pan. Coil the remaining 5 strips around the center roll, starting each strip at the end of the previous one to make one large cinnamon roll. Some of the filling may spill out as you pick up the strips, so just sprinkle it on top of the cake when you’re done shaping it.
- Rise: Let the shaped cake rise until doubled in size, about 1-2 hours. Remember, this is the only rise time required!
- Bake: After the giant cinnamon roll cake is puffy, bake until golden brown.
- Drizzle with vanilla icing: Whisk confectioners’ sugar, milk, and vanilla extract together until smooth. Drizzle all over the warm cake.
Cinnamon Roll Cake Step-by-Step Pictures
Mix the dry ingredients together. Heat the butter and milk together.
Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients, add the egg, and beat into a slightly soft dough. (If you don’t have a mixer, you can make this dough by hand.)
Knead this dough, then let it rest for about 30 minutes.
Roll out into a large rectangle. Top with softened butter.
Sprinkle a mixture of brown sugar and cinnamon on top, then cut into 6 strips. Roll up 1 strip.
Place into your greased pan. Coil remaining strips around it.
Before baking, let the shaped cake rise until puffy:
3 Helpful Tips
- Best pan to use: I recommend a 9-inch round pie dish or 9-inch round cake pan.
- Keep it flat: While the giant cinnamon roll cake is baking, some spots may rise up more than other spots. That’s completely normal and expected from something this large! Simply remove the pan from the oven and, with the back of a spatula, press down the spots that are rising taller than others to help keep them even.
- Don’t have all morning to spend on this dough? Feel free to prep the dough the night before. This is a wonderful way to save time in the morning so you can wake up and eat sooner! See my make-ahead/overnight instructions in the written recipe below.
Let’s Dig In
To serve, cut the giant cinnamon roll like a traditional cake. Alternatively, you could uncoil it and let everyone have a go, sort of like you do with monkey bread. Hey, it’s ok to have fun with your food once in awhile. Now go make some cake!!
Baking With Yeast
Reference this Baking with Yeast Guide whenever you work with baker’s yeast. I include practical answers to all of your common yeast questions.
Giant Cinnamon Roll Cake
- Prep Time: 3 hours
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Total Time: 3 hours, 30 minutes
- Yield: one 9-inch cake
- Category: Cake
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Description
Learn how to make a beautiful, fluffy, and fun cinnamon roll cake using my kitchen-tested shortcut dough recipe. Review the video tutorial above and recipe notes below before beginning.
Ingredients
- 2 and 3/4 cups (344g) all-purpose flour (spooned & leveled), plus more as needed
- 1/4 cup (50g) granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 and 1/4 teaspoons Platinum Yeast from Red Star (1 standard packet)*
- 3/4 cup (180ml) whole milk
- 1/4 cup (4 Tablespoons; 56g) unsalted butter
- 1 large egg, at room temperature
Filling
- 1/4 cup (4 Tablespoons; 56 g) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- 1/4 cup (50g) packed light or dark brown sugar or granulated sugar
- 1 Tablespoon ground cinnamon
Vanilla Icing
- 1 cup (120g) confectioners’ sugar
- 2 Tablespoons (30ml) milk or heavy cream
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Instructions
- Make the dough: Whisk the flour, sugar, salt, and yeast together. Set aside. Heat the milk and butter together in the microwave until the butter is melted and the mixture is warm to the touch, between 100-110°F, 38-43°C. Pour the warm milk mixture into the dry ingredients. Add the egg. Using a handheld or stand mixer fitted with a dough hook or paddle attachment, or using a silicone spatula and mixing by hand, beat/mix the mixture until a soft dough forms. The dough is ready when it gently pulls away from the sides of the bowl. If the dough is pretty sticky, beat/mix in 2-4 extra Tablespoons of flour. (Keep in mind that you want the dough to remain on the softer side.)
- Knead the dough: Keep the dough in the stand mixer and beat for an additional 5 full minutes, or knead by hand on a lightly floured surface for 5 full minutes. (If you’re new to bread-baking, my How to Knead Dough video tutorial can help here.) If the dough becomes too sticky during the kneading process, sprinkle 1 teaspoon of flour at a time on the dough or on the work surface/in the bowl to make a soft, slightly tacky dough. Do not add more flour than you need because you do not want a dry dough. After kneading, the dough should still feel a little soft. Poke it with your finger—if it slowly bounces back, your dough is ready to rise. You can also do a “windowpane test” to see if your dough has been kneaded long enough: tear off a small (roughly golfball-size) piece of dough and gently stretch it out until it’s thin enough for light to pass through it. Hold it up to a window or light. Does light pass through the stretched dough without the dough tearing first? If so, your dough has been kneaded long enough and is ready to rise. If not, keep kneading until it passes the windowpane test.
- Form the dough into a ball on your work surface. Cover it with a clean towel, aluminum foil, or plastic wrap, then let it rest for 30 minutes at room temperature. Alternatively, the ball of dough can rest in a covered and lightly greased mixing bowl.
- Make the filling: After 30 minutes, use a rolling pin to roll the dough out into a 15×12-inch rectangle. Evenly spread the softened butter on top. Mix the sugar and cinnamon together and sprinkle it all over the buttered dough.
- Grease a 9-inch round pie dish or 9-inch round cake pan with butter or nonstick spray.
- Shape the cinnamon roll cake: See the video tutorial and my step-by-step photos above for a visual of this shaping step. Using a very sharp knife or a pizza cutter, cut the dough into six 2-inch wide strips. Roll up one strip and place it in the center of the pan. Coil the remaining 5 strips around the center roll, starting each strip at the end of the previous one to make one large cinnamon roll. Some of the filling may spill out as you pick up the strips, so just sprinkle it on top of the cake when you’re done shaping it.
- Loosely cover the cake with aluminum foil or plastic wrap and allow it to rise in a relatively warm, draft-free environment for 1-2 hours or until double in size. (Tip: Rising at room temperature is usually fine, but on a particularly cold day, heat your oven to 150°F (66°C). Turn the oven off, place the shaped cake inside, and keep the door slightly ajar. This will be a warm environment for your dough to rise. After about 30 minutes, close the oven door to trap the air inside with the rising dough. When it’s doubled in size, remove from the oven.)
- Bake: After the cake’s dough has doubled in size, preheat the oven to 350°F (177°C). Bake for 30-35 minutes or until golden brown. If you notice the top or edges browning too quickly, tent the cake with aluminum foil. While the giant cinnamon roll cake is baking, some spots may rise up more than other spots. That’s completely normal and expected from something this large. Simply remove the pan from the oven and, with the back of a spatula, press down the spots that are rising taller than others to help keep them even. Return to baking.
- Remove the finished cinnamon roll cake from the oven and cool in the pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Meanwhile, make the icing.
- Make the icing: Whisk the icing ingredients together. If you want a thicker icing, whisk in more confectioners’ sugar. If you want a thinner icing, whisk in more milk or cream. Drizzle all over warm cake and serve.
- The cinnamon roll cake is best enjoyed the same day it’s made, but will remain fresh covered tightly for up to 4 days in the refrigerator.
Notes
- Overnight Instructions: The night before serving, prepare the cinnamon roll cake through step 6. Cover tightly and refrigerate for 8-12 hours. The next morning, remove from the refrigerator and allow to rise on the counter, covered, for 1-2 hours before continuing with step 8.
- Freezing Instructions: You can freeze this cinnamon roll cake for up to 3 months, and I recommend a few different methods for doing so. The first method is to freeze it after shaping, before its rise (step 6). Thaw in the refrigerator overnight, then let rise for 1.5–2 hours at room temperature before baking. The second method is to par-bake the risen cinnamon roll cake for 10 minutes, let cool completely, then cover and freeze. Thaw in the refrigerator overnight, then let sit at room temperature for 30 minutes before baking. Finish baking for 15–20 minutes. You can also freeze the fully baked cinnamon roll cake. See How to Freeze Cinnamon Rolls for more details.
- Special Tools (affiliate links): Electric Mixer (Handheld or Stand) | Glass Mixing Bowls | Whisk | Rolling Pin | 9-inch Round Pie Dish or 9-inch Round Cake Pan
- Yeast: Platinum Yeast from Red Star is an instant yeast. You can use active dry yeast instead. If using active-dry yeast, whisk the yeast into the warm butter/milk mixture instead of into the dry ingredients. (If you forget to do this and add the active-dry yeast to the dry ingredients, the cake will still be fine– trust me!) The rise time will take a little longer if using active dry yeast. Reference my Baking with Yeast Guide for answers to common yeast FAQs.
- Icing: I originally topped this giant cinnamon roll cake with vanilla maple icing. Simply replace 1 Tablespoon of milk/cream with pure maple syrup. If desired for a coffee flavored icing, replace all of the milk/cream with strong brewed black coffee.
Reader Comments and Reviews
Hi Sally,
Once again I am looking for a quick substitution – would I be able to use maple syrup in place of the brown sugar? I normally use the standard brown sugar for cinnamon rolls, however in covid times one cant always immediately buy something simply because a recipe calls for it, if isnt in the pantry.
Hi Mercy! You really want a dry sugar for the filling. Use regular granulated sugar instead. (Which is what you use in the dough anyway!)
Is it true that placing salt directly on top of yeast will kill the yeast? Heard that it does and does not from various well known bakers.
Sooo easy and so tasty 10/10 would recommend!
Everytime I saw this recipe I wanted to try it but was intimidated by the whole swirl thing. I tried it today and it was super simple!! Thanks Sally ! My husband who does not even like to eat sweets for breakfast ,loved it !! This recipe is a keeper!
Is it okay to make 16ish hours in advance and refrigerate overnight? Trying to work this in as a surprise for my boyfriend’s birthday.
Hi Taylor, For the overnight instructions we don’t recommend much past 12 hours in the refrigerator.
Hi, I find that whenever I proof something more than one or two hours, the dough develops a simply dreadful alcohol smell (naturally of course) and taste, even at 5 hours, which once made me absolutely nauseas even before cutting the cinnamon rolls from the log. Some people like this kind of smell, taste, but since I loathe it, I need to ask whether this intensely alcoholic odor/taste lasts even after baking, after 12 hours? Thanks in advance.
Just made this and it turned out beautifully. Tasted fantastic. I’ve made a few things now from your blog snd I’ve never been disappointed. Your recipes are very clear and easy to follow. LOVE the videos, too!
Wish I could post my picture. 😉
OMG..Can’t wait to try this.
Wow! This Giant Cinnamon Roll Cake was absolutely delicious! It was easy to make and it looks very impressive. I will definitely make this again. Thanks for sharing this recipe, Sally!
There’s a restaurant near me that has a cinnamon roll with a cinnamon frosting in addition to the regular cinnamon roll icing so I wanted to try and recreate that. I made this recipe and the Sally’s cinnamon cream cheese frosting recipe from her Banana Cupcakes with Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting recipe, but I added a boat load of cinnamon. I’d say nearing a quarter cup of cinnamon. I wasn’t really measuring, just pouring it in and tasting. MAN, that icing on the warm cake was KILLER. 10/10 need to make that again
This was super cool to make. I got a little nervous that the inner bun would not be completely cooked, but it turned out very yummy!
The icing ended up being a little too much for; there was a good bit of overflow.
I would definitely make this again. 🙂
Can you also you this recipe to make small ones instead of one large one?
Hi Court, This recipe for Easy Cinnamon Rolls is a very similar dough for regular size rolls. Happy baking!
This was delicious. My new favorite recipe for cinnamon rolls. I saved time by making the dough in my bread machine. Then I followed the steps to let it rise and bake. Will make again and again. Thanks, Sally 🙂
This looks delicious. I plan to make this weekend as a suprise for my daughter coming back from college. I love all your recipes, Sally. Thank you!
Hello, this looks beautiful! I don’t know if you’ve had this question before, but will it effect the texture of the cake at all if I use 2% milk instead of whole milk? I don’t have whole milk!
Hi Katerina, Definitely. I wouldn’t use a lower fat than 2% though.
Can you use bread flour?
Bread flour should work for a chewier roll. Enjoy!
easy to follow recipe, turned out great and the whole family really enjoyed it!
Absolutely LOVE this recipe! Thank you!
Very excited to make this this week! Do you think it would be okay in a silicone round cake pan? Or does it need something sturdier? Thanks Sally!
Hi Luiz, I have not tested this in a silicone pan. If you decide to try I recommend placing a baking sheet under it so that it’s easier to lift.
Hi Sally,
I found your site while searching for the perfect cinnamon roll recipe. And while other websites made it seem too time consuming and complicated your recipe,the step by step guide, the at hand conversions to gr. and °C, the beautiful pictures- it made it so easy!!
This giant cinnamon roll cake came out fluffy on the inside and crunchy on the outside! It only took about 24 min(and 10min rest),the house smelled amazing and the taste: wow!
Thank you so much for your recipes!
Greetings from Greece!
This was amazing! The center of a cinnamon roll is the best part and that is what this is mostly made of. I used a cream cheese icing from one of your other recipes and it turned out great!
This was excellent and very easy to make!
I used buttermilk because I had that on hand; the icing is exceptionally sweet, but it was PERFECT with the dough and filling mixture. Not too sweet and tasting just like a cinnamon roll, making the house smell like a dream! I also see how you could take this recipe and just roll it up and make individual cinnamon rolls! How versatile!!
If I want to make this the day before, how long can it stay in the fridge before it has to rise 1-2 hours the next day, your instructions say the morning but could I pull it out at dinner time, let it rise and bake for dessert?
My daughter and I just made this together for one of her cooking assignments for school since we are homeschooling. It was so easy and delicious! You are always my “go-to” for recipes. We used 1% milk, added pecans and made the icing with maple syrup. Will definitely make again! Thanks!
Love this recipe, I’ve been baking your recipes for years and recommend you to everyone I know! Currently, I have taken it upon myself to boost office morale with goodies and your recipes are featured more then anyone else’s. 🙂 Today was your cookie dough cupcakes and tomorrow I am taking the beauty in with BACON pieces sprinkled on the strips before rolling up. I’m pairing it with the maple icing and am soooo excited!Thanks Sally!!
Thank you so much, Elisha! Hope you enjoy this roll cake with bacon!
Absolutely loved the taste and texture. The only issue after I baked this…during this pandemic, my wife and I ate this whole cake in a little over 1 day. It truly is that yummy! Thank you Sally, it satisfies that craving for Cinnabon in the comfort of your own home 🙂
This recipe was absolutely spectacular. Beautiful presentation and scrumptious. I have shared and will definitely make it again. Thank you.
Sally, can i use fresh yeast instead of dry?? In that case, hw much i use?
Thank you so much!
I made this for the first time yesterday and it is delicious! Next time I will work harder to get the dimensions right, I realized I had rolled the dough to 16×12 which meant the cinnamon/sugar mix wasn’t enough to fully cover the dough. Even though I will make sure it’s 15×12 I will still make *more* of the cinnamon/sugar mix so it full coats everything. But still, it was great. And as big as my head!
I made this as a thanks for a neighbor. I didn’t get to taste it, but it was gorgeous. Easy to follow instructions. Thank you!
I have never baked with yeast but decided to give this recipe a try. It was so easy and came out great! Thanks for the wonderful recipe!
This was such a GREAT easy to follow and lovely recipe! It came out perfect in almost every sense.
Unfortunately, the center (first strip), did not cook), is it because I did the spatula tip incorrectly? It poofed up in the center a couple of times. How can I avoid this? I also teneed because it was browning too fast.