Wanna know a secret? Cinnamon Roll Cake was originally supposed to be, well…cinnamon rolls.
This book-inspired recipe for Christmas Shopaholic was born out of a failed attempt to make Sticky Buns for another book review.
Nothing goes as main character Becky plans on Christmas Day in Christmas Shopaholic, and Cinnamon Roll Cake fits right into that theme, making it the perfect recipe to pair with this book.
Cinnamon Roll Cake is for those of you who try to make gorgeous, snail-shell-spiraled cinnamon rolls for your beloved family and friends…AND COMPLETELY FAIL.
Yup, that’s what happened to me. I got about halfway through the recipe I was following before it became clear I had rolled the dough WAY too thin; half of it stuck to the countertop and half of it ripped to smithereens.
By the time I managed to wrangle the tissue-paper thin dough into the required log – which was supposed to be sliced into 16 perfect pieces – the filling was bulging from every tear, and there was no way the sorry little log would survive further manhandling.
After harrumphing around my kitchen for a good 30 minutes, I decided to go ahead and bake the cinnamon-sugar dough mound rising forlornly on my counter.
After all, it was only the cinnamon roll part of the recipe that didn’t go as planned; making the dough and filling actually went really well.
So, I scooped the dough into the baking dish, shoved it in the oven, and prayed to the baking gods that something edible would emerge.
Forty-five minutes later, my kitchen smelled like Christmas morning, and hope filled my heart as I realized I might be able to salvage my recipe disaster.
Salvage it, I did. Cinnamon Roll Cake is AWESOME. This mighty loaf is marbled with tons of cinnamon sugar ribbons. The crust bakes up a crunchy, golden brown, and there’s tons of soft, fluffy, and slightly gooey cinnamon roll goodness inside.
It’s like eating JUST the center of a cinnamon roll. Which is, after all, the best part.
As far as I’m concerned, you can keep your Instagram-worthy spiraled cinnamon rolls that require meticulous attention. Making this Cinnamon Roll Cake is way easier.
You get all the flavor and grandeur of the cinnamon roll without the frustration. It’s delightfully sweet, full of seasonal spices, and still looks pretty darn impressive when placed on your table.
All in all, it’s the perfect way to begin your holiday morning (cake for breakfast!) or end your holiday night.
Obviously, you could make Cinnamon Roll Cake with any ol’ cinnamon roll recipe that fails to make it to the “roll” stage. But, I’ve included the recipe I used that fateful-turned-victorious day since it’s just so damn tasty.
And, by all means, if you’re feeling confident enough in your dough log to slice it into traditional cinnamon rolls – go for it! You do you. You’re a better (wo)man than I.
But, for those of you who can’t roll a tight log of dough and cut it into buns to save your life? IT’S OKAY. Give yourself permission to make this Cinnamon Roll Cake instead.
I promise you, your family will love it and not even miss the traditional rolls as they’re serving themselves up heaping portions of this decadent treat.
Cinnamon Roll Cake
Ingredients
Cinnamon Roll Cake Dough
- 2 cups milk
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup vegetable oil
- 1 package active dry yeast
- 4 cups all-purpose flour
- an additional 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 tsp kosher salt
- scant 1/2 tsp baking soda
- heaping 1/2 tsp baking powder
Cinnamon Sugar Filling
- 1 stick unsalted butter
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 2 tbsp ground cinnamon
- pinch of kosher salt
VANILLA ORANGE ICING
- 1 3/4 cup confectioner's sugar
- 3 tbsp milk
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/2 tsp orange extract or juice
Instructions
DAY ONE: PREP INSTRUCTIONS
- Spray a large mixing bowl with cooking or baking spray; set aside.
DAY ONE: BAKING INSTRUCTIONS
- Make the dough: Combine the 2 cups milk, ½ cup granulated sugar, and vegetable oil in a medium pot and bring to a simmer over medium heat – do not let the mixture boil.
- Remove the pot from the heat and aside to cool, about 5 minutes.
- Sprinkle the yeast on top of the milk mixture, then add 4 cups flour into the pot. Stir all ingredients until thoroughly combined and all liquid is absorbed. The dough should be very loose, but not watery.
- Cover the pot with a clean tea towel and set in a warm place to rise for one hour.
- After dough has risen for one hour, remove the towel (but keep it handy!) and stir in the 1 ½ tsp of kosher salt, the baking powder, the baking soda, and the remaining ½ cup of flour. Stir all ingredients until thoroughly combined.
- Scrape the dough into the prepared mixing bowl and cover with the tea towel. Place the covered bowl in the fridge overnight to rise and chill. Dough should be cold before you roll it out.
DAY TWO: PREP INSTRUCTIONS
- Preheat the oven to 325F.
- Spray a 9x12 baking dish with high sides with cooking spray and set aside.
- Melt the butter either in the stove or the microwave, stir in the pinch of kosher salt, then set aside.
- In a small bowl, mix together the 1 cup granulated sugar and the cinnamon until combined, then set aside.
DAY TWO: BAKING INSTRUCTIONS
- Measure out a 30 inch by 10 inch rectangle on your work surface; mark the parameters with tape or utensils. This will tell you how far you need to roll out the dough.
- Generously flour your work surface and rolling pin, then scoop the chilled, risen dough onto the work surface. Roll the dough as best you can into the rectangular shape you’ve marked on the work surface; the shape doesn’t need to be perfect since you’re not cutting the dough into rolls.
- Once the dough is the desired shape, drizzle the melted butter all over the dough and spread it around with a spatula, edge to edge. Then sprinkle the cinnamon sugar mixture evenly all over the buttery dough.
- Time to roll: starting from the farthest, long end of the rectangle, slowly roll the dough as tightly as possible into a log. Don’t worry about making it perfect or if the roll is a little loose; it doesn’t matter!
- Fold the dough log in half and dump it into your prepared baking dish, tucking it in to make sure its completely contained within the dish. No need to make it pretty at this stage since it will rise up as one, big loaf and be filled with spirals when you cut into it!
- Cover the baking dish with a clean tea towel and place in a warm area to let dough rise for 20 minutes.
- Remove the tea towel and place the baking dish into the oven. Bake at 325F for 40-45 minutes, or until the top is deep golden brown and feels solid to the touch when lightly pressed.
- While the cake is baking, make the icing: whisk all icing inredients together until you have a thick paste. Set aside.
- Remove Cinnamon Roll Cake from oven. Immediately spread the orange vanilla icing onto the cake so it melts. Let Cinnamon Roll Cake cool about 5 minutes, then cut and serve.
