If you love homemade cinnamon rolls but hate how long they take to make you’ll love this cinnamon roll sheet cake recipe. The batter comes together in one bowl. Is swirled with cinnamon and sugar. And topped with the most delicious cream cheese frosting. It is moist and gooey just like a cinnamon roll. Perfect for a crowd or large gathering since it’s baked in a sheet pan.
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Why You Will Love this Cinnamon Roll Sheet Cake
- The batter comes together in one bowl.
- It’s baked in a sheet pan.
- The cake is moist and gooey just like a cinnamon roll.
- It takes less than an hour to make and bake.
Ingredient Notes to make the Best Cinnamon Roll Sheet Cake
- The eggs and milk need to be room temperature or else it won’t rise properly when baking. I like adding my milk into a microwave safe bowl and heating it, in 30 second increments until warm to the touch. For the eggs, place them in a bowl with warm water for 10 minutes before using. This ensures they come to room temperature quickly.
- Use Organic All Purpose Un Bleached Flour like Costco Organic All Purpose Flour or King Arthurs Organic All Purpose Flour. Bleached flour is overly processed, contains less nutrients and proteins that are essential in making a good homemade cake. Bleached flour normally adds an after taste to any baked goods that is not pleasant either. Use a quality flour. Organic Flour means it has not been sprayed with glyphosate (a herbicide that can kill certain weeds and grasses but is toxic for human consumption) and should not contain folic acid or other fillers. The only ingredient should be organic wheat.
- Don’t forget to sift the dry ingredients. Sifting helps the ingredients to combine more evenly. This yields a fluffier and more moist cake.
Recipe Variations to Make the Cake your own
- Try swapping out the 1/2 avocado oil with pumpkin puree for a yummy pumpkin cinnamon roll cake.
- Add 1-2 peeled, cored and diced apples to the cake batter for a yummy apple cinnamon roll sheet cake.
- Use two 9 inch cake pans to make a doubled layered cake. See recipe notes for instructions.
How to Bake the Cake
- Start by preheating the oven.
- Then prepare the baking pan with oil and flour.
- Next add the sugar, oil, eggs and vanilla to a bowl and mix together until combined.
- Mix in the sour cream or greek yogurt.
- Then sift in the dry ingredients.
- Fold the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients using a rubber spatula to avoid over mixing the batter.
- Pour the batter into the prepared baking pan.
- Make the cinnamon swirl and swirl it evenly throughout the cake.
- Bake the cake 350 F for 20-25 minutes.
- Cool the cake.
- Make the frosting and then frost the cake.
- Slice and enjoy.
Expert Tips to Make a Perfect Cake
- Read the instructions and then measure out all the ingredients before baking. That way you do not forget a step or an ingredient.
- Make sure the milk, eggs, etc are room temperature or the cake won’t rise properly.
- Use parchment paper for and easy release if making two 9 inch cakes.
- Touch test instead of a toothpick. If the cake sticks to your finger it is under done. If the cake springs back it is ready to be taken out of the oven.
- Cool the cake completely in the pan before icing. I like baking my cakes the day before I decorate or frost them. Just cover the tops with plastic wrap to prevent them from drying out.
Cinnamon Roll Sheet Cake
If you love homemade cinnamon rolls but hate how long they take to make you'll love this cinnamon roll sheet cake recipe. The batter comes together in one bowl. Is swirled with cinnamon and sugar. And topped with the most delicious cream cheese frosting. It is moist and gooey just like a cinnamon roll. Perfect for a crowd or large gathering since it's baked in a sheet pan.
Servings: 32 cake slices
Equipment
- 1-2 Mixing bowl
- 1 Dough Whisk or whisk
- 1 Sifter
Ingredients
Vanilla Cake
- 2 cup organic cane sugar
- ½ cup avocado oil or canola oil
- 3 eggs room temperature
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- ½ cup sour cream or Greek yogurt
- 2 ½ cup organic all purpose unbleached flour
- 3 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- 1 ¼ cup milk room temperature
Cinnamon Swirl
- ¼ cup melted butter
- ½ cup organic brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon all purpose unbleached flour
- 2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Vanilla Bean Cream Cheese Frosting
- 3 cup organic powdered sugar
- 2 oz full fat plain cream cheese room temperature
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla bean paste or pure vanilla extract
- 4 tablespoons heavy cream
Instructions
Cake
- Start by preheating the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Then grease and flour a standard 12×18 baking sheet and set aside for later.
- In a large mixing bowl add the sugar, oil, eggs and vanilla extract and whisk together until combined.
- Then mix in the sour cream or greek yogurt.
- Now sift in the flour, baking powder and salt and fold the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients until the last bit of flour disappears.
- Pour the cake batter into the flour and greased baking sheet pan and tap it against the counter a few times to release and air bubbles.
Cinnamon Swirl
- Let's make the cinnamon swirl.
- Begin by melting the butter and then add in the brown sugar, flour and cinnamon to the butter and mix together with a fork until combined.
- Drizzle the cinnamon paste all over the cake and swirl it in with a knife in figure 8 motions.
- Bake the cake at 350 F for 20-25 or until a toothpick has been inserted and comes out mostly clean, with a few crumbs.
- Once baked, remove the cake from the oven and allow it to cool completely before making the frosting.
Vanilla Bean Cream Cheese Frosting
- Now that the cake has cooled prepare the frosting.
- In another large bowl, add softened butter and cream cheese and mix together with a hand mixer until smooth.
- Add in a cup of powdered sugar and mix until combined.
- Keep adding a cup of powdered sugar at one time and make sure to mix in between each cup until 3 cups have been reached.
- Then add in the vanilla bean paste (or vanilla extract) and heavy cream and beat the frosting with the hand mixer for 2-3 minutes until creamy and silky.
- Dollop the frosting onto the cooled cake and spread using the rubber spatula or an offset spatula.
- Slice, eat and enjoy. You can get 32 even slices from a large sheet cake.
Notes
If you want to make a layered cake, pour the cake batter into two 9 inch greased and floured cake pans that have been lined with parchment paper on the bottom. Bake the cake 350 F for 30-35 minutes or until a toothpick comes out moistly clean with a few crumbs. Then cool the cake, frost and stack as normal.
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!