A yeasted dough with milk, butter, and egg rises for an hour, is brushed with butter and sprinkled with a mixture of sugar, cinnamon, and walnuts, then cut into ropes and wound into one large coil and baked at 190°C, with a powdered sugar and vanilla mixture drizzled over the top in threads.
Cinnabon in the form of a single cake rather than separate rolls: the dough is cut into ropes after being filled with cinnamon, then wound rope around rope into one large coil that fills the pan.
The shape gives what separate rolls cannot, since every turn fuses with its neighbor and stays tender inside, and the threads of powdered sugar on top are the signature of this pastry.
Knead the dough ingredients together until smooth, and leave the dough to rise for an hour until doubled in size.
Brush the rolled-out dough with the butter and sprinkle the filling mixture of sugar, walnuts, and cinnamon over it, pressing the filling onto the surface of the dough so it holds.
Cut the dough crosswise into ropes, trimming away the edges the filling did not reach.
In a greased dish or pan, start by rolling the first strip like a roll, then wind the remaining ropes around it until you have one large coil.
Heat the oven to 190°C and bake for 25 to 30 minutes until cooked and lightly golden on top.
Mix the topping ingredients of powdered sugar and vanilla and drizzle them over the cake in threads.
The glycemic index (GI) measures how quickly a food raises blood sugar, while the glycemic load (GL) measures how much a full serving raises it. Together they give the complete picture.
A low value (≤55) means a gradual rise in blood sugar — the most suitable range for diabetes and insulin resistance.
Glycemic load reflects the impact of the full serving. To lower it: take half a serving, or pair the recipe with a source of protein and fiber.
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000-calorie diet per FDA food-label reference values — your daily needs may be higher or lower. Values are derived from the recipe's ingredients via the USDA database.
The most common problems when preparing Cinnamon Roll Cake, and how to fix them:
The ropes were wound loosely, or they were cold. Wind them slightly taut with the dough at room temperature, and set them snug in the pan so they support one another.
The coil is thick and the heat high. Keep to 190°C as the source says, and cover the top with foil if the color deepens before the center is done.
The butter was melted rather than at room temperature, so the sugar ran with it. Use soft butter that spreads, as the source specifies.
It baked past thirty minutes. The cue is a lightly golden top, not a deeply browned one, and checking starts at minute twenty-five.
Covered for two days, and it is at its most tender on the first day.
In the oven at 150°C for five minutes to restore its softness, or half a minute in the microwave for a single slice.
Freeze baked and undecorated for up to a month, reheat in the oven, then decorate fresh.
Knead and wind it and keep it in the refrigerator overnight, taking it out half an hour before baking.
| Original Ingredient | Tested Substitute | Ratio | Flavor Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Walnuts | Pecans, or leaving them out | 30 g | The source lists them as optional anyway, and pecans are sweeter in flavor and softer in texture. |
| Powdered sugar in the topping | Half the amount | 60 g | A full cup of topping is very sweet, and half is enough for visible threads. |
| Butter | Coconut oil | 42 g | A plant-based swap for both dough and filling, with a light flavor that shows alongside the cinnamon. |
| Milk | Unsweetened almond milk | 60 ml | A dairy-free option; the dough comes out slightly less rich. |
| Servings | Flour | Filling sugar | Cinnamon | Butter |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 servings (half the quantity) | 180 g | 34 g | 4 g | 21 g each |
| 6 servings (base) | 360 g | 67 g | 8 g | 42 g each |
| 12 servings (double) | 720 g | 134 g | 16 g | 84 g each |
Trim away the edges the filling did not reach, as the source instructs: leaving them gives a rope with no cinnamon that breaks up the flavor of the coil. And wind the ropes while the dough is soft, not cold, because cold dough cracks as it winds and will not fuse.
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