Think classic cinnamon rolls, in the form of two giant twists, stacked on top of each other, and you end up with this show stopping Cinnamon Roll Cake.

Side view of two tiers of a cinnamon roll cake before stacking.

What pans can I use?

I like to use these adjustable cake rings because they have tall edges but you can also use a springform pan with tall edges. I baked the larger one in the 8″ and the smaller in 6″ but this recipe is pretty flexible and you could definitely do a 9″ and 7″ pan.

What is the frosting of cinnamon rolls made of?

Some people like a cream cheese frosting on their cinnamon rolls, I however, prefer a butter, powdered sugar, milk, and vanilla frosting. This recipes uses butter in the frosting which keeps it soft but also adds a yummy depth of flavor.

How do I know when the dough is finished kneading?

This dough should pass the window pane test which means that when a golf ball sized piece is torn off, you should be able to stretch it gently until light passes through but without it tearing. This can take a while, think upwards of 20 minutes, so be patient.

Can this be made in advance?

I think this cake is best baked and eaten on the same day but you could definitely prep the dough the night before and store it wrapped up tight in the fridge. If you do this, don’t the dough proof before it goes in the fridge.

Tips for making a Cinnamon Roll Cake

When making yeasted dough, ensure that you allow your mixer to fully knead the dough, until it forms a smooth ball and the sides of the bowl are cleaned. This can take a while, like over 20 minutes, so be patient.
If you’re trying to save time day of, you can do the first proof (rise) of the dough overnight in the fridge.
When rolling out the dough, try to make it as rectangular as possible. This will help when it comes shaping and cutting the twist. I use a bench scraper to keep reshaping into a rectangle as I roll it because it can be tricky to reshape at the end. The actual measurements aren’t so important but you want each piece of dough to be pretty thin and long.
Don’t underbake the layers, they should be a nice golden brown on top.

Ingredients

All Purpose Flour: Any all purpose flour will work for this! I have not yet tried any other flours with this recipe.
Sugar: This recipe uses granulated sugar in the dough and the filling and powdered sugar in the frosting.
Yeast: In this recipe, instant yeast is used. However, if you are using active dry, simply whisk it in with the warm milk and let it sit for 10 minutes first and then add in the remaining ingredients.
Salt: A tiny bit fine sea salt is added but not much because we are using a salted butter.
Milk: Milk is the liquid in the dough and the frosting; however, it will also work with non-dairy milks such as almond milk.
Eggs: I use standard large eggs from the store. There are two whole eggs in the dough.
Vanilla: Vanilla extract enhances the flavors of the cinnamon roll.
Cinnamon: A good bit of cinnamon goes into the filling to give them their strong cinnamon roll flavor.
Butter: The butter adds the rich fat necessary for the dough, the filling and the frosting. I recommend Kerrygold salted butter for this.

Two tiered cinnamon roll cake stacked together on a wire rack with frosting dripping over the edges.

How to make a Cinnamon Roll Cake

Make the Brioche

In the bowl of a stand mixer whisk together the flour, sugar, and yeast.
Sprinkle in the salt. Then add in the warm milk, two eggs, butter, and vanilla extract.
Use a dough hook to knead everything together on medium low speed for 20-25 minutes until the dough has smooth edges and the bowl is clean.
The dough should pass the window pane test. This means that if you tear off a piece of dough, it can stretch until light passes through without tearing first.
Shape the dough into a ball and then place it back in the mixing bowl. Cover the bowl with a lid or plastic wrap and leave to proof for 45 minutes – 1 hour.

Filling

In a medium mixing bowl add in 150 grams of butter, 125 grams sugar, 1.5 tablespoons ground cinnamon, 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt, and 1 teaspoon vanilla extract. Use a fork to mix it together until smooth.
In a separate bowl, stir together the remaining 75 grams of sugar and 1.5 tablespoons of cinnamon.

Shape the tiers

Preheat the oven to 350 F and place a rack in the center of the oven.
I used these cake rings on baking sheets to bake the layers so I lined the baking sheets with parchment paper. But if you’re using springform pans with tall edges, just line the bottom of the pans with parchment.
Divide the dough into 2/3 and 1/3 so if it weighs 999 grams, you’ll have one portion that is 666 grams and 333 grams.
Start with the smaller portion of dough and roll it out on a lightly floured surface to at least 10″ x 8″. Try to keep the dough as rectangular as possible while rolling it out and use flour as needed to keep the dough from sticking.
Spread 1/3 of the cinnamon sugar butter filling over the entire surface of the dough.
Sprinkle the cinnamon sugar over the butter filling.
Roll the dough up, starting with one long side. Be careful to keep the roll tight but don’t squeeze out the butter.
Once fully rolled, place it seam side down and give the roll a few squeezes while also ever so slightly stretching it out.
Use a long sharp knife to cut the roll in half lengthwise. Twist the two halves together with the filling face up. Start by crossing the two over each other to make an X shape, then twist towards both ends. Pinch the ends together so that you have one long twist.
Starting with one end, roll it inwards and tuck it under to create a wreath shape. Once you get to the other end, tuck it under your twist.
Place the twist into the smaller pan. Repeat with the larger portion of dough, roll it out to at least 18″ x 12″.
Cover the pans with plastic and set aside for at least 30-45 minutes to proof while the oven preheats. They’re ready when they are almost doubled in size.

Bake

Once the oven is heated up and the layers have gotten nice and puffy it’s time to bake. My oven will only fit one at a time so I baked the smaller one for 15 minutes, rotated it 180 degrees and then another 12-15 minutes. For the larger one it needs to be baked for 15 minutes, then rotate and bake for another 15-20 minutes.
If you’re baking at the same time, they make take a bit longer. Be sure to bake until golden brown and not super wobbly.
Once baked, remove from the oven and place on a wire rack to cool slightly. It’s ok if they sink a bit while cooling.
While they cool, make the frosting.

Vanilla Frosting

In a medium bowl, whisk together melted butter, lukewarm milk, vanilla, and powdered sugar.
If it is too thin, add more powdered sugar, if too thick add more milk. It should be pretty thick but still flowy.
Spoon the frosting onto each cinnamon roll tier. Then use the back of the spoon to spread the frosting out as needed.

To Stack

If you are baking and serving this cake at home, you can just place the smaller layer on top of the larger once they have both cooled. But, if the cake is being transported and needs to stand for a while you’ll want to add in some supports.
Either way, do not stack until both layers have cooled.
To support the bottom layer, I cut three of these cake dowels to the same height. You want them to be exactly or just slightly shorter than where you are inserting them into the bottom tier.
I also ended up using a cardboard cake round to set the smaller cake on before placing it on top of the dowels and the bottom cake layer. I only had an 8″ round so I trimmed it to just smaller than the top layer.

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