Do you ever just crave cinnamon rolls but don’t fancy making the doughy version? Well, cinnamon roll cake solves this in a simple vanilla and cinnamon cake, but with all the taste and vibes of the Cinnabon bakery. Oh gosh, that was my favourite pre-gluten free treat. I miss it so much.
Honestly these are worth the time to make though. A beautifully light sponge with all the hints of spice. Don’t fancy making the sponge from scratch? You could even use the sugar cinnamon and icing glaze layers but swap out the main body for a vanilla sponge mix.
There are a few cinnamon roll cake recipes out there already, but I promise this is worth the try. You’d honestly never know it is gluten and dairy-free. It always goes down a real treat with family and friends alike. So much so, I have even been requested to bake this for work mates!
What’s not to love? It isn’t sickly sweet, but has all of the notes which tingle on the tongue. Perfection.
I am a huge fan of using cinnamon in my recipes, as lots of you may be aware. Everything from making it the star of the show like here, to my gingerbread protein bites. Fancy something healthier? Make sure to also check out my secretly healthy protein cinnamon roll loaf.
Cinnamon Roll Cake
Equipment
- 2 Mixing Bowls
- Oven
- 8 x 8" Baking tin Deep dish
- Greaseproof Paper
- 2 Mixing spoons
- Table Spoon For mixing and drizzling the sugar glaze
- Whisk
- Sieve
- Microwave
- Spatula
- Small bowl
Ingredients
For the cinnamon roll cake base
- 350 grams Plain flour Gluten free
- 100 grams White sugar
- 1.5 tsp Baking powder
- 1/2 tsp Baking soda
- 1/2 tsp Xanthan Gum
- 52 ml Dairy-free milk
- 3 Medium Eggs
- 2 tsp Vanilla extract
- 80 grams Vegan butter Room temperature
- Pinch Salt Optional
For the sugar layer
- 50 grams Vegan butter Melted
- 1 tbsp Cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp Nutmeg
- 1/8 tsp Ground cloves
- 85 grams Brown sugar
For the sugar icing glaze
- 175 grams Icing sugar
- 1 tsp Vanilla extract
- 6-7 tbsp Milk or water Added one at a time
Instructions
To make the base of the cake
- Pre-heat the oven to 175°C conventional (or 155°C fan)
- Line a baking tray with greaseproof paper and set aside
- In a mixing bowl, cream together the butter, vanilla extract and sugar until smooth and well-combined
- Add the eggs to the bowl and whisk with the creamed butter and sugar mixture
- Sieve in the remaining dry ingredients to the bowl and then mix together thoroughly so a thick and creamy batter forms
- Use a spatula to pour half of the cake batter into the lined baking tray and evenly spread out if needed
Adding the sugar layer
- In a second heat-proof bowl, melt the butter in a microwave
- Add in the remaining sugar layer ingredients to the bowl and mix until combined
- Pour 2/3 of the sugar and butter mix roughly over the top of the cake base and swirl around with the spatula
- Pour the remaining cake batter over the top of the sugar layer
- Spread the final 1/3 of the sugar layer over the top of the top layer of cake batter, roughly swirling as before
- Place into the oven and bake for 25-30 minutes until slightly risen and golden
- Once baked, remove from the oven and leave to cool before removing the cake from the tin (~30 minutes)
For the sugar glaze
- Whilst the cake cools, mix together all the sugar icing ingredients, adding one tbsp of water/milk at a time until the desired thick but runny consistency is formed
- Drizzle the icing over the top of the cake
- Cut into 9 equal slices, tuck in and enjoy!
Notes
- Suitable for home freezing up to 3 months
- Store in an air-tight container at room temperature for 3-4 days or in the fridge for 5-6 days
