This Cinnamon Roll Cake Recipe skips the yeast and rising time for a fast, easy bake. Finish it with a quick cream cheese glaze and serve warm.
The Best Cinnamon Roll Cake Recipe
Cinnamon rolls are an iconic dessert, but they can be time-consuming. Waiting for the dough to rise twice, plus making the dough, filling, and glaze—it’s a lot.
While I spent months perfecting my Easy Cinnamon Roll Recipe (with no kneading, no mixer, and the quickest dough prep possible), it still takes a fair amount of time to get from start to cinnamon rolls on the table.
That’s why this Cinnamon Roll Cake recipe is the best:
- All the flavors you love from cinnamon rolls.
- No kneading, no rising, no mixer needed. We don’t even make the dough, thanks to a shortcut ingredient!
- This cake can be on the table in about 30 minutes. Seriously! The prep and bake time are both quick.
- It’s fun! This cake is a blast to assemble and even more fun to eat (obviously!).
The “Short-Cut”
So how do we finish this cake so quickly? With refrigerated buttermilk biscuits!
The biscuits are the perfect substitute for cinnamon roll dough, and no one will know you used a store-bought shortcut because this cake is just that good!
I like to grab a 4-pack of buttermilk biscuits to make either one large cinnamon roll cake or a couple of smaller ones. If there are leftovers, I use them for a breakfast favorite; Biscuits and Gravy!
Featured Comment
“Holy Cow!! This was DELICIOUS!!!! My family rated it a 20+ out of 10! Fantastic…and so easy. I don’t have a skillet, so just used an 8″ cake pan, and it worked perfectly. THANK YOU for the awesome recipe!”
– Kara
How To Make This Cinnamon Roll Cake Recipe
The full recipe is on the recipe card, but here’s a quick overview:
- Flatten each biscuit as thin as possible using a rolling pin or your hands.
- Dip the biscuit in melted butter, then in cinnamon-sugar.
- Roll the coated biscuit tightly into a cylinder and place it on the outer edge of the skillet or pie pan.
- Continue placing the biscuits in a spiral, seam side down, until they reach the center.
- While the Cinnamon Roll Cake bakes, whip up the glaze to spread over the warm cake!
What Pan To Use
This recipe is very forgiving. As long as you have plenty of butter, sugar, cinnamon, and biscuits, you can make the cake as big or small as you like.
I often make this cake in a small 6 to 8-inch cast iron skillet, but if I’m feeding others or feeling extra hungry, I use a 9-inch pie pan.
The bigger the pan, the longer the preparation takes, but you’ll be impressed by how quickly it comes together once the assembly line is set up.
Cinnamon Roll Cake Glaze Tips
- Set out the butter and cream cheese an hour before baking to reach room temperature. If they’re cold, the glaze may have unpleasant cream cheese chunks. To speed this up, try these quick methods for bringing butter and cream cheese to room temp.
- Salt and vanilla extract add essential flavor to the glaze. Even small amounts make a big difference!
- Slowly add powdered sugar to taste. More sugar makes the glaze sweeter and firmer; less keeps it tangier and softer. Adjust to your preference for this Cinnamon Roll Cake!
Storage
Cinnamon Roll Cake Recipe Storage
This cake is best enjoyed the same day it’s made, especially while warm. Like most homemade cinnamon rolls, this is particularly true with this cake because we’re using biscuits. The biscuits will harden and lose flavor the longer the cake sits out.
More Cinnamon Roll Favorites:
Desserts
Cinnamon Roll Cookie Recipe
Desserts
Cinnamon Roll Popcorn
Desserts
Cinnamon Roll Cheesecakes
Breakfast
Cinnamon Roll Monkey Bread
Cinnamon Roll Cake Recipe
Video
Equipment
- Pie pan or cake pan or skillet—really any size works! see note 1
Ingredients
- 2 7.5-ounce packages buttermilk biscuits see note 1
- 8 tablespoons unsalted butter melted
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon cinnamon
- 2 ounces cream cheese softened see note 1
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter softened
- 1/2 cup powdered sugar
- 2 tablespoons milk I use whole milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Prepare Pan: Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease a pie pan, cake pan, or skillet with cooking spray.
- Flatten Biscuits: Remove biscuits from packaging. Flatten each with a rolling pin or your hands.
- Coat Biscuits: Dip each biscuit in melted butter, shake off excess, then coat in cinnamon sugar. Shake off excess again (see Note 2).
- Assemble Cake: Roll biscuits tightly and arrange in a spiral pattern in the prepared pan, starting at the outside edge and working inward.
- Bake: Bake for 20–25 minutes, adjusting for pan size. If edges brown too quickly, tent with foil.
- Make Glaze: Beat cream cheese and butter until smooth. Add powdered sugar, milk, vanilla, and salt. Beat until light and fluffy.
- Glaze Cake: Let cake cool 5–7 minutes. Spoon glaze over warm cake, letting it drip into crevices. Add more glaze once cooled slightly, if desired. Slice and serve warm.
Recipe Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
I have made this a couple of times, and it is extremely delicious. Yesterday I used a different, simpler (in my opinion) technique that combines another favorite pinterest recipe, garlic bread from canned biscuits. Instead of rolling out the biscuits, I cut them in quarters, then dipped in butter and cinnamon sugar. I also had my cinnamon and sugar in a plastic storage bowl, so I dipped in butter, put a few pcs in the storage bowl, put the lid on, and shook it up. That worked great also. I have a bowl that you can use to batter things that I am going to try next time, thinking I should be able to put all in at once, close and shake up, making prep even faster. Can you tell I like short prep time? I’m not sure how to describe the breader, but if you google it, you can see what it is.
What an awesome idea!!! Thank you so much for sharing 🙂 I’ll definitely have to try this out next 🙂 Thanks Sonya!
Used cake pan instead (not sure if 8 or 9 inches). Needed a bit more sugar, etc, but that was it! Turned out amazing!
So glad to hear it worked out great in a cake pan! Thanks for leaving a comment Amy 🙂
Heey! I’m from Venezuela and the brands aren’t the same here, how many buttermilk cookies should I use for the recipe? I mean the weight 🙂 thank you!!
What do you think about adding raisins?
If you like raisins I bet they would be great!! 🙂
I didn’t have a skillet so I used a pie plate I also added fresh chopped apples and use cream cheese icing.
I was sooooo Yummy and Easy
Thanks!
Oh gosh!! LOVE your additions 🙂 Thanks for the comment Emma 🙂
Are biscuits the same as scones? I call cookies biscuits so I am confused.
I think depending on where you live they are called biscuits or scones. Here’s a link to what I used: http://www.pillsbury.com/products/biscuits/simply-buttermilk-biscuits/simply-buttermilk-biscuits
Hi
I took your great idea and kicked it up a notch – I put brown sugar and butter and pecan pieces in the bottom before the rolled up pieces of cinnamon biscuits and then turned it out when it was done – nice caramelly – not a word – yummy goo – I added cream cheese to the glaze – just saying Omg – lol
HAHA!! Thanks so much for your comment Sondra – I love your additions and can’t wait to give some pecan pieces a go in this – sounds perfect!!
I made these this morning, love, love, love the recipe, I wanted to be able to freeze leftovers, so I put 2 biscuits in each muffin tins, turned out awesome!! Love your site, just found it a few days ago, love your cheery since of humor. thanks so much for your welcoming site!
You are so sweet Linda! This made my day 🙂 Thanks for your sweet comment and I am so glad you enjoyed the cake! Plus, freezing them? What a great idea!! I’m definitely trying that out 🙂
I’m currently training for a fitness competition and don’t have much of a sweet tooth naturally, but I have to say cinnamon rolls are my WEAKNESS. These look amazing! I definitely found my next cheat meal!! Thanks for the wonderful recipe!!
These look amazing and, since I’ve just rejuvenated my old cast iron skillet, they’re definitely on my “must make” list. I live in Canada and don’t recall every seeing this type of buttermilk biscuit in my local stores. Can you elaborate on the brand and if they’re fresh, frozen, ??
Thanks so much,
~~ Denise
Thank you Denise! They are fresh in the refrigerated section (at my grocery store – near packaged cinnamon rolls and grands biscuits, butter, cream cheese).