Y’all, let me introduce you to my famous Cinnamon Roll Bundt Cake – yes, the very one that got some love on the TODAY Show and Rachael Ray! This baby is a dreamy sour cream pound cake that’s got a rich, buttery cinnamon swirl doing the tango all through it, and it’s all topped off with a sinfully delicious cream cheese icing. It’s literally everything you could ever wish for in a cake, plus a cherry on top! Whether you’re lighting up those holiday vibes, celebrating those big moments, or just wanna spoil your family with something extra special, this cinnamon bundt cake is your go-to. It’s not just a cake, y’all, it’s a whole mood – a celebration in every bite!
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I adore homemade cinnamon rolls. I also adore pound cake (you may also already know this since I have a bunch of pound cake recipes on my blog). I grew up on this dessert more than anything else, so I knew cinnamon rolls and pound cake would make a great pair, and that’s how this cinnamon roll bundt cake was born!
This cinnamon pound cake recipe is also featured in my Grandbaby Cakes Cookbook, and it is to die for!
Why You’ll Love This Cinnamon Swirl Pound Cake
- Great Pairing! This cinnamon roll pound cake has three distinct components that work together flawlessly…a sour cream pound cake batter, cinnamon swirl, and the perfect cream cheese frosting!
- No Ordinary Cinnamon Pound Cake. It’s the cinnamon swirl that’s truly the fun and most delicious part of this cake! Seriously, see those little swirls and bits of cinnamony magic?? Don’t cha see the magic?
- The BEST Cinnamon Roll Bundt Cake Ever! It’s got all the flavors you want from a cinnamon roll but in a buttery, tender cake!
Ingredients to Make Cinnamon Roll Bundt Cake
Here’s a look at the highlights of what you will need to bake this cake. There are no real surprises since the cake utilizes basic baking ingredients. Be sure to check the recipe card for the full list and quantities of each.
- Sour Cream: The ingredient that really changes the texture and moistness of this cake is the sour cream. I love adding it to cake batters because of the flavor richness, and tanginess as well. Each bite is super tender and buttery with that hint of sour cream.
- Unsalted butter: Baking with unsalted butter is best. Salt varies by different brands of butter, so using unsalted butter allows you to better judge the saltiness of your baked goods.
- Granulated sugar: Adds sweetness and creates a tender crumb for the pound cake base.
- Eggs: Large eggs are best and let them sit out a bit to come up to room temperature before mixing.
- Cake flour: Contains slightly less protein than all-purpose flour and results in a much lighter cake. if you don’t have any you can also make cake flour at home with a few simple ingredients.
- Baking soda: Works great for helping the pound cake rise in the pan.
- Vegetable oil: Just a bit for added moisture and tenderness in the cake.
- Vanilla extract: Be sure to use pure vanilla extract.
- Cinnamon sugar swirl: It is a thick buttery and brown sugar based mixture that is hefty enough to stand up in the thick batter of the cake. It’s made with melted butter, cinnamon, brown sugar, vanilla extract and the addition of flour helps it retain its rightful and important place in this cake.
- Cream cheese glaze: A bit of cream cheese and powdered sugar, along with milk, butter, and vanilla extract, creates a thick yet pourable mixture that is very famous drizzled over cinnamon rolls.
Craving more cinnamon sugar flavor? Try this Cinnamon Roll Monkey Bread. It’s so much fun to pull apart and devour!
How to Make Cinnamon Roll Bundt Cake
Here’s a step-by-step guide for the main steps to follow when making this pound cake recipe. Be sure to check all the details in the recipe card before getting started.
Mixing the Cake Batter
- Beat the butter for one minute, and then slowly add the sugar and beat the mixture until it’s pale yellow and fluffy, about five minutes.
- Add the eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition and scraping down the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed.
- Slowly add the flour in two batches with the mixer on low speed. Mix in the salt and baking soda.
- Add the sour cream, oil, and vanilla extract. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl and mix the batter until just combined.
PRO TIP: Once you add the flour, be careful not to over-mix in the last few steps of mixing the cake batter.
Assembling the Cake
- Pour one-third of the batter into your prepared bundt pan. Drizzle half of the cinnamon swirl over the batter. Use a butter knife or skewer to swirl the mixture through the cake batter, creating a flourish pattern.
- Repeat with another third of the cake batter and cinnamon swirl. Then top with the remaining batter. Bake the cake until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out mostly clean.
Adding the Glaze
- Cool the cake to room temperature, and then pour the icing over the top.
Tips for Making the Best Cinnamon Roll Bundt Cake
To ensure that you create a perfect crumb and absolutely velvety texture for this cinnamon bun cake, here are a few baking tips.
- Use Room Temperature Ingredients. Always make sure your butter and ingredients, like your eggs and sour cream, are at room temperature. This makes mixing much easier and consistent.
- Don’t Rush the Creaming Period! We need to add additional air and lift to this cake so taking your time with mixing that butter and sugar at the beginning of your baking process will assist with this.
- Don’t Over Mix! Particularly when adding your dry ingredients. Cake flour is important for slowing down the gluten production as well, which we don’t want to overact.
- How to Make the Perfect Swirl. Use a skewer or cake knife to swirl the cinnamon sugar! Both works but if you have your kids involved, make sure to use a skewer for safety.
Popular Substitutions & Additions
- Add some pecans or walnuts to the cinnamon sugar mixture that runs through the cake.
- Can’t find cake flour. You don’t want to simply use all-purpose because you won’t get the same results. My suggestion is to use my easy recipe for cake flour and make your own.
- More cinnamon flavor! Add some cinnamon to the cream cheese glaze.
What to Serve with a Cinnamon Bun Cake
Yep this recipe definitely made me proud. It is perfect for breakfast, brunch or even after dinner. And its perfect for a work snack. I am rationalizing as I eat another slice and finish this post.
- I also love serving this cake for holidays. Especially for anything brunchy like an Easter or Mother’s Celebration, make this cake absolutely perfect. Serve it with other brunch favorites such as a fruit cake, breakfast board, cheese grits, and breakfast casserole!
- It’s perfect for Sunday Suppers! Especially after indulging in Dutch oven pot roast or Mississippi Pot Roast.
- Carry it along for a potluck or gathering since it travels great.
- It goes great with a scoop of cookie butter ice cream, homemade whipped cream, and some caramel sauce.
How to Store & Reheat Cinnamon Roll Bundt Cake
Because this cake has a cream cheese glaze poured over the entire cake, you must store in the refrigerator. If you want to store the cake at room temperature you can keep the glaze separate and store it in the fridge.
How long will cinnamon roll bundt cake last in the fridge?
The cake should stay at optimum freshness for about 3-4 days in the fridge.
Can I freeze cinnamon pound cake?
Yes, you can! Especially if you want to keep it longer than four days. I suggest freezing slices wrapped tight in plastic wrap to prevent any space for air to enter.
Frequently Asked Questions
There are several different methods you can use to make sure your cake doesn’t stick. But the one I highly recommend for this cake is the shortening and flour method especially since the sugar and cinnamon mixture can sometimes sink a little to the bottom. For this method you first lightly coat your bundt pan with shortening, making sure to get all the crevices, and then dust it with flour.
Cake flour contains a lower amount of protein than all-purpose flour. The more protein a flour has the more gluten it has the potential to form which affects the structure of baked goods. A flour with a lower protein content is what gives cakes their soft, fine, and tender crumb because it actually discourages the formation of gluten.
I hope you enjoy this Cinnamon Roll Pound Cake with its delightful fusion of two beloved treats – the timeless classic of sour cream pound cake and the comforting warmth of cinnamon rolls.
With its tender crumb and irresistible aroma, this dessert is perfect for cozy mornings and gatherings with your favorite people. The intricate cinnamon swirl throughout each delectable piece adds a touch of elegance and complexity, elevating the pound cake to new heights of flavor.
More Bundt Cake Recipes
- Blueberry Orange Bundt Cake
- Red Velvet Bundt Cake
- Bailey’s Chocolate Bundt Cake
- Kentucky Butter Cake Recipe
- Sock It to Me Cake
- Gingerbread Cake
*Did you make this recipe? Please give it a star rating and leave comments below!* Post a photo of how your version of the recipe came out on Instagram (using #grandbabycakes)!!
Cinnamon Roll Bundt Cake
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Equipment
Ingredients
For the Cake
- 1 ½ cup unsalted butter room temperature
- 2 ½ cups granulated sugar
- 6 large eggs room temperature
- 3 cups sifted cake flour
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp baking soda
- 1 cup sour cream room temperature
- 2 tbsp vegetable oil
- 1 tbsp vanilla extract
For the Cinnamon Swirl
- ⅓ cup unsalted butter melted (5 tbsp plus 1 tsp)
- ⅓ cup packed light brown sugar
- 1 tbsp all purpose flour
- 1 ½ tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
For the Icing
- 2 oz cream cheese room temperature
- 2 tbsp unsalted butter room temperature
- 1 ½ cup confectioner's sugar
- ¼ cup milk can be whole, 2% or even refrigerated coconut milk
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Instructions
For the Cake
- Preheat your oven to 325°F. Liberally prepare a 12-cup Bundt pan with the nonstick method of your choice. (I recommend the shortening and flour method to make sure this cake doesn’t stick as the swirl sugar mixture can sometimes sink a little to the bottom).
- In the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat the butter for 1 minute on high speed. Slowly add the granulated sugar. Cream together for an additional 5 minutes, until very pale yellow and fluffy. Add the eggs 1 at a time, combining well after each addition and scraping down the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed.
- Turn your mixer down to its lowest speed and slowly add the flour in 2 batches. Add the salt and baking soda. Be careful not to overbeat. Add the sour cream, oil, and vanilla extract. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl and mix the batter until just combined. Be careful not to overmix. Set the batter aside.
For the Cinnamon Swirl
- In a small bowl, whisk together all the ingredients until well combined. Set aside.
To Bake
- Pour ⅓ of the batter into the prepared pan.
- Drizzle ½ of the cinnamon swirl over the batter. Using a butter knife or skewer, swivel the mixture through the cake batter, creating a flourish pattern.
- Repeat with the next 1/3 of the cake batter and cinnamon swirl. Top with the remaining batter. Bake for 85 to 95 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out mostly clean.
- Let the cake cool in the pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes, then invert onto a serving plate. Let cool to room temperature. Lightly cover the cake with foil or plastic wrap so it does not dry out.
For the Icing
- Clean your stand mixer bowl and whisk attachment. Beat the cream cheese and butter for 2 minutes on medium-high speed.
- Reduce your mixer speed and carefully add the confectioners’ sugar in 2 batches, scraping down the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed. Once the sugar is fully incorporated, turn your mixer back up to medium-high speed. Add the milk and vanilla extract and beat until the icing is smooth and pourable.
- Drizzle the icing over the cooled pound cake. Serve at room temperature.
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Can I mix the batter without using a mixer but with a spatula itself?
I would not recommend this. You need the mixer. Do you have a hand mixer?
This cake was a HIT in my home. The kids and grands all told me I have to add The Cinnamon Roll Pound Cake to the rotation. I have tried many of your recipes and they all turn out absolutely fantastic and delicious!!! Thankyou ever so much!! Also I am a person that still loves to hold a book in my hands…please may I request you print your e-cookbooks in paper form.. I already have your first cake cookbook. It’d be nice to add to my collection.
This cake is so delicious – one I will make many more times. One question though – I first baked it with the recipe from your book. The recipe here has different amounts of brown sugar (book-2/3c) and baking soda (book-1/2tsp). Which quantities should I use?
This cake is amazing. So so good!!! Last year I made it for Christmas. We had other pies and cakes from a bakery and they were hardly eaten. This cake was gone.
Thank you so much!
Cake smells and taste good. I made this twice and the swirl is too thin. I used 1T flour the first time and 2T the second time and it was still thin. This calls for the cake not to be inflated. Did anyone else have this problem?
Can this recipe be cut in half? If so, in what type of pan, temperature and time?
I can’t wait to try it in a smaller version>
It would be the same temperature and I would start by cutting the baking time in half.
What happens if you don’t add the oil?
It takes away from the moistness in my opinion.
This looks amazing! I have always wanted to bake a pound cake as here in Scotland they are not common at all. Going to try this recipe for a family gathering at the weekend. We are not allowed to hug yet due to covid regulations but going to give my parents this pound cake instead. I’m sure they will love it, Thanks 🙂
The cinnamon swirl puts this moist pound cake over the top! I made a second cake not long after the first – it was that good!
This is an absolute best when it comes to roll pound cakes. That texture is absolutely perfect!
Such a gorgeous pound cake! I can see why it is so popular! That texture looks perfect and I love the cream cheese icing drizzled over the top. Yum!