When you want those ooey-gooey sweet rolls but need the convenience of a sheet cake recipe, this delicious hybrid Brown Sugar Cinnamon Roll Cake will deliver. To create this slice of heaven, we traded yeast for baking powder and packed the all-time favorite flavors of cinnamon rolls—warm cinnamon, caramelized sugar, and an irresistibly velvety glaze—into the ultimate sliceable sheet cake. Just when you think this recipe couldn’t get any better, crème fraîche and brown sugar take it up a notch. A snap to pull together and bursting with flavor, this is your new go-to treat.
We’ve simplified creating swirls of sticky, sweet cinnamon with this cinnamon roll cake, and to make it even easier, we use precut parchment from Kana. Each precut sheet perfectly fits into the bottom of a 13×9-inch pan, reducing waste and creating a nonstick surface to easily remove this beautiful cake from the pan. Kana parchment sheets are responsibly made from wood pulp sourced exclusively from sustainably managed forests in Finland and coated with a natural silicone, giving them a high-performance nonstick and greaseproof finish that offers a healthier way to bake. Not only are these sourced with sustainability in mind, but the sheets are also completely compostable and biodegradable. With an irresistible sheet cake recipe in hand, it’s an all-around win, so grab a sheet and preheat your oven!
Don’t miss our giveaway on Instagram with Kana! One lucky reader will receive a 3-piece cookware set, The Baker’s Essential Parchment Collection from Kana, and a set of Swedish dishcloths and trivets, all valued at approximately $334.
- ¾ cup (150 grams) granulated sugar
- ¾ cup (180 grams) crème fraîche, room temperature
- ¾ cup (180 grams) water, room temperature
- ½ cup (113 grams) unsalted butter, melted and cooled for 10 minutes
- 2 large eggs (100 grams), room temperature
- 1¼ cups (275 grams) firmly packed light brown sugar, divided
- 1 teaspoon (6 grams) vanilla bean paste
- 3 cups (375 grams) unbleached cake flour
- 3¾ teaspoons (18.75 grams) baking powder
- 1 teaspoon (2.25 grams) kosher salt, divided
- ½ cup (113 grams) unsalted butter, room temperature
- 2 tablespoons (12 grams) ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C). Spray a 13x9-inch baking pan with cooking spray. Line pan with parchment paper.
- In a large bowl, whisk together granulated sugar, crème fraîche, ¾ cup (180 grams) water, melted butter, eggs, ¼ cup (55 grams) brown sugar, and vanilla bean paste until well combined.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and ¾ teaspoon (2.25 grams) salt. Gradually whisk flour mixture into sugar mixture just until combined and no large flour pockets remain. (It’s OK if batter has some small lumps.) Reserve ⅓ cup (90 grams) batter. Spoon remaining batter into prepared pan; smooth into an even layer using a small offset spatula. Tap pan on a kitchen towel-lined counter a few times to settle batter and release any air bubbles.
- In a medium bowl, stir together room temperature butter, cinnamon, nutmeg, remaining 1 cup (220 grams) brown sugar, and remaining ¼ teaspoon salt until well combined; stir in reserved ⅓ cup (90 grams) batter until well combined. Drop butter mixture by tablespoonfuls (about 15 grams each) over batter, leaving ¼-inch border around edges; using a wooden pick, swirl into batter as desired.
- Bake until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean and an instant-read thermometer inserted in center registers at least 200°F (93°C), 28 to 35 minutes. Let cool in pan on a wire rack for 20 minutes. Using excess parchment as handles, carefully remove from pan. Spoon and spread Vanilla Bean Glaze onto warm cake as desired. Serve warm or at room temperature. (See Note.)
- 2¾ cups (330 grams) confectioners’ sugar
- 2 tablespoons (30 grams) crème fraîche
- 2 tablespoons (30 grams) water, room temperature
- 2 tablespoons (28 grams) unsalted butter, melted
- 1 teaspoon (6 grams) vanilla bean paste
- ⅛ teaspoon kosher salt
- In a medium bowl, stir together confectioners’ sugar, crème fraîche, 2 tablespoons (30 grams) water, melted butter, vanilla bean paste, and salt until smooth and well combined. Use immediately.
*Full giveaway details here.
What can I substitute for creme fraiche
Hi Rose!
Thanks for reaching out! Sour cream is a great substitute for créme fraîche.
This sounds so good! My family loves cinnamon rolls, but I don’t always have time to make them. This sounds like it would take less time. Also seems like a good item to take to Church for the early birds.
What can I substitute for vanilla bean paste
Hi Laverne!
Thanks for reaching out! You can substitute vanilla bean paste for the same amount of vanilla extract in any recipe. Happy baking!
I’m an avid baker, often making convoluted recipes with diy jam, frosting, simple syrup, etc. This may be one of my favorite recipes ever made, and my husband actually likes it more than the actual rolls! I used half the sugar and only a quarter of the frosting and it was perfect, still very sweet actually. Blended cakes do not change texture from 50% sugar reduction.
Loved this…but Stella never lets me down LOL. I used half the sugar in the batter, and 75% of the sugar in her whipped cream+cream cheese frosting recipe. I’d say at 50% in the batter, the dough is more muffin level sweet, but the texture is still great. The frosting could really use 100% of the sugar. I’d do the batter maybe at 70% sweetness next time. Also, I don’t like using aluminum containing baking powder, so I used 1/2 tsp baking soda and one teaspoon each of cornstarch and cream of tartar instead.