Cinnamon Roll Cake with White Chocolate (GF)

This Cinnamon Roll Cake with White Chocolate is a true delight. The aromas coming out of the oven when it is baking will have your mouth watering and it will be hard to wait for it to cool before diving in for bite after bite!

As I was baking the cake, I couldn’t help but be reminded of how my grandmother used to make cinnamon twists for us for breakfast. They were heavenly and I always wanted more. The aromas of this cake remind me of her amazing treats.

This cake has all the flavors of those cinnamon twists without having to make the yeast dough, wait for it to rise, and then bake them off. It was torture – of the best kind! You can have this ready in about an hour and everyone will marvel at your baking skills!

It is a surprisingly easy cake to make. Not a lot of complicated steps and three components – the cake, topping, and glaze. This would be a great recipe to make with your little ones. They will get a kick out of spreading the batter in the pan, scooping the topping and covering the batter (be sure to leave a 1/4-inch [6.4mm] border on all sides), swirling the topping into the batter, and then watching the cake rise as it bakes. Magic happens in the oven!

I used two spoons to place small clumps of the topping over the surface of the batter. It was the easiest and quickest way to get the job done. And then used a mini offset spatula to swirl the topping into the batter.

When you swirl the topping into the batter, don’t go too deep. You want to keep the integrity of the bottom of the cake. No matter what you do, the swirls will be delicious!

Cake batter with dollops of cinnamon topping – ready for the oven!

This is a delicate cake when warm, so for the cleanest cuts wait until it is cooled to room temperature. Then use the parchment sling to lift the cake out of the baking pan and set on a cutting board. This makes it easier to cut even, beautiful pieces for everyone.

You have a choice of when to add the glaze. You can drizzle it on when the cake is whole or cut into individual pieces and add the glaze after. If you like the look of the glaze dripping down the sides of the individual pieces, add it after you’ve cut the cake.

Also, because of the melted butter, the glaze tends to set up a bit. If it sits a while, just whisk until smooth again. The sour cream helps balance the sweetness for a lovely finish to the cake.

This reminds me of a coffee cake with its cinnamon flavoring. The only thing missing is a crunchy streusel top. A lovely way to begin any day and delicious enough to use for special occasions. I would love to serve this for brunch – what a great way to celebrate!

Who wants the first bite?

Give this Cinnamon Roll Cake with White Chocolate a try and you’ll be delighted. Loaded with cinnamon that will instantly take you back to your sweetest childhood memories of the most delicious baked goods!

If you try this recipe, let me know! Please leave a star rating in the recipe card, comment below, and don’t forget to snap a pic and tag it @theheritagecook on Instagram! Seeing your creations makes my day and I love hearing from you!

Ingredients needed for Cinnamon Roll Cake with White Chocolate:

• Cake: flour, sugar, baking powder, xanthan gum (if needed), salt, cinnamon, milk, eggs, vanilla, melted butter
• Topping: butter, brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt, white chocolate chips
• Vanilla Glaze: confectioners’ sugar, sour cream, water, butter, vanilla, salt

PRO Tip:

When a recipe calls for a lot of spices, in this case tablespoons of cinnamon, having an oval-shaped measuring spoon allows you to get just what you need straight from the jar! I’ve included a link to my favorite magnetic spoon set that is round on one end and oval on the other – which fits perfectly in the spice jar!

PRO Tip:

If you want to be sure the cake is fully done, you can use a toothpick or an instant read thermometer. The cake should register at least 200°F (93°C).

How to make Cinnamon Roll Cake with White Chocolate:

1. The Cake: Line a baking pan with a parchment sling. Mix together the dry ingredients in a bowl. Add the milk, eggs, and vanilla, beating until smooth. Pour the butter in slowly while mixing the batter until fully incorporated. Pour into the parchment-lined baking pan.
2. The Topping: Mix all the topping ingredients except the white chocolate chips. Stir in the white chocolate. Drop small dollops of the topping onto the cake batter. Gently swirl the topping into the batter. Bake until done, remove from the oven and set on a wire rack to cool.
3. The Glaze: Beat all the ingredients together until smooth and glossy. You can drizzle the glaze over the cake now or wait until cool and cut into squares then glaze. Or pour some of the glaze over the top of the cake, let cool fully, cut squares and pour some more of the glaze over each square. No matter how you choose to use the glaze, this is a delicious dessert!

PRO Tip:

If you want to cut back on the sweetness you can leave off the glaze. But with the sour cream in it, it is quite balanced and not too sweet.

PRO Tip:

The topping is fairly heavy and will tend to drop through the batter. If you are baking with gluten-free flour, it will likely wind up on the bottom. Regular wheat flour has gluten which will help hold it more suspended. Both are delicious!

Recommended Tools (affiliate links; no extra cost to you):

• Kitchen scale
• Magnetic measuring spoons
• 9×13-inch (23x33cm) baking pan
• Parchment paper
• Stand mixer or hand mixer
• Mini offset spatula
• Instant read thermometer
• Long, sharp knife
• Piping bag, resealable plastic bag, or two spoons

Gluten-Free Tips:

* You can adjust any baking recipe to gluten-free by using 120 grams per cup of my favorite gluten-free flour blend. If you are using another brand of flour or regular flour, whisk it, spoon it lightly into a measuring cup until mounded, level off the top with a knife, and weigh the flour left in the cup. Use that weight as your standard per cup of that specific flour. Do this for each flour blend you use. Commercial gluten-free blends such as Pamela’s All-Purpose Artisan Blend, Bob’s Red Mill 1-to-1, or King Arthur Measure for Measure are all good gluten-free choices.

** My preferred brand of kosher salt is from Diamond Crystal. If you use Morton’s, another brand, or table salt, you will not need as much because they are saltier.

You will get the best and most consistent results by using a digital kitchen scale and weighing your ingredients, especially when you are baking. And use grams, they are much more accurate than pounds and ounces.

All recommended ingredients are gluten-free as of the writing of this article. Always check to be sure the products haven’t changed and are still safe to consume.

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Yield: about 10 servings

Cinnamon Roll Cake with White Chocolate (GF)

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This Cinnamon Roll Cake with White Chocolate is easy to make and packs a huge punch of cinnamon flavor. It is like your favorite cinnamon buns, just in cake form. The final glaze is the proverbial icing on the cake, the perfect way to finish each bite!

Prep Time 20 minutes

Cook Time 30 minutes

Additional Time 15 minutes

Total Time 1 hour 5 minutes

Ingredients

Cake

• 1/2 cup (1 stick; 113g) butter, melted
• 3 cups (360g*) gluten-free all-purpose flour* or regular flour such as Gold Medal brand
• 1 cup (198g) granulated sugar
• 4 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp xanthan gum (if your GF blend doesn’t already contain it)
• 1/4 tsp kosher salt**
• 1/4 tsp cinnamon
• 1-1/2 cups (340g) milk
• 2 large eggs
• 2 tsp vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste

Topping

• 1/2 cup (113g) butter, softened
• 1 cup (213g) firmly packed brown sugar
• 2 tbsp cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp ground cardamom or nutmeg
• Pinch kosher salt**
• 1/2 cup (85g) white chocolate chips

Vanilla Glaze

• 2-3/4 cups (330g) confectioners’ sugar
• 2 tbsp sour cream
• 2 tbsp water, at room temperature
• 2 tbsp unsalted butter, melted
• 1 tsp vanilla bean paste or vanilla extract
• 1/8 tsp kosher salt**

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C). Butter a 9x13-inch (23x33cm) baking pan and line with parchment paper leaving two opposite ends hanging over the edges of the pan. This sling will help you lift the cake out of the pan later.

2. Make the Cake Batter: Melt the butter in a microwave-safe measuring cup and set aside. In the bowl of your stand mixer or a large bowl if using a hand mixer, combine the dry ingredients (flour, sugar, baking powder, xanthan gum (if using), salt, and cinnamon) and whisk by hand until blended. Add the milk, eggs, and vanilla, beating until smooth. Scrape the bowl and beater well. Add the melted butter last, with the mixer on low, pour it in slowly and mix until fully incorporated. Scrape the bowl and beater again and then pour the batter into your prepared pan, making sure all of the batter is in the baking pan.

3. Prepare the Topping: In the same bowl, mix all of the topping ingredients except the white chocolate, beating until well blended and clumpy. Stir in the white chocolate chips. Using two spoons, drop small dollops of the mixture over the batter, leaving a 1/4-inch (6.4mm) border around the edges. Be sure to scatter the white chocolate fairly evenly over the top. Use a mini offset spatula or butter knife to lightly swirl it into the top of the batter.

4. Bake in the hot oven for 28 to 32 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, the top is golden brown, and an instant read thermometer in the center registers at least 200°F (93°C). The cake will pull away from the edges of the pan too – another way to tell when it is ready to come out of the oven!

5. When the cake is done, remove from the oven and set the pan on a wire rack to cool for 20 to 40 minutes (warm cake is very soft and tender; for cleaner slices, let the cake cool fully to room temperature before slicing).

6. Make the Vanilla Glaze: While the cake is cooling, in a medium bowl, stir together the confectioners’ sugar, sour cream, water, melted butter, vanilla bean paste, and salt until smooth and well combined. You can either use a piping bag with or without a tip, just snip a small piece off the point. Likewise, you can use a resealable plastic bag pressing the glaze into one corner and snip off a small piece of the corner to drizzle the glaze. And of course you can use a spoon and drizzle it on that way. Anything works.

7. Using the parchment sling, lift the cake out of the pan and set on a cutting board. Drizzle with the glaze either before or after you cut it into squares, sprinkle the top with a little more cinnamon if you like and serve.

Recipe found at www.theheritagecook.com

Notes

* You can adjust any recipe to gluten-free by using 120 grams per cup of my favorite gluten-free flour blend. If you are using another brand of gluten-free flour, whisk the mix, spoon it lightly into a measuring cup without a spout until mounded, level off the top with the back of a knife, and weigh the flour left in the cup. Use that weight as your standard per cup of that specific flour. Do this for each flour blend you use. Commercial blends such as Pamela's, Bob's Red Mill 1-to-1, or King Arthur Measure for Measure are all good gluten-free choices.

** My preferred brand of kosher salt is from Diamond Crystal. If you use Morton’s, another brand, or table salt you will not need as much because they are saltier.

You will get the best and most consistent results by using a digital kitchen scale and weighing your ingredients, especially when you are baking. And use grams, they are much more accurate than pounds and ounces.

All recommended ingredients are gluten-free as of the writing of this article. Always check to be sure the products haven’t changed and are still safe to consume.


Adapted from Just Cook Well and Bake from Scratch

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

10

Serving Size:

1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 768Total Fat: 29gSaturated Fat: 17gUnsaturated Fat: 11gCholesterol: 102mgSodium: 520mgCarbohydrates: 119gFiber: 4gSugar: 57gProtein: 10g

The nutritional information for recipes on this site is calculated by online tools and is merely an estimate. If you need nutritional calculations for medical reasons, please use a source that you trust.

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