This Cinnamon Roll Bundt Cake is covered in rich cream cheese frosting and has a cinnamon swirl inside!
I’m always trying to make up new excuses to eat cake for breakfast. This Cinnamon Roll Bundt Cake is one of the best excuses I can think of. It has a moist pound cake-like crumb with two batters layered to create a cinnamon swirl inside. My favorite cinnamon roll topping is fluffy cream cheese frosting. So I used it as a cake topping, along with some crunchy toasted pecans.
I developed this recipe two years ago, and tested it several times. Then I tested it on family members at a Christmas party with rave reviews. After that – and for some unknown reason – I folded the sheet of recipe notes and used it as a bookmark for a book I was reading! I don’t know what was wrong with me, aside from being unorganized. But, there it stayed until recently, when I reopened that book. I’m so happy to have found it, so I can finally share it here!
As I mentioned earlier, this cake has a tight but moist crumb, much like pound cake. It’s really great with a cup of strong coffee. I think I may add this to my Mother’s Day brunch menu this year!
Start with Reverse Creaming
You may remember the reverse creaming technique from my previous Costco Copycat Sheet Cake recipe. First, you’ll add all the dry ingredients to the bowl of an electric mixer and whisk them together. Then you’ll add room temperature butter and beat it in the dry mixture until it has the texture of fine cornmeal. Reverse creaming works especially well for bundt cakes, because the batter doesn’t dome as it bakes. So there’s nothing to trim away or level.
Mix in the wet ingredients, which includes eggs, milk, vanilla, and a little sour cream, to create a fluffy batter.
Make the Cinnamon Swirl Batter
Remove 2 1/2 cups of the cake batter to a medium bowl. Add in some brown sugar, ground cinnamon, all-purpose flour, and milk. Fold the ingredients together with a rubber spatula. Or use a hand mixer to combine everything well (as seen in the video). I’ve used both methods and both yield similar results.
Layer the Batters.
Begin by adding a little less than 1/3 of the plain cake batter a greased bundt pan. (12 cup capacity, I used a Nordic Ware pan.) Spread evenly using a rubber spatula. Top with half of the cinnamon batter and spread as evenly as possible (the video may help you with visuals here). Next, add another 1/3 of the plain batter and spread evenly, followed by the rest of the cinnamon batter. Last, add the remaining plain batter and smooth the top. That’s a lot of layering! But well worth the effort.
Bake the Bundt
Place the pan in a preheated 350°F oven and bake for about 55 minutes. As the cake bakes, the batter closest to the bundt pan’s walls will cook first, creating a swirl inside. When the cake tests done with a toothpick tester, take it out of the oven and let it cool 5 minutes in the pan.
Turn out on a wire rack. Then cool the cake completely before covering it in that luscious cream cheese frosting.
Make the Cream Cheese Frosting
I’ll say it again – cinnamon rolls with cream cheese frosting is my favorite! So of course, the same frosting was destined for this cake. This isn’t a glaze – it’s thick and fluffy. So swirl it on top of the cake with the back of a spoon.
Chopped pecans provide delicious crunch to this cake. Sprinkle on about 1/2 cup. And definitely toast them beforehand! Just 5-7 minutes in a preheated 350°F oven will do it.
This cake is so fun to slice – even more fun to eat! It keeps well in the refrigerator, but bring it to room temperature before enjoying it for the best flavor and texture.
Related Recipe: My Mom’s Cinnamon Rolls
Cinnamon Roll Bundt Cake Recipe
Cake batter
- 3 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 1/3 cup granulated sugar
- 2/3 cup light brown sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon fine grain salt
- 1 cup unsalted butter softened
- 4 large eggs
- 2 tablespoons vanilla extract
- 2/3 cup whole milk
- 1/2 cup sour cream
Cinnamon swirl batter
- 2/3 cup light brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons ground cinnamon
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 3 tablespoons whole milk
Cream cheese frosting
- 1/4 cup unsalted butter
- 4 oz. cream cheese at room temperature
- 1 cup confectioners’ sugar
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup chopped pecans toasted
Cake batter
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Preheat oven to 350°F. Coat a fluted 12 cup bundt pan with flour-based baking spray, or grease and flour well.
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In the bowl of an electric stand mixer, whisk together flour, sugars, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt together.
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Add the room temperature butter to the dry flour mixture. Beat on medium-low speed with the paddle attachment until the mixture is dry and crumbly, and has the appearance of cornmeal, 5-7 minutes. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients.
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In a separate bowl, combine the eggs, vanilla extract, and milk. Lightly whisk, and then pour into the well of the dry ingredients. Add the sour cream. Beat the batter until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl and beat again briefly to make sure all the ingredients are incorporated.
Cinnamon swirl batter
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Remove 2 1/2 cups of the cake batter to a medium mixing bowl. Add the brown sugar, cinnamon, flour, and milk. Beat together with a hand mixer or mix together well with a rubber spatula.
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Spoon in a little less than 1/3 of the plain batter into the prepared bundt pan. Spread evenly. Add in half of the cinnamon swirl batter and spread evenly. Layer in half of the remaining plain batter and spread evenly. Next, layer in the remaining half of the cinnamon swirl batter; spread evenly. Finally, top with the remaining plain batter and spread evenly.
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Transfer the pan to the oven and bake for about 50-55 minutes, or until a toothpick tester comes out clean.
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Cool the cake in the pan for 5 minutes, and then turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely.
Cream cheese frosting
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In the bowl of an electric mixer, combine the butter and cream cheese. Beat until well combined. Add the confectioners’ sugar and beat until just combined. Pour in heavy cream as you mix on low speed, then beat on high speed until billowy and fluffy. Beat in the vanilla extract.
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Spread the frosting evenly over the top and 3/4 down the sides of the cake. Sprinkle with toasted pecans.
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Slice to reveal the cinnamon swirl. This cake keeps well in the refrigerator, but bring it to room temperature before enjoying it for the best flavor and texture.
I use and recommend flour-based baking spray for bundt pans, such as Baker’s Joy. It’s quick and easy, and removes the messy step of flouring the pan.