Cinnamon Roll Cake Recipe (2024)

FAQs

Should cinnamon rolls be baked close together? ›

Place the sliced rolls on a baking sheet or in a 9" by 13" pan, being sure to leave 1" to 2" of space between each of the shaped rolls. (Otherwise, the rolls will form together as they bake and you'll lose the distinct design.)

Leave space enough between them that there's still space after they rise. If you're making them by hand, don't roll them so they're huge. Bake multiple pans separately, unless they fit side by side on your oven rack. If you're fortunate to have a convection oven, this is a great time to learn to use it.

How do you make cinnamon rolls soft again? Make cinnamon rolls soft again by adding a little bit of moisture back into them while reheating. You can do this by adding a pat of butter to the top of each roll and covering them with a damp paper towel while reheating in the microwave for about 20 seconds.

If you like, you can assemble the rolls (don't bake them), place them in a baking dish or baking sheet, cover them with plastic wrap and place them in the fridge overnight. In the morning, let them come to room temp (about 1 hour) and then bake them.

Don't Overmix the Dough

When making cinnamon rolls, mix the dough just until the ingredients are incorporated and the dough is smooth and soft. Overmixed dough leads to tough cinnamon rolls. The dough is ready when it pulls away from the sides of the mixing bowl and feels tacky but doesn't stick to your fingers.

ONLY add as much flour as needed to handle the dough. It's better for the dough to be sticky at the start than to add too much flour and wind up with dense rolls, instead of light and fluffy ones.

Place the cinnamon rolls into your prepared pan, with little room between each roll and ½ inch from the edge of the pan. Lightly press down on each roll so that the edges of each roll barely touch each other, and improve their round form if needed.

We found that a 9-inch metal round or square pan works best with this recipe so dough has enough room to expand while baking.

If you let your cinnamon rolls rise for too long you can over-proof them. This can lead to dense rolls or rolls that collapse after baking.

Should I bake cinnamon rolls on the top or bottom rack? ›

One-third cup of cream will look like a lot at first, but it'll quickly seep to the bottom of the pan. Bake the rolls on the upper rack for 25 minutes, until they feel set; they'll still look quite pale, with perhaps just a touch of brown around the edges.

The trick with cinnamon rolls is not to rush the rising process. If your cinnamon rolls are coming out of the oven dry and dense, the rolls are telling you that you didn't adequately rest the dough before baking. During the first rise, your dough should at least double in size.

There are a lot of variables that go into the consistency of dough, even down to the weather and humidity. But the most common reason cinnamon rolls don't turn out fluffy is because the dough didn't have enough time to rise.

Your cinnamon roll dough should be tacky to the touch, but not too sticky so that it's messy. If you add too little flour, the dough will be gluey and eventually result in dense rolls. If you add too much flour, the dough will be tough, resulting in dry rolls.

Generously grease your baking pan (a cake pan, baking sheet or cast-iron pan will do). When you are ready to pan up your cinnamon rolls, remove all wrapping and use a sharp knife to slice into 8 one-inch portions. Place the rolls into the baking pan about 1 inch apart.

Leave some space between the cinnamon rolls so they can expand while they bake. If you crowd the pan too much, they won't bake as well. Be sure to cover with foil. This allows the cinnamon rolls to soak up the cream better without drying out on top or burning before they have a chance to cook all the way through.

Place the formed cinnamon rolls on a baking sheet 1-2 inches apart to ensure an even, full rise.

Evenly baked cinnamon rolls: These are extra big and fluffy cinnamon rolls, so to help guarantee the centers AND tops cook evenly, tent a piece of aluminum foil over the rolls after about 15 minutes in the oven. This will protect the tops from browning too quickly before the centers can cook.