It’s happening!! I love sheet cakes! This Cinnabon cinnamon roll sheet cake is one of my newest obsessions. Plus, Cooked Vanilla Cream Cheese Frosting!
Sheet cakes are one of the greatest inventions (can you call recipes inventions?) of all time because you can feed a crowd with the exact same amount of work as any other dessert. #winning!!
How to Make a 9×13″ Cake into a Sheet Cake
This recipe was adapted from Life Love and Sugar’s Cinnamon Roll Snack Cake because I needed to take sheet cakes to a function and wasn’t wanting to make a cinnamon roll sheet cake that uses a cake mix. I have nothing against it, but I wanted a Cinnabon cinnamon roll sheet cake from scratch.
Suddenly I was stuck with the dilemma, how to make a 9×12″ cake into a sheet cake. For one who hates math it’s really quite amazing that I figured out that I could not merely double it as a sheet pan has a low lip compared to a cake pan, so I knew I’d had overflow.
I did a quick google search and found our that in order to make a cake in a sheet pan you needed to make 1.5 times the recipe instead of doubling it.
It turned out perfect!!
Cinnabon Cinnamon Roll Sheet Cake
A cinnamon roll sheet cake is soft and fluffy, a hint of buttery and then the most delicious cinnamon swirls all over inside.
When you are swirling in the cinnamon mixture it can be easy to keep swirling but remember that the cinnamon is getting swirled, you just can’t see it as well since it sinks a little, but baking will bring it right up again.
If you swirl too much you mix it all together and the cake won’t bake up correctly, and more importantly, you could end up with big gaps in the cake batter. No Cinnabon Cinnamon Roll Sheet Cake should have big holes in it, though it will be sunk in a little where the swirls are, that’s normal.
Cooked Vanilla Cream Cheese Frosting
We took the cooked vanilla frosting to a whole new level by turning it into a cooked vanilla cream cheese frosting. It’s the best of both worlds as the glazed cinnamon roll lovers get their thinner frosting while the cream cheese frosting lovers still get all of that delicious flavor.
Cinnabon Cinnamon Rolls
You know what it tastes like? Cinnabon. It tastes like cinnabon cinnamon rolls, but instead it’s a cinnabon cinnamon roll sheet cake and Cinnabon frosting but as a glaze. Man, it’s good!
More CAKE RECIPES You Have to Try:
- Apple Cake with Caramel Frosting
- Chocolate Sheet Cake
- Better Than Anything Cake
- Carrot Cake
- Banana Cake
- Strawberries and Cream Jello Cake
- Banana Pudding Cake Recipe
- Lemon Poppy Seed Cake
- Pumpkin Cinnamon Roll Sheet Cake
- Gingerbread Cake
- Double Chocolate Zucchini Cake
- Lemon Jello Cake
- All our Cake Recipes here!
Cinnabon Cinnamon Roll Sheet Cake
Cinnabon Cinnamon Roll Sheet Cake
Description
Ingredients
Filling
- 1 1/2 cup brown sugar, loosely packed
- 6-7 Tablespoons ground cinnamon
- 15 Tablespoons butter, melted
Cake
- 1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1 1/2 cup sugar
- 1/2 cup sour cream, plus 1 tablespoon
- 3/4 cup milk
- 3 large eggs
- 3 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 3 teaspoon baking powder
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
Icing
- 4 1/2 Tablespoon salted butter
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 1 cup heavy whipping cream, plus 2 tablespoons
- 1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 4 1/2 teaspoon corn syrup
- 4 ounces cream cheese
- 2-3 cup powdered sugar, sifted
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 grease a cookie sheet (13x18 in half size baking sheet).
- To make the cinnamon filling, combine the brown sugar and cinnamon in a medium sized bowl.
- Add the melted butter and mix until combined. Set aside.
- To make the cake batter, combine the sugar and butter to a large mixer bowl and beat on medium speed until light in color and fluffy, 3-4 minutes. Make sure you beat it in order to give the right texture
- Add the sour cream and mix until well incorporated.
- Add the milk and mix until well incorporated.
- Add the eggs and vanilla extract and mix until smooth.
- Combine the dry ingredients in a separate bowl.
- Add the dry ingredients to the batter and mix until smooth.
- Pour the batter into the prepared pan and spread into an even layer.
- Drizzle the cinnamon sugar mixture over the top of the cake. It will cover most of the top of the cake.
- 12. Use a toothpick to swirl the cinnamon mixture around. the swirls will be hard to see
- Bake the cake for 22-24 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted comes out with a few crumbs, then remove from the oven to cool.
Icing
- To make the icing, combine all the icing ingredients except for the powdered sugar and cream cheese in a small sauce pan.
- Heat on low heat until the sugar is melted, then turn heat to medium to bring to a boil.
- Boil for 3 minutes, stirring occasionally, then remove from heat and immediately pour into a heat-proof glass bowl.
- Using a hand mixer, beat in the cream cheese and the powdered sugar and allow to cool slightly and thicken.
- Pour the icing evenly over the cake.
- Serve warm.
Notes
Nutrition
Recommended Products
Classic Chocolate Sheet Cake
Mom’s classic chocolate sheet cake with cooked chocolate frosting!
Carol Harrell
Sadly, this took too much time…too much butter and other ingredients that didn’t seem necessary; too much icing leftover; had a spill and big mess in my oven due to over spill; took much longer to bake; very disappointed; Would recommend emphasizing the size of sheet cake and maybe a pan underneath the sheet…would have prevented a lot of mess to deal with; taste was not up to par due to issues…
Carol Harrell
Sadly, this took too much time…too much butter and other ingredients that didn’t seem necessary; had a spill and big mess in my oven due to over spill; took much longer to bake; very disappointed; Would recommend emphasizing the size of sheet cake and maybe a pan underneath the sheet…would have prevented a lot of mess to deal with; taste was not up to par due to issues…
Sweet Basil
Hi Carol! I’m so sorry for your frustration. I’ve added a note in the recipe card about the size of the baking sheet that should be used.
Karen
My cake is still liquid in the center after 25 minutes..
Sweet Basil
That’s fine! Just keep baking until the center is set. Some ovens take longer than others!
Kathryn
Can this be made & baked a day ahead.
Sweet Basil
Absolutely! Just keep it covered and in the fridge and then let it come room temp before serving. Enjoy!
Angela Culpepper
Pan size isn’t specified. What size???
Sweet Basil
Hi Angela! You’ll want to do a half sheet size pan – 18x13in.
Jane
If I could give this more stars, I would. Delicious! Thank you, thank you!
Sweet Basil
Thank you so much Jane! Love to hear this!
Mary Taylor
I just made this and of course had to take a taste and it is yummy
Sweet Basil
Yeah!! Thank you for the feedback!
Tasha
I was looking for a different icing for my Cinnamon Rolls. Oh My Goodness it was sooo good on my cinnamon rolls. Thank you so much for sharing!
Sweet Basil
Ohhhh… I love that idea!! Thanks for the feedback Tasha!!
Carina
I made this for work, and it was a huge hit! Every slice was gone. Delicious recipe!
Sweet Basil
Yay! Love to hear that! Thank you so much for taking time to leave a comment!
Kris
Hello! Is this recipe 1 recipe or the 1.5 that fits in the pan?
Sweet Basil
Hi Kris! One recipe fits in a standard cookie sheet.
Mary
this sounds delicious. I am wondering what size is your cookie sheet? Also do you freeze it with or without the icing? thank You
Sweet Basil
Hi Mary! It is a half baking sheet which is 18×13 inches. I always freeze without the icing.
Rachel
This is a wonderful recipe! I was wondering if you had any suggestions on how you could prep this ahead of time? Could you make the batter and store it in the fridge overnight? or would it be better to just make it all in advance?
Thank you!
Sweet Basil
Hi Rachel! You could make it in advance either way. Make the batter and then store it in the fridge and bake the next day. Or you could bake it and let it cool completely and then cover it and then frost it before serving. Great question! Enjoy!
S
I have a question, pls. I made this on Saturday. Batter tasted great, all seemed to come together, looked great, etc., but when I went to slice it I discovered all of the cinnamon filling had gone to the bottom and stuck to the pan ( which I did coat well w/ spray) I couldn’t cut the cake with out it falling apart. Where did I go wrong please? Thank you!
Sweet Basil
Hello! It sounds like you swirled the cinnamon filling too deep. The toothpick or knife shouldn’t touch the bottom of the pan and the mixture should be dotted all over because if too much is in one area it is too heavy and will sink. Does that make sense? I hope this helps!!
Nicole
I’m wondering if you bring your eggs and milk to room temperature before incorporating? I didn’t because the recipe doesn’t specify, and my batter curdled pretty badly. Still waiting for it to cool to see how much that changed the outcome.
Sweet Basil
Hey Nicole! I don’t usually bring them to room temperature, but it definitely wouldn’t hurt to do that. How did the cake turn out? It shouldn’t have curdled at all, but if your eggs were super cold, then it should have caused the separation. I hope it turned out ok!
pam smith
Love these . All of the directions are easy to follow.
Sweet Basil
Thank Pam!
Sandra Grimmett
I used a cookie sheet pan, 15 ½ by 10 ½ inches, that proved to be too small and had about 1/2 cup over-flow into the oven. This recipe takes too long to make.
Altho it may turn our delicious, I will not make again.
Ginny Lamb
What size is the sheet pan you use?
Sweet Basil
Hi Ginny! A half size sheet pan…18in x 13in.
christalmclean
The Cinnabon Sheet Cake is delicious! It was devoured and not a scrap leftover. My family loved it and wants it again asap. Thank you!
Sweet Basil
That is exactly what happens every time I make it! Thanks for leaving a comment! So glad it was a hit!
Diana Smith
I need to convert this recipe for a full size sheet pan …16×24. Can you help with this? Thanks.
Sweet Basil
Hi Diana! Yes, just one and a half the recipe and it will be perfect!
Diana Smith
Thank you and the church thanks you!
Sweet Basil
Hooray!!
Judy M Register
What size sheet pan do you make this in ?
Sweet Basil
Hi Judy! This works best in your standard cookie sheet pan – 12 x 16 in
Paula
I made this recipe yesterday for our Sunday breakfast….we liked the texture of the cake which is light and tender but it was too sweet and could have cut back on the amount of cinnamon If I was to make this recipe again I would cut way back on the sugar and butter.
There is a total of 3 and 3/4 cups of sugar in this one recipe. It is a very sweet cake!!!!
For the cinnamon filling I would suggest to cut the brown sugar to 1 cup and cut the cinnamon back to 4 tablespoons….it was too strong with 6-7 Tablespoons of cinnamon. I love cinnamon and always add extra to my cakes and cookies. I stead of using the amount of butter written use one stick of butter….this cake is sweet and too buttery….
I cut back on the sugar also in the cake ingredients.
For the icing….I had way to much and it was too runny….it isn’t necessary to add the corn syrup …it won’t affect the flavor of the icing and I would cut back on the butter and the amount of milk.. and powdered sugar. I did like the idea of the cake baked in the cookie sheet as it wasn’t as thick like it is in a 9x 13 cake pan.
Sweet Basil
Hi Paula! It is a very sweet cake. If you try it again with your alterations, take a picture and send it our way! We would love to hear how it goes!
Vicki
I just tried this cake and we loved it! I did follow the suggestion of another baker and halved the recipe for the cinnamon filling . I put it in a zip lock, cut a small hole and used this to control the filling while putting it on top of the cake batter. Worked great, no big puddles and no over spillage! I also halved the frosting recipe and it was plenty. I will make this again, great moist texture and nice crumb! Thank you!
Sweet Basil
Hi Vicki! Thank you for leaving a comment, and so glad you enjoyed it!
Judy
Where is the recipe for the 9×13 inchc pan for the Cinnabon Cinnamon roll cake? I’ve searched your post on the cinnabon cinnamon roll cake recipe but I can’t find it. I read all your comments and one comment said they found it on your post. PLEASE emsil me and let me know where to look. The cake looks DIVINE. Thanks.
Sweet Basil
Here you go! https://www.lifeloveandsugar.com/2017/07/10/cinnamon-roll-snack-cake/
David Siegler
This is the 2ND time I have tried this. Now I have the right size baking sheet. I still have puddles if the cinnamon mixture on top of the cake. Any idea why?
Thanks,
David
David Siegler
Actually, the top is OK. Bigger challenge is the smoke from the drippings while baking. Recommend covering the bottom of the over before baking.
Sweet Basil
This is a great tip!
Sweet Basil
My guess is that you are under-swirling the cinnamon filling. There’s a delicate between over-swirled and under-swirled. I need to take a picture of what it looks like perfectly swirled and include it in this post!
Sue Hayhurst
The recipe calls for 3/4 Milk. 3/4 of what measurement? The cake looks delicious! Thank you.
Sweet Basil
Hi Sue, Not sure what happened there but it’s 3/4 cup
Susan
Made this today, 2 batches for church. The cake part turned out really good! Next time I will use HALF of the filling mixture as I think it was too much with the entire batch. I also made a simple cream cheese glaze instead of the extra sweetened frosting this recipe used. 23 minutes in the oven was just enough time for me. Can’t wait to make it again! Will mix up the recipe and make the cake, then serve with fresh fruit and whip cream. Again, the cake was really good!
Sweet Basil
Ahhhh I bet that glaze was wonderful and the fresh fruit idea is genius!
Donna Peters
I made this for my husband’s birthday and the flavors are spot on, but I misunderstood about the size of the pan. I baked it in a 9 x13 cake pan which I have always called a sheet pan. I ended up with a soupy mess. I used 3 cups of xx sugar in the icing but it was still thin.The cake itself looked OK before I poured it on. It seemed like way too much icing. Maybe I swirled too much also ? I think that since it was in the smaller pan that I could have baked it longer although the toothpick came out clean after I baked it an extra 10 minutes.
Sweet Basil
Over swirling is something I’ve done as well and it can cause issues. This isn’t a very thick icing so you probably had it right.
Melanie Robinson
Hi.
Question… 15 tablespoons of butter in the filling? 😳. Is it 1.5 or 15?
Thanks!
Sweet Basil
It’s 15, which was easier than saying 1 cup minus 1 tablespoon 🙂
Lorri Stringer
Love your recipes, wondering if you have ever considered using weigh measurements along with cups? I have found it much easier to duplicate a recipe that way!
Sweet Basil
Hi Lorri, we haven’t but maybe in the future.
Deb
We made this over the weekend but I wish I would have read your whole post instead of skipping straight to the recipe (sorry…ack!).
I was just making it for the family and it was a MASSIVE amount of cake! It was really tasty so I thought I might halve it (and possibly quarter the amount of icing and cinnamon filling) next time. But now that I actually READ I see there is already a recipe for a 13×9 pan. I’m such a dummy! Great recipe though!
Sweet Basil
Glad you enjoyed it!
Juli
The icing instructions say mix all except powdered sugar, but should also say cream cheese (I think)
Sweet Basil
Juli,
Thank you so much for catching that, I’ve corrected it!
Natasha
Can corn syrup be subsituted with something else? Thank you!
Sweet Basil
You can skip it if you need to.
Stephanie
Want to make this but want to half the recipe. What sized pan would you recommend?
Sweet Basil
I would move it to a 9×13 cake pan! Baking time shouldn’t change much if at all.
Abby
For the icing is it two to three cups of powdered sugar or 2/3 of a cup? Thanks!
Sweet Basil
It’s 2 to 3 cups of powdered sugar depending on it you want it to be more of a glaze or a thicker icing.
Kris
This sounds wonderful! However when you say use a cookie sheet, what size are you referring to?
Sweet Basil
A 12×18 jelly roll