Gluten Free Cinnamon Roll Cake

All your favorite flavors of cinnamon rolls, but in cake form! This gluten free cinnamon roll cake is moist, tender, with swirls of cinnamon sugar and a rich buttery flavor. It’s so fun to make and even more fun to eat!

If you know me, you know I’m obsessed with cinnamon rolls. My gluten free cinnamon rolls are a total fan favorite, but they do require a bit of labor and sometimes you just need the flavors of a cinnamon roll without all the effort. Enter: this gluten free cinnamon roll cake.

Instead of turning a cinnamon roll into a cake, we’re turning a cake into a cinnamon roll. I hope that makes as much sense to you as it does to me lol. There’s no yeast involved like a regular cinnamon roll, we instead have a buttery vanilla cake base with swirls of buttery cinnamon sugar and top it off with a simple vanilla glaze. If you love this recipe, try my cinnamon roll pancakes next.

Quick tips before we bake!

• I opted to bake this cake in a 9×13 to make a sheet cake, but you can absolutely make a layer cake using two 8 inch cake pans and then frost with my cream cheese frosting from my gluten free red velvet cake recipe.
• You can swirl the cinnamon sugar mixture into the cake as much or as little as you like. I like soft swirls so you get the perfect amount in each bite.

How to make cinnamon roll cake

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Line the bottom of a 9×13 baking pan with parchment paper and set aside. In a small dish, combine the butter and sugar for the cinnamon sugar. Add in the flour and cinnamon and set aside.

In a large mixing bowl or bowl of a stand mixer, add the melted then cooled butter, white sugar and brown sugar. Beat to combine for about 30 seconds. Add in the eggs, greek yogurt, milk and vanilla. Beat just to combine.

Sift in the gluten free flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Let the batter sit for about 5 minutes. It will be on the thicker side.

Transfer to the prepared baking pan and spread evenly. Use a spoon to add dollops of the cinnamon sugar mixture on top throughout the cake. Use a knife or chopstick to swirl into the cake batter.

Bake for 35-40 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Let cool for just about 10 to 15 minutes. Meanwhile, whisk together all ingredients for the icing. Drizzle on top of the cake and then let set. Slice and enjoy! Try my cinnamon roll cookies next!

Key ingredients & swaps

Flour. I am loyal to my Bob’s Red Mill 1:1 Baking Flour here. It is the one in the blue bag, not the red! I recommend sticking with that if you can, but King Arthur also makes a great 1:1 flour. Be sure you are using one with xanthan gum and using a baking flour and not a generic all purpose flour.

Sugar. A mix of white sugar and brown sugar will keep the cake sweet, light but the touch of molasses as a richness that pairs so well with the cinnamon.

Butter. You need butter for the cake itself but also for the cinnamon sugar filling. You can use oil in the cake in place of butter, but I don’t recommend any swaps for the butter in the cinnamon sugar filling.

Milk & yogurt. I love baking with greek yogurt because it adds so much moisture and the protein helps support the overall texture of the cake. For the milk, I used whole milk because that’s what I had on hand, but you can use any type of milk here. In place of greek yogurt, you can also use sour cream.

Eggs. Three eggs will help support the structure of the cake and help make it light and fluffy. My max for using an egg substitute is two eggs so since there are three here, I do not recommend any swaps.

How to store

Because this gluten free cinnamon roll cake is naturally so moist, it stores really well. Once made, frosted and sliced, just store it in a container for 3-5 days, or a bit longer if storing in the fridge. Because of the generous amount of greek yogurt in the cake, it doesn’t do well in a totally air tight container. It can get a bit too moist if totally sealed off. Keep the lid slightly ajar or just cover with foil for best results.

You can also freeze it after baking. Sheet cakes are harder to freeze since they’re large, so I like to slice it up and wrap each slice in parchment paper, then place in a freezer safe bag and freeze that way.

More gluten free cake recipes!

• Lemon Cake
• Gluten Free Pistachio Cake
• Gluten Free Carrot Cake
• Chocolate Raspberry Cake

If you make this recipe, be sure to leave a comment and rating below and let us know how it turns out! As always, be sure to tag me on instagram so I can see your creation!