Description
This Giant Cinnamon Roll Cake is guaranteed to become your new family favorite breakfast treat! It’s filled with the best buttery, cinnamon sugar, then rolled into a giant cinnamon roll and drizzled with a cream cheese frosting that’s entirely vegan.
Ingredients
Dough
- 2 cups unsweetened non-dairy milk, warm to the touch
- 1/2 cup (100g) sugar
- 1/2 cup (1 stick) vegan butter, melted
- 1 packet (2¼ teaspoons) active dry yeast
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 6 cups (720g) all-purpose flour, divided
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 2 teaspoons salt
Filling
- 1/2 cup (1 stick) vegan butter, softened
- 3/4 cup (155g) light brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons cinnamon
Icing
- 2 ounces vegan cream cheese, softened
- 1½ tablespoons melted vegan butter
- ¾ cup (90g) powdered sugar
- Non-dairy milk, as needed to thin
Instructions
- Proof the yeast. In a large bowl, whisk together the non-dairy milk, sugar, and vegan butter. The mixture should be warm to the touch, but not so hot that it will kill the yeast. Sprinkle the yeast evenly over the mixture, stir to combine, then let sit in a warm place for 10 minutes. Once proofed, stir in the vanilla extract.
- Add the flour mixture. Next, add in 4 cups of the flour and stir with a wooden spoon until a dough forms. Be sure to scrape down the sides of the bowl to incorporate all of the dry ingredients.
- Rise for 1 hour. Cover the bowl with a clean kitchen towel or plastic wrap and place the bowl in a warm place to rise for 1 hour, or until the dough has doubled in size.
- Prepare the cinnamon filling. While the dough rises, prepare the cinnamon sugar filling. In a small bowl, whisk together the softened butter, light brown sugar, cinnamon and set aside.
- Once the dough has risen. Remove the plastic wrap and add the remaining flour, baking powder, and salt. Stir until well combined.
- Knead the dough. On a clean, floured work surface, knead the dough for at least 10 minutes, adding additional flour as needed to prevent sticking. After 10 minutes, the cinnamon roll dough should be soft to the touch and no longer sticky.
- Roll out the cinnamon roll dough. Once the dough is soft and springs back when poked, roll the dough out into a 12×16″ rectangle with the shorter ends being on the left and right.
- Add the cinnamon sugar mixture. Using a spatula, spread the cinnamon mixture evenly over the dough.
- Cut the dough. Cut the dough horizontally into 4 even strips.
- Roll the cake. Roll the top strip from the left to the right, forming a tight spiral. Place the rolled strip on top of the second strip, and roll it around the original spiral. Repeat this process with the remaining strips until a giant cinnamon roll forms.
- Rise for an additional hour. Loosely cover the homemade cinnamon roll cake with an oiled piece of plastic wrap and place the cake in a warm area to rise for an additional hour.
- Preheat the oven. About 15 minutes before the dough is finished rising, preheat the oven to 330 degrees F.
- Bake. Once the dough has risen, bake the cake in a pie dish coated with nonstick cooking spray for 50-65 minutes or until the top of the cinnamon roll is golden brown and completely cooked through the center. If it appears the cake is browning too quickly on the top, loosely tent with a piece of aluminum foil.
- Prepare the cream cheese frosting. While the cake bakes, prepare the glaze ingredients. In a medium bowl, whisk together the softened vegan cream cheese and soft butter until well combined. Sift in the powdered sugar, and stir the sweet glaze until well combined.
- Drizzle the cake with frosting. Let the baked cake cool for 10 minutes, then generously drizzle with the cream cheese frosting or spread with a butter knife, if desired. Slice and enjoy immediately while warm!
Notes
- Adapted from our cinnamon roll recipe: https://sweetsimplevegan.com/vegan-cinnamon-rolls/
- Rising: If you need a warm space for the dough to rise, you can place it into an oven with the oven light on.
- Storage: Store in an airtight container on the counter for up to 5 days. Please note that the rolls will harden the longer they sit. We like to pop ours in the microwave for 15 seconds to soften them up.
We baked ours in a cake pan but if you do not have one, a large baking sheet will work as well. Just be sure to line it with parchment paper or a silicone mat, and keep in mind that the cake will expand. - Make Ahead: The dough can be made up to 24 hours in advance. After placing the cinnamon roll cake in the baking dish, instead of setting them in a warm place to rise, cover with a lightly greased plastic wrap and place them into the refrigerator. It will actually do a “slow rise” in there. You can keep it in there for up to 24 hours. The next day, remove the dish from the refrigerator and allow the dough to come to room temperature, which will take about 2-3 hours depending on the temperature of your home. Lastly, bake it for the amount of time called for in the recipe.