Name: Ooey Gooey Cinnamon Roll Cake – Sweet Easy Recipes Everyone Loves
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 35 min
Total time: 50 min
Ingredients: 3 cups all-purpose flour; 1/4 tsp salt; 1 cup sugar; 4 tsp baking powder; 1 1/2 cups milk; 2 eggs; 2 tsp vanilla extract; 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, melted; 1 cup brown sugar, packed; 2 tbsp flour; 1 tbsp cinnamon; 2/3 cup butter, softened; 2 cups powdered sugar; 5 tbsp milk; 1 tsp vanilla extract

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This cinnamon roll cake is the kind of dessert that pulls you in with the smell alone. The moment I made it, my kitchen smelled like a bakery on a mission to convert carb skeptics. It’s part cake, part cinnamon roll, and entirely addictive. If you’ve got a soft spot for sweet easy recipes, this one speaks your language. I first baked this on a quiet Sunday afternoon when I needed something warm and sweet to carry me through the rest of the week. Little did I know, it wouldn’t even make it past Monday. You don’t need to fuss with yeast or rolling dough. This is one of those sweet easy recipes 3 ingredients shy of a magic spell—only it’s got more butter. Whether you’re hunting for air fryer desserts easy recipes (yes, you can tweak this!), or prefer baked breads sweet easy recipes, this one’s a keeper. I’ve tried dozens of simple homemade sweets easy recipes, and let me tell you, this sits right at the top. Perfect with coffee, dangerous late at night, and exactly what you didn’t know your dessert list was missing.

1) Key Takeaways
2) Easy Ooey Gooey Cinnamon Roll Cake Recipe
3) Ingredients for Ooey Gooey Cinnamon Roll Cake
4) How to Make Ooey Gooey Cinnamon Roll Cake
5) Tips for Making Ooey Gooey Cinnamon Roll Cake
6) Making Ooey Gooey Cinnamon Roll Cake Ahead of Time
7) Storing Leftover Ooey Gooey Cinnamon Roll Cake
8) Try these Cakes next!
9) Ooey Gooey Cinnamon Roll Cake
10) Nutrition

1) Key Takeaways

This recipe turns a cinnamon roll into a super easy dessert recipe with no yeast or rolling required.
It’s the kind of cake that wins hearts at brunches, potlucks, or solo late-night cravings.
Made with pantry staples and layered with buttery cinnamon swirls and a sweet glaze.
Perfect for bakers who love sweet treats recipes easy and comforting.

2) Easy Ooey Gooey Cinnamon Roll Cake Recipe

This ooey gooey cinnamon roll cake is everything you didn’t know you needed. I mean, who decided cinnamon rolls had to be rolled and sliced, anyway? This version gives you all the melty, sticky joy without any of that extra effort. And trust me, we’re not mad about it.

I’ve made this more times than I can count—during holidays, after long days, or simply when my sweet tooth screamed louder than my common sense. Each time, it’s like greeting an old friend: comforting, familiar, a little messy, and always satisfying. This cake doesn’t pretend to be fancy. It just shows up with butter, cinnamon, and a ton of sugar and does the job right.

If you’re into super easy dessert recipes that deliver major payoffs with minimal sweat, you’re in good company. Let’s face it—desserts like this one are the reason cheat days exist. So go ahead, bake it, eat it, and enjoy the heck out of it.

3) Ingredients for Ooey Gooey Cinnamon Roll Cake

All-purpose flour: The backbone of our cake. It keeps things soft and tender but with enough structure so it doesn’t collapse under all that gooey topping.

Sugar: This is what keeps it sweet and sticky, exactly what you’d want in a cinnamon-forward cake like this.

Baking powder: Helps the cake puff up and stay fluffy. No baking soda here—this is a baking powder party.

Salt: Just a pinch, but trust me, it matters. It balances out all the sweetness and gives the cake dimension.

Milk: It brings everything together into a pourable batter. Whole milk adds richness, but use what you’ve got.

Eggs: Two of ‘em. They give the cake a bit of bounce and body so it holds that sweet swirl without falling apart.

Vanilla extract: Don’t skip this. It adds warmth and rounds out the cinnamon flavor beautifully.

Melted butter: Adds richness and helps create that tender crumb we all love in cake.

Brown sugar: The hero of the swirl. Dark brown sugar is even better if you want a deeper molasses vibe.

Ground cinnamon: Lots of it. We want every bite to be sweet, spicy, and aromatic—just like a classic cinnamon roll.

Softened butter: For the swirl. It turns the brown sugar and cinnamon into magic when baked.

Powdered sugar: For the glaze. It’s what gives that final touch of sweet that brings the whole dessert together.

Milk and vanilla: Again for the glaze. Just enough to make it pourable and rich. Like icing, but easier to love.

4) How to Make Ooey Gooey Cinnamon Roll Cake

Step 1. Preheat your oven to 350°F and lightly grease a 9×13 baking dish. This cake’s about to make your house smell ridiculous—in the best way.

Step 2. Mix flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl. Stir in the milk, eggs, vanilla, and melted butter. Blend it until it’s smooth and pour it into your baking dish like a boss.

Step 3. In a second bowl, mix together the brown sugar, cinnamon, flour, and softened butter. It’ll look a bit messy and that’s okay. That’s the swirl filling.

Step 4. Drop spoonfuls of the cinnamon mixture all over the top of the batter. Don’t try to be perfect. Just swirl it gently with a knife or spatula so it streaks through the cake like cinnamon thunder.

Step 5. Pop the whole pan in the oven and bake for 35 to 40 minutes. It’s ready when a toothpick in the center comes out clean—or with just a whisper of goo.

Step 6. While it bakes, whisk powdered sugar, vanilla, and milk together until it’s smooth but pourable. Glaze, glaze, baby.

Step 7. Once your cake is out of the oven and still warm, pour that glaze right over the top. It sinks into the cracks, making things even gooier. And that, my friend, is why we do this.

2) Easy Ooey Gooey Cinnamon Roll Cake Recipe

Let me tell you, if desserts had a personality, this ooey gooey cinnamon roll cake would be your warm, slightly messy, always-hug-you-back best friend. It’s cozy, sweet, and wonderfully low-maintenance. You don’t need a fancy mixer, a stand-up bakery, or some complicated list of steps to make this super easy dessert recipe work. You just need a mixing bowl, a little time, and a serious love for cinnamon.

This cake delivers everything you’d expect from a classic cinnamon roll, minus the stress of waiting around for dough to rise. It’s the kind of cake you can throw together while chatting with your kid, listening to your favorite podcast, or just zoning out after a long week. And it somehow turns out perfectly every time. That’s magic, isn’t it?

So if you’re craving something buttery, sweet, and loaded with that signature cinnamon swirl, let this recipe be your go-to. It’ll fill your kitchen with the kind of smell that makes people peek around corners and ask, “What are you baking?”

3) Ingredients for Ooey Gooey Cinnamon Roll Cake

All-purpose flour – This is the backbone of your batter. It holds everything together and gives the cake that soft but sturdy bite. You want a cake that can handle the gooey swirl without falling apart. Trust me, this does the trick.

Salt – Just a pinch. It’s like background music. You don’t always notice it, but without it, something feels off. It balances the sweetness in the cake beautifully.

Sugar – Regular granulated sugar does the job here. It’s the sweet heart of the batter, helping everything caramelize just right in the oven.

Baking powder – No rising time needed here. The baking powder lifts this cake enough to keep it light but still dense enough to hold that rich cinnamon swirl.

Milk – Whole milk adds richness. Don’t skimp here. That bit of fat gives the cake a moist crumb that’s worth every bite.

Eggs – Two of them. They bind the batter and help give it structure so the texture stays smooth and sliceable.

Vanilla extract – Just a teaspoon or two brings warmth and depth. You might not know it’s there, but you’d miss it if it were gone.

Melted butter – This gets whisked right into the batter. It adds moisture and flavor in a way that oil just doesn’t.

Brown sugar – This is for the swirl. It melts into caramel-like ribbons that soak into the batter as it bakes.

Flour and cinnamon – These team up with brown sugar and butter to create the gooey cinnamon layer. It’s sticky. It’s messy. It’s divine.

Softened butter – This gets mixed with the swirl ingredients. You want it soft, not melted, so it creates perfect dollops instead of running through the batter.

Powdered sugar, milk, and vanilla – This is your glaze trifecta. It’s simple but adds the perfect finishing touch when drizzled over the warm cake.

4) How to Make Ooey Gooey Cinnamon Roll Cake

Step 1. Preheat your oven to 350°F and grease a 9×13 baking dish. Yes, we’re going big with this one. You’re going to want leftovers.

Step 2. In a big bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, salt, and baking powder. No need to sift unless you’re feeling fancy. I usually skip it and it turns out great.

Step 3. Add the milk, eggs, vanilla, and melted butter to your dry ingredients. Mix until smooth but don’t overdo it. You’re not building a skyscraper here, just cake batter.

Step 4. Pour that glorious batter into your greased pan and take a second to admire your work. But don’t stare too long—we’re not done yet.

Step 5. In a separate bowl, mix together brown sugar, cinnamon, flour, and softened butter until you get a thick paste. Drop spoonfuls over your batter and use a butter knife to swirl it all around. Think marble, but make it dessert.

Step 6. Pop it in the oven for 35 minutes. You’ll know it’s ready when your kitchen smells like a cinnamon hug and a toothpick comes out mostly clean. A few crumbs are okay. Gooey is good.

Step 7. While the cake bakes, whisk powdered sugar, milk, and vanilla to make the glaze. Once the cake comes out, pour the glaze over while it’s still warm. It melts right in like frosting’s cool cousin.

5) Tips for Making Ooey Gooey Cinnamon Roll Cake

First, don’t skip the swirling. It seems small, but it makes each slice look bakery-perfect and gives that layered cinnamon roll vibe. A quick figure-eight motion with a butter knife is all it takes.

Next, if your butter isn’t soft enough for the swirl mix, microwave it in 5-second bursts. You want creamy, not liquid. Liquid butter changes the swirl into more of a syrup, which can sink in instead of staying pretty on top.

Finally, this is one of those sweet treats recipes easy enough to double. If you’re baking for a crowd, just go for two pans. You’ll thank yourself later when everyone asks for seconds and you can say, “Yep, I got you.”

6) Making Ooey Gooey Cinnamon Roll Cake Ahead of Time

This cake handles being made ahead like a champ. Bake it the night before and let it cool completely. Then cover it tightly with foil or plastic wrap and let it hang out on the counter overnight. It stays tender and delicious without needing the fridge.

If you’re prepping for a gathering, you can also bake the cake and add the glaze later. Reheat slices in the microwave and drizzle the glaze fresh. It’ll taste like it just came out of the oven.

And hey, if you need a quick win in your holiday baking rotation, this one’s a no-brainer. It checks the “easy dessert recipes in microwave or oven” box and still feels festive enough for guests.

7) Storing Leftover Ooey Gooey Cinnamon Roll Cake

Leftovers? Lucky you. Store them in an airtight container on the counter for up to 3 days. The cake stays soft and the glaze keeps it moist enough to skip reheating if you’re in a hurry.

For longer storage, pop it in the fridge for up to 5 days. You can warm up a slice in the microwave for 15 to 20 seconds, just enough to wake up the cinnamon swirl and soften the cake again.

This cake even freezes well. Wrap individual slices in foil, drop them into a freezer bag, and you’ve got dessert on demand. Perfect for those sweet cravings when you need something fast and familiar.

8) Try these Cakes next!

9) Ooey Gooey Cinnamon Roll Cake