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Cinnamon Roll Cake {Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free Option}

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Do you miss cinnamon rolls and cinnamon buns since going gluten-free? Now you don’t have to! This gluten-free cinnamon roll cake has both the texture and the taste of a gooey cinnamon roll. Cinnamon rolls are not just for breakfast anymore! 

Gluten-Free Cinnamon Roll Cake slice on a white plate with a white coffee cup, fork and another cake slice in the background.

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Cinnamon Rolls

I absolutely adore cinnamon rolls, really cinnamon anything! One of the things I missed the most since going gluten-free was cinnamon rolls.

I was looking for gluten-free cinnamon roll and cinnamon buns recipes online and they seemed so labor intensive. These recipes had lots of steps and took lots of time.

This busy mama of four does not have time for that!

So when I found this recipe for cinnamon roll cake on Chef In Training‘s blog I was so excited. I found that the cinnamon roll cake was easy to modify to be gluten-free.

A lot of gluten-free cooking is finding ways to modify your favorite recipes to be gluten-free.

Gluten-Free Flour

These gluten-free crepes were made with a rice flour blend.  I like Pillsbury gluten-free flour. Not all gluten-free flours are created equal. You may experience different baking results depending on the gluten-free flour blend you choose.

Pro Tip

The best way to measure gluten-free flour is the “spoon & level” method. Using a spoon, scoop the flour into the measuring cup.  After you’ve spooned the flour into the measuring cup, use the back of a knife to level off the top of the measuring cup. Friends, please do not scoop the flour out of the bag with your measuring cup.

Dairy-Free Baking

I have also included a dairy-free option to my gluten-free cinnamon roll cake recipe.  My husband, my youngest son, and I are all dairy-free.

I promise it is just as delicious made with the dairy-free butter and dairy-free milk. For this recipe, I like to bake with almond or cashew milk and Smart Balance or Earth Balance butter.

So, you too can enjoy a gluten-free and dairy-free cinnamon roll cake.

two slices of gluten-Free cinnamon roll cake on white plates with a white coffee cup.

Gluten-Free Roll Cinnamon Cake

Gluten-free cinnamon rolls can be hard to recreate. With this gluten-free cinnamon roll cake recipe, you get all of the flavors of cinnamon rolls and cinnamon buns without all of the work!

This is not your average cinnamon cake. It has both the texture and the taste of a gooey cinnamon roll.

Seriously this is one of my favorite gluten-free cakes!

Cinnamon rolls are not just for breakfast anymore. Enjoy!

I like Pillsbury gluten-free flour. Not all gluten-free flours are created equal. You may experience different baking results depending on the gluten-free flour blend you choose.

Cinnamon Roll Muffins

I also have also turned this amazing cake into a recipe for Gluten-Free Cinnamon Roll Muffins too!

gluten-free cinnamon roll muffins

Try my some of my other gluten-free dessert and gluten-free breakfast recipes.

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★Did you make this recipe? Please give it a star rating below in the comments!★

Recipe adapted to be gluten-free from the Cinnamon Roll Cake recipe from Grin and Bake It (it’s not linked because the blog is no longer exists).

5 from 28 votes
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Gluten-Free Cinnamon Roll Cake

Do you miss cinnamon rolls since going gluten-free? Now you don't have to! This cinnamon roll cake has both the texture and the taste of a gooey cinnamon roll. Cinnamon rolls are not just for breakfast anymore.
Course Dessert
Cuisine American
Keyword gluten-free cake, gluten-free cinnamon cake, gluten-free cinnamon roll cake
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 35 minutes
Total Time 45 minutes
Servings 16 servings
Calories 345 kcal
Author Audrey from Mama Knows Gluten Free

Ingredients

Cake:

  • 3 cups *gluten-free flour I like Pillsbury gluten-free. Not all gluten-free flours are created equal. You may experience different baking results depending on the gluten-free flour blend you choose.
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons xanthan gum leave out if your flour already contains it.
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 4 teaspoons gluten-free baking powder
  • 1 1/2 cups milk For dairy-free I like cashew milk, almond milk or coconut milk.
  • 2 eggs
  • 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
  • 1/2 cup unsalted butter melted (For dairy-free I like Earth Balance or Smart Balance.)

Topping:

  • 1 cup unsalted butter softened (For dairy-free I like Earth Balance or Smart Balance)
  • 1 cup packed brown sugar
  • 2 tablespoons gluten-free flour
  • 1 tablespoon cinnamon

Glaze:

  • 2 cups powdered sugar
  • 5 tablespoons milk dairy-free use cashew, almond or coconut milk
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Cake:

  1. Preheat oven to 350° F.

  2. Spray a 9×13 glass baking pan with cooking spray.
  3. In a large bowl add the gluten-free flour, xanthan gum (leave out if your flour already has it), salt, sugar, baking powder, milk, eggs, and vanilla and mix until fully combined.
  4. Once combined stir in the melted butter.
  5. The cake batter will be very thick and sticky. Pour into the prepared 9×13 baking pan.

Topping:

  1. In a large bowl, cream butter, brown sugar, gluten-free flour and cinnamon together with a mixer.
  2. Drop heaping tablespoonfuls of the butter mixture into the cake batter.
  3. Use a knife to swirl the butter mixture through the cake.
  4. Bake at 350 degrees for 35-40 minutes. Use a toothpick to check and see if the center is done.

Glaze:

  1. In a medium bowl, whisk the powdered sugar, milk and pure vanilla extract together.
  2. Pour over the warm cake.
  3. Enjoy!

  4. Store in an air-tight container.

Recipe Notes

  • *Not all gluten-free flours are created equal. You may experience different baking results depending on the gluten-free flour blend you choose. I like Pillsbury gluten-free.
  • The best way to measure gluten-free flour is the “spoon & level” method. Using a spoon, scoop the flour into the measuring cup.  After you’ve spooned the flour into the measuring cup, use the back of a knife to level off the top of the measuring cup. Friends, please do not scoop the flour out of the bag with your measuring cup.
  • For dairy-free option: I like to bake with Smart Balance butter and almond, cashew or coconut milk.
  • Store in an air-tight container.
  • Mama says "Check all of your labels!"
  • Did you make a recipe? Tag @mamaknowsglutenfree on Instagram, Facebook  or @mamaknowsgf on Twitter! I would love to see what you created!
Nutrition Facts
Gluten-Free Cinnamon Roll Cake
Amount Per Serving (1 slice)
Calories 345 Calories from Fat 162
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 18g 28%
Saturated Fat 11g 55%
Cholesterol 68mg 23%
Sodium 221mg 9%
Potassium 166mg 5%
Total Carbohydrates 44g 15%
Sugars 42g
Protein 1g 2%
Vitamin A 12.1%
Calcium 9.9%
Iron 1.9%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

 

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  2. These pictures are UNREAL and they sound so delicious. I wonder if I could mix up this recipe and make it vegan? Substitute eggs for apple sauce.. hmm wonder if they’d still come out as good as they look here! Thanks for the recipe.

    Reply

    • Thank you so much! I’ve never tried an egg free version, but I do use apple sauce in my gluten-free baking often to help with moisture. It would definitely be worth a try! If you try it please let me know how it turns out.

      Reply

  11. Do you think you can make the batter the night before (let’s say Christmas Eve) and then put it together and bake it the following morning?

    Reply

  12. I just made this and it was a success! Thank you!
    I would like to serve the rest tomorrow – What is the best way to store this cake overnight? Fridge or room temperature?

    Reply

  13. Just make this and had to trying it before serve it on Christmas morning? Best cake ever! Thanks for sharing! I swapped the eggs for flax eggs and used almond milk (hubby can’t have eggs or dairy) Still turn out perfect. Keeper for sure?

    Reply

    • Hi Ellen! I am so happy that you and your family enjoyed the cinnamon roll cake. It is my family’s favorite cake. I am so glad that you were able to use the flax eggs. I also use dairy-free milk when baking because my husband is also dairy-free. Thank you again for sharing you enjoyed the cake. It really made my day!

      Reply

  14. My daughter was diagnosed on Christmas Eve at the age of 4 with Celiac Disease. Since then, it has been an ongoing challenge to find recipes that are delicious and that others will eat. I have a large family with 6, and unfortunately holiday time is a time when we have 44 people. Nobody but I will bring GF to our celebration times. I made this cinnamon roll cake for Christmas, and it was a huge hit! Thank you!

    Reply

    • Hi Kim, Thank you so much! This makes my heart so happy. I love sharing what I make for my family. I am so happy that you enjoyed the cinnamon roll cake.

      Reply

  15. I don’t usually make things with flour. I was not great at it even before being diagnosed celiac. Lol Can you at least give some kind of idea on what type of gf flour to use please? Is Bob’s Red Mill 1 to 1 cup something that would work? From what I’ve seen others talk about, certain flours just don’t work for certain things. Thank you in advance! I have been craving anything cinnamon roll like for over 3 years! ?

    Reply

    • Hi Brandi! I usually use Gluten Free Mama’s almond flour blend with this cake. It has been out of stock lately, so I use Pillsbury gluten-free which is a cup for cup flour. I use the Pillsbury for just about everything. I buy it at Walmart for less than $5 for a 2 LB bag. I hope you enjoy the cake! It’s one of my favorites.

      Reply

    • If you try Bob’s Red Mill 1 to 1 baking flour, let us know how it turns out. I use this frequently because it is available in stores.

      Reply

      • Hi Deb! I have never tried Bob’s Red Mill 1 to 1, but a lot of my friends love it. I will have to see if I can find it in my local stores. Thanks for the recommendation.

        Reply

  16. I absolutely love this recipe. I have made this 3 times in the past 2 months. Everyone loves it at work. It’s too much for my husband and I to eat so I have cut small squares,wrapped in Saran wrappped and placed in small freezer containers. I throw it in my lunch bag from the freezer and enjoy it as a lunch desert. Amazing!

    Reply

    • Thank you so much Jukie! This makes my heart so happy to hear.? I love sharing what I make for my family. I am so glad that you enjoyed it. Such a smart idea to freeze it!

      Reply

  17. I just bought Pillsbury flour but haven’t used it till today. I tried this cake (halved the recipe, because new gluten free recipes and flour make me nervous). Baked it in a 8 x 8 glass pan. It is fantastic! I haven’t had a cinnamon roll in years but this tasted very much like one (and the smell, yum). I didn’t make glaze. Never liked it on my cinnamon rolls. Thank you for a wonderful recipe. I will make 9×13 pan the next time. I also forwarded this recipe to a few friends. Just found your blog so off to check out your other recipes. Thank you.

    Reply

    • Thank you so much Deb! You are so welcome. I love sharing what I make for my family. I am so happy that you enjoyed the cinnamon roll cake. Thank you so much for sharing it with your friends. I hope you find some more recipes you would like to try.😊

      Reply

  18. Thank you so much for making this recipe! We have a Christmas tradition of having cinnamon rolls but my mom has been going through chemotherapy, so understandably, she wasn’t up to making them. I’ve had to take over kitchen duty and I’m pretty new to cooking and baking so i wanted something that would be that would be a good “replacement” and not be too difficult.

    Pretty sure a heavenly chorus rang out as soon as I took that first bite. I’ve been gluten free for over 10 years and I’ve had some really good foods but this was magical. My parents really liked it too.

    The only difference is I used Featherlight flour mix. I forget who makes that one so I hope I’m not violating any copyrights or anything. I will be making it with pillsbury tomorrow though as that’s what we have available currently.

    So, thank you for making this. 🙂

    Reply

    • I am so glad that you enjoyed it Jen! That makes my heart so happy. Thank you so much! I have never tried Featherlight flour. I am so glad that it worked with the recipe. There are no copyrights when it comes to using a particular gluten-free flour. I just happen to really like and use the Pillsbury gluten-free flour. You are so welcome! I love sharing what I make for my family.

      Reply

  19. I made this and just about cried because they were so good. I haven’t had a cinnamon roll in years and have missed them so much since going GF. These are absolutely to die for!!!! Thank you so much!!

    Reply

  20. Made this today with Bob’s Red Mill 1:1 flour and it turned out great. It is delicious warm or cooled! My 8-year old celiac, who was a big fan of cinnamon rolls pre-diagnosis, loved it. Thank you so much for sharing–this recipe is a keeper!!

    Reply

    • Hi Valerie! I am so glad that you and your son enjoyed it! It really makes my heart happy to hear that your son loved it! You are so welcome. I love sharing what I make for my family. I will be posting the recipe for gluten-free cinnamon roll muffins this week! 😊

      Reply

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