Cinnamon Roll Pound Cake

For this year’s Twelve Days of Pound Cake event, I asked you, the Begin with Butter community, which cake you’d like to see in the lineup. After a hotly contested poll on my Instagram stories, you all chose the Cinnamon Roll Pound Cake. By a lot!

So, on this Day 8 of the Twelve Days of Pound Cake, she is here. And she is SPECTACULAR.

Welcome Cinnamon Roll Pound Cake!

About this Cinnamon Roll Pound Cake

I always begin with an objective when I’m creating a recipe, and this Cinnamon Roll Pound Cake was no different. I really wanted this cake to mimic the best elements of my favorite cinnamon rolls (recipe coming soon!), without being too literal.

What are those elements? Glad you asked!

My absolute favorite elements of cinnamon rolls are the perfectly-textured, buttery brioche against the sharp cinnamon filling, topped by the creamy refreshment of a cream cheese icing.

So…basically everyone’s favorite elements. But it was a tall order to translate those things to cake.

I got there, though!

Cinnamon Roll Pound Cake Ingredients

All-Purpose Flour: This cake has an extremely special cinnamon cream cheese filling. All-purpose flour is necessary to support that filling, and to keep it from spreading everywhere and making a mess.

Baking Soda: I used sour cream as the liquid in this cake. Because of that, baking soda was the proper leavening; the sour cream and the baking soda work together to create rise.

Kosher Salt: Salt is very important in any dessert; it balances the sugar and keeps the dessert from becoming cloyingly sweet. If using table salt for this recipe, cut the amount in half.

Nutmeg: The slight amount of nutmeg in this recipe adds a big hit of warmth to this cake, and makes it super homey.

Unsalted Butter: This cake has some heavy-duty ingredients, so I wanted to use butter instead of oil. The reason is surprising…butter helps this cake become lighter! Specifically, the process of creaming butter and sugar creates air pockets that assist with cake rise.

Cream Cheese: Brioche is a beautiful dough that has a texture like none other. It’s airy and buttery and absolutely delicious. I wanted a more airy texture for this cake, and I found that adding cream cheese as a secondary fat got me exactly where I wanted to go!

Granulated Sugar: Granulated sugar adds sweetness and caramelization. That beautiful crust on the outside of your pound cake? It is largely because of the sugar in your recipe!

Eggs: The protein in the eggs adds structure to the cake, while the fatty yolk adds delicious flavor.

Pure Vanilla Extract: Make sure to use the good stuff, like Nielsen-Massey, for this incredible recipe! Whatever brand you use, make sure you use pure vanilla extract. It can be difficult to find this time of year, so make sure to stock up!

Full-Fat Sour Cream: You want to use full-fat sour cream in this recipe; fat = flavor and you don’t want to skimp on flavor! Sour cream also helps with the texture of the cake.

And then there’s the filling!

More Cream Cheese: The filling needs a stable base that will stay semi-intact during baking. The cream cheese does this perfectly and is delicious to boot!

Egg: The egg in the filling gives it more of a cheesecake texture, which is SO DECADENT and gorgeous in this cake.

Brown Sugar: The brown sugar in the filling really gives the filling that delicious, cinnamon-roll flavor that I love so much. Don’t skip it! You can use light or dark brown sugar, but I opted for dark.

Cinnamon: There is a LOT of cinnamon in this filling. I chose to keep the cinnamon in the filling and not in the cake, since the cake is the brioche-like base (and that typically doesn’t have cinnamon in in).

Vanilla: Because vanilla belongs everywhere.

Fine Sea Salt: Again, salt cuts sweet. And we need it in this filling. Just a small pinch will go a very long way.

Beginners Start Here

If you’re new to baking, or if you want to learn how to do some of the more tricky baking techniques, here are a couple of super helpful articles from the BwB site that will help you get set up for success with this Cinnamon Roll Pound Cake.

• My Favorite Bundt Pans
• Meet Your Kitchen BFF–Your Digital Kitchen Scale!
• Technique Tips for the Best Pound Cakes (& Big News!)
• How to Cream Butter and Sugar (With New Video!)
• Baking 101: How to Measure Ingredients
• How to Grease a Bundt Pan
• The Best Tools for Perfect Pound Cakes
• Knowing When to Stop a Technique

These resources are super helpful to help you build consistency and confidence on your baking journey. Happy Reading!

Important Tools Used in this Cinnamon Roll Pound Cake

Below, you’ll find some tools that I used for this pound cake. These are the tools that I use all the time in my own kitchen.

**I get paid a small commission if you purchase directly from these links, but they are truly amazing products that you’ll find in my kitchen.**

If you have them already, great! Think of this as a checklist to help you build the confidence that you’ll need to execute this recipe!

• Oven Thermometer
• Digital Food Scale
• KitchenAid Hand Mixer
• KitchenAid Stand Mixer 
• Stainless Steel Mixing Bowl Set
• OXO Spatula Set
• Sifter

You all trusted me with this recipe, and it is my sincere hope that you love it! It was such a fun recipe to develop and I can’t wait to see you make it!

Enjoy the recipe, Friends! See you tomorrow for Day 9!

Cinnamon Roll Pound Cake

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The cake features all of the best elements of cinnamon rolls; the soft cake mimics a beautiful brioche, and the cinnamon filling is incredible!

• Total Time: ~5 hours (with cooling time)
• Yield: 18 servings 1x

Ingredients

Units MUS Scale 1x2x3x

For the Batter:

• 384 g (3 c) all-purpose flour
• 1/4 tsp baking soda
• 3/4 tsp kosher salt
• 163 g (.75 c) butter, room temperature
• 58 g cream cheese, room temperature
• 500 g (2.5 c) granulated sugar
• 6 eggs
• 2 tsp pure vanilla extract
• 227 g (1 c) sour cream

For the Cinnamon Cream Cheese Filling:

• 336 g cream cheese, room temperature
• 1 large egg
• 50 g brown sugar
• 1.5 tsp cinnamon
• 2 tsp pure vanilla extract
• 1/8 tsp fine sea salt

For the Cinnamon Simple Syrup:

• 87 g (1/3 c) water
• 67 g (1/3 c) granulated sugar
• 1/8 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp vanilla
• 1/8 tsp salt

For the Cream Cheese Glaze:

• 154 g cream cheese, room temperature
• 240 g confectioner’s sugar
• 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
• 3 tbsp whole milk

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Instructions

To Make the Cinnamon Cream Cheese Filling:

1. Add room-temperature cream cheese to a large mixing bowl.  Mix with a hand mixer or stand mixer until the cream cheese is completely smooth.
2. Add the egg, brown sugar, cinnamon, pure vanilla extract, and fine sea salt and blend until smooth.
3. Set aside.

To Make the Batter:

1. Set your oven to a true 325°F.  An oven thermometer is extremely useful here, since most ovens will not reach 325°F when set to 325°F.  
2. Sift together the all-purpose flour, kosher salt, and baking soda in a medium bowl.  Set aside.
3. Add the room-temperature butter and cream cheese to the bowl of your stand mixer or a large mixing bowl.  Mix with your hand or stand mixer until the butter is completely smooth.  Add the granulated sugar and cream until the mixture is light and fluffy.
4. Add the eggs, one at a time, mixing each egg until it is completely incorporated into the mixture.  Scrape the sides and bowl as needed to ensure even mixing.
5. Add the vanilla and mix thoroughly.
6. Add half of the flour mixture and mix until just combined.
7. Add all of the sour cream and mix until just combined.
8. Add the second half of the flour mixture and mix until just combined.  Using a rubber spatula, give the sides and bottom of the bowl a final scrape to ensure that the batter is evenly mixed.
9. Prep a 10- or 12-cup bundt pan as you normally would (I use butter and flour to prep pans for this cake)
10. Add 1/2 of the batter to the pan.  Gently tap to get out any air bubbles. 
11. Add the cream cheese mixture (all of it) to the top of the batter, making sure to avoid the sides!
12. Add the second half of the batter to the bundt pan.  Use a rubber spatula to even out the batter, then *very gently* tap the pan on the countertop several times to remove air bubbles from the batter.
13. Bake for 60-70 minutes in a true 325°F oven, or until an instant-read thermometer reads 212°F-215°F.  

To Make the Cinnamon Simple Syrup:

1. Add sugar, cinnamon, salt, and water to a small saucepan.  Bring to a boil and reduce to a simmer.  Remove from the heat as soon as the sugar is completely dissolved.
2. Add pure vanilla extract and stir to combine.
3. Allow the cake to cool in its pan for ten minutes, then invert and place on top of a cooling rack.  Brush simple syrup on the cake and allow to cool completely.

To Make the Cream Cheese Glaze:

1. Add the room-temperature cream cheese to a large mixing bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer.  Mix until completely smooth.
2. Add the confectioner’s sugar, whole milk, and vanilla extract to the bowl.  Mix on low speed until there are no more lumps.
3. Use a spouted measuring cup, spoon, or squeeze bottle to add the glaze to the completely cooled cake.
4. Enjoy!

Notes

• Try to use all of the cinnamon filling in this cake, but take special care not to touch the sides of the pan!

• Author: Shani
• Prep Time: 30 minutes
• Cook Time: 60-70 minutes
• Category: Dessert
• Cuisine: American

Here are the other pound cakes in the Twelve Days of Pound Cake!