Giant Cinnamon Roll Cake

This is a fun spin on My Classic Vegan Cinnamon Rolls that everyone will love and no one will guess are vegan! This giant cinnamon roll has a golden, fluffy dough that is filled with a delicious cinnamon sugar mixture. All topped off with a vegan cream cheese icing that is out of this world - you may never look at cinnamon rolls the same again!

This Giant Vegan Cinnamon Roll take a bit of extra time due to letting the dough rise. It also requires a bit of technique to coil the cinnamon roll dough just right. Don't worry, I have step by step instructions and a video to help you!

Even though this takes some extra time, trust me when I say these are worth every second of waiting! But if you are in a time crunch, try my easy No Yeast Cinnamon Rolls instead and you'll have delicious, tender cinnamon rolls on the table in no time (under 30 minutes!).

This recipe is for my giant free cinnamon roll cake. If you would like a regular cinnamon roll recipe, you can check out my Classic Vegan Cinnamon Rolls Recipe!

ingredients

My giant cinnamon roll is made with whole, good-for-you ingredients to make delicious and wholesome cinnamon rolls. Here's what you'll need:

giant cinnamon roll cake dough:

• Milk: For vegan and gluten free cinnamon rolls, use a dairy free milk like almond or oat milk. If you are not concerned about these being vegan, dairy based milk will work as well.
• Maple Syrup: A natural, delicious sweetener like maple syrup is great in the dough. If you prefer, you can use honey or agave syrup.
• Butter: Vegan butter or regular butter can be added here.
• Salt: A bit of salt is added for flavor and to control the yeast.
• Active Dry Yeast: Yeast is what makes these cinnamon rolls fluffy and enhances the flavor.
• Regular All Purpose Flour: I do not recommend substituting the flour in this recipe. I hope to develop a gluten-free version soon!

giant cinnamon roll cake filling:

• Butter: For a vegan filling, use vegan butter.
• Sugar: I used purecane sugar-free substitute in these to make them a little lighter. Feel free to use any sugar you have on hand.
• Cinnamon: Ground cinnamon is essential for a classic cinnamon roll.

cream cheese icing:

• Cream Cheese: Vegan cream cheese can be used in the place of dairy based cream cheese.
• Butter: Feel free to use vegan butter or dairy based butter.
• Powdered Sugar: I used purecane sugar-free powdered sugar substitute in my frosting. But, Confectioners sugar, or powdered sugar works perfectly. It adds sweetness and texture to the cream cheese icing!

how to make this recipe

• Prepare the Dough: Preheat the oven to 350 F. Mix the melted butter, warm milk, maple syrup, and salt together in a bowl. Sprinkle the yeast evenly across the top of the mixture, gently stir, and let sit for 10 minutes. Add the all purpose flour and mix until a dough forms.
• Let the Dough Rest: Leaving the dough in the bowl, form it into a round mound and cover it with plastic wrap or a kitchen towel. Allow it to sit for 30 minutes. It helps if the dough is in a warm place, so I like to set the bowl on top of the oven as it preheats. This helps the yeast and makes the dough rise faster.
• Roll it Out: Turn the dough out onto a well-floured surface and roll it into a ¼ inch thick rectangle or oval. Add more flour as needed if the dough is sticky. Spread the softened butter over the top and sprinkle with the cinnamon sugar.
• Slice Into Strips: Cut the slab of dough, lengthwise, into 2 ½ inch thick strands.
• Create the Roll & Bake: Starting with one strip, roll the strip into a pinwheel and place it in the center of the dish. Then, continue to wrap the remaining strips of dough around it, loosely, until you've used all the dough. Cover with a kitchen towel or plastic wrap and let them sit for another 30 minutes. Bake them for 30 minutes in the oven.
• Make the Icing: While the giant cinnamon roll is baking, make the cream cheese frosting. Use an electric hand mixer to mix the butter, powdered sugar and cream cheese. Allow the rolls to cool and then spread the icing over the rolls. Enjoy!

recipe tips

• Don't skip the resting! Your giant cinnamon roll need time to let the yeast do its magic and rise, in order to be as fluffy as possible. Although this adds to the time if takes before you can be eating your giant cinnamon roll cake, it is totally worth it.
• If you are in a pinch and don't have time to let the dough rise, try my No Yeast Cinnamon Rolls! They are super easy to whip up in just 30 minutes.
• Make sure the milk is just warm when you mix it with the yeast. Warm liquid help the yeast develop, but if it is too hot, it can kill the yeast instead of making it thrive!
• To help the dough rise faster, place it on top of the preheated oven! You can do this in both the first rise with the dough in the bowl, and in the second rise with the cinnamon roll cake in the baking dish. This is a super great trick anytime you need something to rise faster!