Easy Pumpkin Cinnamon Roll Cake

published: Sep 20, 2022

updated: Sep 21, 2022

A Perfect, Easy, Sweet Fall Treat

What could be better than a homemade cinnamon roll? Not much, my friends, not much. But what about a cinnamon roll with pumpkin? And what if you didn’t have to worry about rising, punching down, and shaping because you had transformed that pumpkin cinnamon roll into a cake?

All of that is my long way of saying that this easy pumpkin cinnamon roll cake is going to be your go-to pumpkin breakfast, brunch, and snack recipe! It’s got all-of-the-delicious-things, wrapped up in one light, moist, and mouthwatering cake. Tender pumpkin spice cake swirled with a buttery cinnamon-sugar filling, and topped with sweet vanilla glaze is sure to be a family-pleasing standby in your fall baking rotation.

From top left: Light brown sugar, flour, melted butter, pumpkin puree, powdered sugar, oil, butter, granulated sugar, milk, baking powder, salt, pumpkin pie spice, cinnamon, eggs, vanilla.

The List of Ingredients

There are basically three parts to this recipe: the main pumpkin cake part, the streusel-like filling that gets mixed into the cake, and the delightfully sweet, creamy glaze. Let’s take a closer look:

For the Cake

Flour: All-purpose flour is the basis of the cake portion of this recipe.
Salt: I use kosher salt, but any kind is fine.
Pumpkin Pie Spice: Store-bought is great, or you can make your own.
Baking Powder: Make sure to use baking powder, not baking soda, or the cake won’t be light!
Sugar: I use a mix of granulated sugar and brown sugar to give the cake a little more depth.
Pumpkin: Canned (or homemade) pumpkin puree gives this cake its name!
Buttermilk: For a tangy, refreshing note. If you don’t have buttermilk, just mix a teaspoon of vinegar or lemon juice with enough fresh milk to make 1 cup. Let it stand for 5 minutes, stir, and it’s ready to use!
Oil: Vegetable oil makes the cake light and moist.
Eggs: A couple of large whole eggs, plus an extra egg yolk for richness. You can save the unused egg white for a breakfast scramble!
Vanilla: Pure vanilla extract gives the best flavor.

For the Cake Filling

Butter: Soften the butter before making the filling.
Brown Sugar: Dark or light brown sugar is fine – use whichever one you prefer. Dark brown sugar has a more intense molasses taste, so keep that in mind.
Flour: Again, all-purpose flour is all you need here, nothing fancy!
Cinnamon: Ground cinnamon gives this filling such a delightful fall flavor.

For the Glaze

Powdered Sugar: Powdered sugar dissolves easily in liquid, making a silky, milky glaze with no hassle.
Milk: Speaking of milk, you’ll need a couple of tablespoons of your favorite milk to dissolve the sugar.
Vanilla: A small amount of vanilla extract takes the glaze from “pretty good” to “oh my goodness, how did you make that?”

Pumpkin cake with a sweet glaze, next to a cup of coffee.

Are Canned Pumpkin and Pumpkin Puree the Same Thing?

Buyer beware – canned pumpkin puree isn’t the same as canned pumpkin pie filling, and these two can’t be substituted. The difference is that canned pumpkin pie filling is designed to be poured right into a crust and baked to make pumpkin pie. For that reason, it’s loaded with ingredients like pumpkin spice, dairy (or non-dairy) items, sugar, etc.

So watch those labels, and make sure you buy plain, canned pumpkin for this cake. Pumpkin puree will usually say “100% pumpkin” on the label somewhere, and of course, you can always check the ingredients to make sure.

Pumpkin Cinnamon Roll Cake makes a great breakfast, brunch, or dessert! You’ll adore the buttery cinnamon filling and sweet pumpkin flavor.

Overhead shot of a table with two servings of cake, a cup of coffee, and autumn decorations.

Let’s Bake a Cake!

As with most cakes, this follows the usual pattern: combine the dry ingredients, combine the wet ingredients, and then combine those two mixtures together! The buttery topping makes everything even tastier.

Prep the Pan and Oven. To start, set the oven to preheat to 350°F, and grease a 9×13-inch baking pan with non-stick baking spray.
Combine the Dry Cake Ingredients. In a mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, pumpkin pie spice, baking powder and both sugars. Set aside.
Combine the Wet Ingredients. In another mixing bowl, stir the pumpkin puree, buttermilk, vegetable oil, eggs, and vanilla together until smooth.

Two mixing bowls, seen from above. One has eggs, pumpkin, and other wet ingredients, as well as a spatula. The other has flour, cinnamon, and other dry ingredients.

Dry cake ingredients being stirred into wet cake ingredients.

Combine Both Mixtures. Gradually add the flour mixture into the pumpkin mixture, stirring or whisking until combined.

Add the Filling Mixture. Pour the cake batter into the prepared baking pan. Next, in a separate bowl, combine the filling ingredients, mixing with a fork. Spoon this over the cake batter, and use a knife to swirl the two together.

A glass pan filled with pumpkin cake batter, with dollops of buttery cinnamon filling dropped all over the surface of the batter.

Cake batter with butter-cinnamon filling being swirled in with a butter knife.

Bake! Place the cake pan in the oven, and bake until a toothpick inserted in the middle of the cake comes out clean. This should take about 40 minutes.
Cool Slightly and Make the Glaze. Once the cake is done, take it out of the oven and let it cool for around 10 minutes. While it cools, make the glaze by whisking the powdered sugar, 2 tablespoons of milk and vanilla extract in a small bowl. (If your glaze is too thick, add the extra tablespoon of milk.)

Vanilla glaze being drizzled over a pumpkin spice cake.

Enjoy! Drizzle the glaze over the cake, and serve warm.

A glass baking dish with cake covered in a thick white glaze.

Tips and Tricks

Pumpkin, swirls, and cake pans, oh my! These helpful hints will give you even more ideas for making this sweet, homestyle pumpkin cake. Enjoy!

Assembly Instructions: Another way to assemble this cake is to pour half the batter into the pan, sprinkle with half the topping, and swirl it in. Then pour the remaining batter on top, followed by the remaining topping. Bake!
Bars vs. Cake: This can also be made in a larger pan and will be more like bars instead of cake.
Frosting vs. Glaze: If you prefer frosted cinnamon rolls to glazed cinnamon rolls, then you might like to top this cake with frosting instead of glaze. Cream cheese frosting would be great!

A serving of pumpkin cinnamon roll cake being lifted from a glass baking dish.

Easy Variations

But wait, there’s more! You can tweak this recipe in lots of amazing ways, and I’ve collected some of the most delicious ideas right here. Read on, and happy baking!

Add Mix-Ins: Chopped nuts, raisins, and white chocolate chips would all add even more oomph to this cozy cake. Just fold them right in.
Add Caramel Sauce: The Caramel Sauce in this recipe is easy to make, and would be fantastic drizzled over the top of the cake, in place of the glaze.
Add Praline: If you really want to go all out, omit the glaze and replace it with this unbelievable Pecan Praline Sauce! It’s incredibly decadent!

A fork lifting a bite of pumpkin cinnamon roll cake toward the camera.

Storing Instructions

It’s so easy to store this! Like many cakes, it doesn’t even need to be refrigerated. Just cover it tightly and keep it on the counter for up to 5 days.

Can I Freeze Pumpkin Cinnamon Roll Cake?

Sure can! To do so successfully, cut it into pieces and wrap each piece tightly in plastic wrap. Then pop the pieces in a large freezer bag, or wrap in a layer of foil. Mark with the date, and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw before serving.

A serving of pumpkin cinnamon roll cake with vanilla glaze, next to a cup of black coffee. In the background of the shot are autumn decorations and a glass baking dish with the rest of the cake.

4.8 from 4 votes

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Yield: 15 Servings