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Cinnamon Roll Coffee Cake

Cinnamon Roll Coffee Cake with Toasted Pecans

All the delicious flavor of fresh baked cinnamon rolls in an easy-to-make moist cake. The perfect breakfast for overnight guests or a weekend treat for the family.
Course Breakfast, Brunch
Cuisine American
Tags Breakfast, brunch, Cinnamon Roll Coffee Cake, coffee cake
Prep Time 25 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Servings 20
Author Christoph

Ingredients

Cake

  • 3 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • 4 teaspoons baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1 ½ cups whole milk
  • 2 large eggs
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 6 tablespoon unsalted butter melted

Cinnamon Swirl

  • 2 sticks unsalted butter softened
  • 1 cup light brown sugar packed
  • 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
  • 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
  • ¼ teaspoon fresh grated nutmeg
  • ¼ cup toasted pecans finely chopped

Icing

  • 2 cups confectioners’ sugar sifted
  • 5 tablespoons whole milk more if needed for consistency
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • ½ cup toasted pecans chopped

Method

  1. Position the rack in the center of oven and heat to 350°F. Grease a 9” x 13” baking dish with butter

Cake

  1. In a large mixing bowl sift together all dry ingredients. In a separate bowl combine wet ingredients.
  2. Mix the wet into the dry about a third at a time making sure to completely combine. Pour batter into prepared baking dish.

Cinnamon swirl

  1. In a medium-sized bowl combine all ingredients including the nuts, mix well. Even drop dollops of the brown sugar mixture over the cake batter, and swirl with a knife to marble.

Bake

  1. Bake for 35 – 40 minutes or until the edges are lightly browned and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
  2. Remove from oven and place on a wire rack to cool.

Icing

  1. Combine powdered sugar, vanilla and cream. Mix until smooth and creamy adding more cream if needed a little at a time. Icing should be smooth and easy to stir but not thin. While the cake is still warm but not hot, sprinkle with about half of the toasted pecans. Drizzle the icing evenly over the entire cake, the icing will melt nicely and flow to cover the cake. Top with the remaining nuts before the icing sets.
  2. Serve at room temperature or slightly warmed.

Cooks Notes

Using walnuts or almond instead of pecans would also be be delicious or skip the nuts completely if you prefer. 

The addition of raisins or dried cranberries to the cinnamon swirl would also be good.  I would suggest chopping them a bit to make it easier to swirl them in to the batter.