Cake Mix Cinnamon Rolls. That's right. Cinnamon rolls made with cake mix. Are you ready?
My family and I are cinnamon roll addicts. I'm pretty sure we could eat them every morning for breakfast and never. ever. get bored.
And truly - we're not picky. We love homemade from scratch. We love Pillsbury out of the can. We even made some into waffles recently...
now doesn't that look yummy too? They're super duper easy Cinnamon Roll Waffles ... from a can of Pillsbury Cinnamon Rolls. Boom!
Anywho. When I first started seeing Cake Mix Cinnamon Rolls pop up on Pinterest, I was immediately intrigued. Ya'll know I love a cake mix and when you combine that with cinnamon rolls... could you really go wrong? I think not.
It only took me forever a few months to get around to actually making them, but now that I have... there's no going back! As soon as I snapped a few pictures, the kids and husband cleared out half of them within minutes...
These cake mix cinnamon rolls are super easy and just as delicious as they sound. I must tell you, they're not as fast as the ones out of can, but you do most of the work the night before and they come together easily in the morning. And the variations... unlimited!
You could use confetti cake mix to make a birthday morning breakfast or carrot cake mix in the fall for a fun twist on things or chocolate cake mix... can you imagine? Chocolate Breakfast Rolls. Oh my goodness I need to try that soon!
So anyway... I digress. But wait - chocolate rolls for breakfast? I may have stumbled onto something brilliant here. Ha!
Okay so really. Have you ever made anything like these? Do you make cinnamon rolls from scratch, eat the ones from a can, or avoid them altogether (what is wrong with you??) 😉
Here's the recipe (adapted from Food.com):
PrintRecipe
Cake Mix Cinnamon Rolls
Ingredients
For the rolls:
- 2 packages of quick rise yeast (or 4 ½ teaspoons if you buy in bulk like I do!)
- 2 ½ cups of warm water
- 1 box of yellow cake mix
- 2 teaspoons vanilla
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 5 cups all-purpose flour, plus extra for your surface
For the filling:
- 2 cups of brown sugar
- ½ cup butter, melted
- 1-2 teaspoons cinnamon (or to taste)
- Raisins and/or nuts, optional
For the icing:
- 6 tablespoons butter, melted
- 3 cups powdered sugar
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2 -3 tablespoons milk
Instructions
- In a large mixing bowl, mix together the yeast and water until dissolved. Add the cake mix, vanilla, salt and flour. Mix well and form into a ball of dough.
- Cover with a towel and let the dough rise for 1 hour in a warm place. Punch down and then it rest for at least 10 minutes.
- On lightly floured surface, roll dough into rectangle about ¼ inch thick. Using a pastry brush, cover the surface of the dough with the melted butter for the filling. Then sprinkle generously with the brown sugar and cinnamon. You could also sprinkle nuts and/or raisins on here if you want.
- Roll up from the long side and slice into 24 equal rolls. Arrange on a greased jelly roll pan (cookie sheet) or in two separate 9x13" dishes. Cover again and let them rise until doubled in size - around 20 more minutes.
- If you're making these the night before, this is where you'd stick them in the frig (before letting them rise for 20 more minutes). Instead, tightly cover the cookie sheet with plastic wrap and refrigerate. In the morning, set them out for 20-30 minutes to rise, then bake as follows below.
- Bake at 350° degrees for 15-20 minutes, or until golden-brown.
- While they're baking, mix up the icing in a small mixing bowl and pour over the rolls when they're done!
- **Note - my kids helped make these and I think we did something wrong on the icing - there wasn't nearly enough of it!! The next time we make these, we'll either double the icing or try a different recipe!
Della
Yum, love these things. My children are crazy about them!
Mallory
I have seen them on Pinterest too and I have always wanted to try them. They look and sound delicious!
Tasnim
Hi Rose,
Thanks for your amazing tutorials. I'm in South Africa and not too sure about the box yellow cake mix? Is this any box cake mix and what is the measurement exactly?
Rose
Our cake mixes are 15.25 oz. You could certainly try it with a cake mix available to you and see how it works out!
Tasnim
Thank you.
refilwe
I love cinnamon rolls and this recipe seems so easy to make and delicious! So what if I can't find the yellow cake mix? What can I use?
Rose
You can use any flavor cake mix but I'd recommend yellow, white, or butter.
Ruth Richello
Hi Rose, i'm so new at this I hope i'm doing it right. I very excited about your wonderful delishly sounding recipes. Like I said l'm so new at this, i hope I don't loose you but please note that if I do please know that i'm not a spammer? And i really enjoy your recipes so please keep in touch even if I loose you.
Heather
I am not much of a cake mix fan, but tried these since kneading isn't required (my arthritic hands don't knead so well anymore)...WOW!!! My whole family loves these, even my mom who's very proud of her own recipe. These are so light and fluffy, I have made them three times in a month by family request!
Rose
So happy to hear it Heather! Merry Christmas!
Helen
Where is it you put 5 cups flour no directions on instructions
Rose
#1 in the insructions on the recipe card.
Jeanie
Is it possible to freeze these rolls to enjoy some at another time? My family isnt quite as big as yours. I am wandering if at the point in the recipe where they go into the refrigerator overnight, if they could be frozen at this step.
Rose
I haven't tried to freeze this dough but usually you can freeze yeast-based breads before the second rise.
Amber Dudley
I love this so much!