Cinnamon Roll Cream Cheese Pound Cake
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This Cinnamon Roll Cream Cheese Pound Cake has a brown sugar cinnamon swirl layered through every slice, a rich cream cheese batter that stays soft for days, and a pourable cream cheese icing drizzled over the top. All the flavor of a cinnamon roll, none of the yeast dough, and significantly less patience required.
If you love my Cinnabon Cinnamon Rolls but have approximately zero interest in making a yeast dough on a Tuesday, this is your cake. All the cinnamon swirl, all the cream cheese icing, none of the waiting around for dough to rise. Just a rich, buttery pound cake with a cinnamon brown sugar ribbon running through every single slice.
Why This Recipe Works
The cream cheese in the batter is doing what cream cheese always does in a pound cake, which is making it richer, more tender, and significantly harder to stop eating. The sour cream adds moisture and a very subtle tang that balances the sweetness. Together they give you a crumb that stays soft for days instead of turning into a doorstop by tomorrow morning.
The cinnamon swirl is layered, not dumped. One third of the batter, one third of the swirl, repeat. Then one gentle swirl with a butter knife through the whole thing. This is where I need you to trust the process and also trust yourself not to go wild with the knife. One or two passes. That’s it. Go overboard and you lose the ribbon effect entirely and end up with a vaguely cinnamon colored cake instead of those gorgeous bakery style ribbons. Restraint is a virtue here.
The cream cheese icing is the cinnamon roll moment. Pourable, tangy, sweet, and it sets into a thin layer over the top of the cake. If you want to lean even further into the cinnamon roll aesthetic, sprinkle a little cinnamon sugar over the icing before it sets. Nobody will complain.
Ingredients In Cinnamon Roll Cream Cheese Pound Cake
- Unsalted butter (room temperature): Actually room temperature. Soft enough that your finger leaves an indent. Cold butter will not cream properly and you will know it when the batter looks wrong.
- Cream cheese (room temperature): Same rule. Room temperature or you will spend 5 minutes fighting lumps. Not worth it.
- Granulated sugar: Standard white sugar. Nothing fancy.
- Eggs (room temperature): Room temperature eggs incorporate more smoothly and help prevent the batter from curdling when added. Cold eggs can cause the batter to look broken. Still tastes fine but stressful to look at.
- Vanilla extract: A generous amount goes into both the batter and the icing. This cake can handle it.
- Cinnamon: Goes into the batter itself for subtle warmth underneath the swirl, and into the swirl mixture where it is very much the star of the show.
- Cake flour: Not all purpose. Cake flour gives you that fine tender crumb that makes pound cake worth making. Don’t swap it out.
- Salt and baking soda: A small amount of baking soda gives the batter just enough lift without turning this into a regular cake.
- Sour cream (room temperature): Adds moisture and a slight tang that balances the sweetness. Full fat only here.
- Light brown sugar: The base of the cinnamon swirl. Gives it that caramel depth and sticky ribbon effect.
- All purpose flour (just a little, for the swirl): Helps the swirl hold together and not sink straight to the bottom of the cake.
- Powdered sugar: For the icing. Sift it if you want a smooth lump free drizzle.
- Milk: Goes into the icing. Start with less and add more until you get a consistency that drizzles beautifully without running off the cake completely.
How to Make Cinnamon Roll Cream Cheese Pound Cake
Preheat the oven to 325°F and grease and flour your bundt pan like you mean it. Every crevice. Every curve. This is the step that determines whether you get a beautiful cake or a beautiful disaster. More on the bundt pan situation below.
Mix the cinnamon swirl ingredients together in a bowl and set aside. This takes about 2 minutes and should be done first so it’s ready when you need it.
Beat the butter, cream cheese, and sugar together for a full 5 minutes until very light and fluffy. This is not a suggestion. The 5 minutes of beating is where the structure of the cake is built so don’t cut it short because you’re impatient. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each one, then mix in the vanilla and cinnamon.
Whisk the cake flour, salt, and baking soda together in a separate bowl. Add the dry ingredients to the batter alternating with the sour cream, starting and ending with the flour. Mix just until combined after each addition. Stop the moment the flour disappears.
Now the layering. Spoon one third of the batter into the prepared bundt pan. Drizzle one third of the cinnamon swirl over the batter. Repeat twice more, finishing with the swirl on top. Take a butter knife and swirl it through the batter once or twice. One or two passes. That is all. Put the knife down. Walk away from the knife.
Bake for 1 hour 10 minutes to 1 hour 20 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean or with just a few moist crumbs. Cool in the pan for 15 minutes then invert onto a wire rack and cool completely before icing.
Beat the cream cheese and butter together until smooth, add the powdered sugar, vanilla, salt, and 2 tablespoons of milk, and beat until creamy and pourable. Add more milk if needed. Drizzle over the cooled cake, sprinkle with a little cinnamon, and let it set before slicing. Or don’t wait and eat it warm with a coffee. No judgment.
The Bundt Pan Situation
Same rule as always and worth repeating every single time because this is where people go wrong.
Grease every crevice of the pan with softened butter or shortening, then add flour and tap the pan to coat every surface before dumping out the excess. Cooking spray alone is not enough. Cooking spray alone will let you down and you will be standing there holding two pieces of cake instead of one beautiful bundt and that is a very bad feeling.
Cool in the pan for exactly 15 minutes before inverting. Not 5. Not straight away. Not 45 minutes because you forgot about it. 15 minutes. Then flip.
Tips and Tricks
- Everything at room temperature. Butter, cream cheese, eggs, sour cream. All of it. This is not optional, it is structural.
- Beat the butter and cream cheese for the full 5 minutes. The extra time matters for texture.
- Alternate the dry ingredients and sour cream. This keeps the batter smooth and prevents overmixing.
- One or two swirls with the knife. This cannot be overstated. The ribbon effect requires restraint.
- Start checking at 1 hour 10 minutes. Ovens vary and this is a dense cake. Toothpick test is your guide.
- Serve slightly warm with coffee. It is ridiculously good this way. The cinnamon swirl gets a little gooey and the icing softens slightly and suddenly you understand why this cake exists.
Try These Recipes Next
- Pound Cake Recipe
- Old Fashioned Chocolate Pound Cake
- Super Moist Chocolate Bundt Cake with Ganache
- Rum Cake
- Condensed Milk Pound Cake
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Cinnamon Roll Cream Cheese Pound Cake
Ingredients
For the Cake
- 1½ cups unsalted butter (room temperature)
- 8 ounces cream cheese (room temperature)
- 2½ cups granulated sugar
- 6 large eggs (room temperature)
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- 3 cups cake flour
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 cup sour cream (room temperature)
For the Cinnamon Swirl
- ⅓ cup unsalted butter (melted)
- ¾ cup light brown sugar (packed )
- 1 tablespoon all purpose flour
- 1½ tablespoons ground cinnamon
- Pinch of salt
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
For the Cream Cheese Icing
- 4 ounces cream cheese (room temperature)
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter (room temperature)
- 1½ cups powdered sugar
- 2 to 3 tablespoons milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Pinch of salt
Before You Begin! If you make this, please leave a review and rating letting us know how you liked this recipe! This helps our business thrive & continue providing free recipes.
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 325°F (163°C). Generously grease and flour a 10 to 12 cup Bundt pan.
- In a medium bowl, stir together the ⅓ cup melted butter, ¾ cup brown sugar, 1 tablespoon flour, 1½ tablespoons cinnamon, pinch of salt, and 1 teaspoon vanilla extract until combined. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, beat the 1½ cups unsalted butter, 8 ounces cream cheese, and 2½ cups granulated sugar together for about 5 minutes until very light and fluffy.
- Add the 6 eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Mix in the 1 tablespoon vanilla extract and ½ teaspoon cinnamon.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the 3 cups cake flour, 1 teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon baking soda.
- Add the dry ingredients to the batter alternating with the 1 cup sour cream, beginning and ending with the flour mixture. Mix just until combined.
- Spoon about one third of the batter into the prepared Bundt pan. Drizzle about one third of the cinnamon swirl mixture over the batter. Repeat the layers two more times, finishing with the swirl. Use a butter knife to gently swirl through the batter once or twice. Do not go wild here or you’ll lose the ribbon effect completely.
- Bake for 1 hour 10 minutes to 1 hour 20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs.
- Cool the cake in the pan for 15 minutes before carefully inverting onto a wire rack to cool completely.
- For the icing, beat the 4 ounces cream cheese and 2 tablespoons butter together until smooth. Add the 1½ cups powdered sugar, 2 tablespoons milk, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, and pinch of salt. Beat until creamy and pourable. Add another tablespoon of milk if needed.
- Drizzle the icing over the cooled cake and sprinkle with a bit of cinnamon. Let it set slightly before slicing.
Equipment
Notes
- The cream cheese keeps the cake rich and soft for days instead of turning dry and crumbly by tomorrow morning.
- Layering the cinnamon swirl instead of dumping it all in one spot gives you those gorgeous bakery style ribbons throughout the cake.
- This cake is ridiculously good slightly warm with coffee.
- If you want it even more cinnamon roll inspired, sprinkle a little cinnamon sugar over the icing before it sets.
Nutrition Information
Notice: Nutrition is auto-calculated for your convenience. Where relevant, we recommend using your own nutrition calculations.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I use all purpose flour instead of cake flour?
You can make a substitute. For each cup of cake flour, use ¾ cup plus 2 tablespoons all purpose flour and 2 tablespoons cornstarch, sifted together. For 3 cups of cake flour that is 2 cups plus 6 tablespoons all purpose flour and 6 tablespoons cornstarch. It is not identical but it gets you close.
Why did my cinnamon swirl sink?
The tablespoon of flour in the swirl mixture helps prevent this but if the swirl is too heavy or the batter is too thin it can sink. Make sure your batter is properly beaten and full fat sour cream is used.
Can I make this ahead of time?
Yes. The cake keeps well wrapped at room temperature for up to 3 days. Ice it the day you plan to serve it for the best presentation.
Can I freeze it?
Yes. Freeze uniced and wrapped tightly for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight at room temperature and ice before serving.
Why did my bundt cake stick?
Almost always insufficient greasing and flouring, or inverting too soon or too late. See the bundt pan section above. Grease every single crevice.
