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Easy Pumpkin Cinnamon Roll Cake

This Easy Pumpkin Cinnamon Roll Cake is soft and moist, with a sweet cinnamon swirl all topped with a drizzle of glaze icing. This cake recipe starts with a cake mix and is prepped in minutes! The perfect fall breakfast!

Make sure you try my classic Easy Cinnamon Roll Cake too…it’s a family favorite recipe!

Pumpkin Cinnamon Roll Cake Is the Perfect Fall Breakfast!

This Easy Pumpkin Cinnamon Roll Cake is a fall version of my Easy Cinnamon Roll cake that is a beloved recipe here on Cookies and Cups. I thought it would be a fun one to add a little pumpkin too, and seeing how much you all love the original, I knew it would be a great idea. And I’ll tell you…it is AMAZING. All the non pumpkin lovers here in my house absolutely adore this cake. It’s an easy recipe that is as perfect for holiday entertaining, as it is a weekend brunch. Enjoy it in the morning with  a cup of coffee, as an afternoon snack, or for dessert!

What To Expect: 

  • Prep time is less than 10 minutes! You start with a cake mix, so you can have this in the oven quick!
  • A cake that you can serve either warm or at room temperature, which makes it great for both holiday entertaining or a weekend breakfast!
  • A soft pumpkin cake that is swirled with ribbons of cinnamon sugar all topped with a sweet glaze icing.
  • This is a no fail cake recipe that your friends and family will absolutely love.
pumpkin cake on a spatula being served

Ingredients For This Easy Pumpkin Cinnamon Roll Cake:

  • Cake Mix 
  • Pumpkin pie spice (a mixture of cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and allspice or cloves)  
  • Eggs
  • Pumpkin puree
  • Milk 
  • Oil. You can use any light colored oil like vegetable or canola.
  • Vanilla extract
  • Light brown sugar
  • Ground cinnamon
  • Powdered sugar. You will use this for the quick icing glaze on top!

Can You Make This Cake Using Real Pumpkin?

Yes you can, although the beauty of this Pumpkin Cinnamon Roll Cake recipe is that it’s so quick and easy. So don’t go to the trouble of seeding, roasting, blending, and draining fresh pumpkin just for this recipe. If you’ve already prepped fresh pumpkin and need to use it, absolutely! But don’t go the extra step here. This is a quick recipe that starts with a cake mix, so save that fresh pumpkin for my Pumpkin Sausage Pasta Recipe!

What Kind Of Cake Mix Can Be Used?

I use a 15.25 ounce box yellow cake mix in this Pumpkin Cake recipe. I will note that I had a box of cake mix that was 18 ounces on my shelf as well and I tested the recipe using that box too and it came out perfectly. This recipe is extremely forgiving (as most cake mix recipes are) and the 3 ounce difference didn’t change the result in anyway. 15.25 ounce cake mixes seem to be easier to find, but if you happen to have the larger size it will work! With all that said, you don’t have to stick to just yellow cake mix. Here are a few other flavors you can use:

  • Butter Cake Mix
  • White Cake Mix
  • Spice Cake Mix (although if you use Spice Cake, omit the pumpkin spice in the recipe!)
  • French Vanilla
  • Even Carrot Cake mix would work!

More Pumpkin Recipes Using Cake Mix:

swirling cinnamon sugar into pumpkin cake

Instructions:

  1. Cake: Preheat the oven to 325°F. Coat a 9×13 pan with nonstick spray and set aside.
  2. In the bowl of a stand mixer combine the cake mix, pumpkin pie spice, eggs, pumpkin, milk, oil, vanilla. Mix on low for 30 seconds and then raise the speed to medium and mix for 2 minutes, scraping the sides of the bowl as necessary.
  3. Spread the cake batter into your prepared pan. In a medium bowl whisk together the brown sugar and cinnamon. Sprinkle this evenly on top of your cake.
  4. Using a butter knife gently swirl the cinnamon sugar into the cake batter. Don’t over-swirl, as you want ribbons of the mixture throughout the cake.
  5. Bake for 35-40 minutes or until a toothpick entered into the center of the cake comes out clean.
  6. Cool cake for 15-20 minutes.
  7. Icing: In a medium bowl whisk together the powdered sugar and milk. Pour this over the slightly warm cake. Allow the icing to set, or eat right away.

Can You Use Cream Cheese Frosting Instead?

Yes you absolutely can, but I will warn you, this cake recipe is pretty sweet on its own, so the drizzle of glaze icing compliments it perfectly, and a cream cheese frosting could make this a little too rich and sweet. BUT if yo just love cream cheese frosting, go for it! My recipe for cream cheese frosting can be cut in half and thinned out slightly to work as more of an icing by adding a little more milk.

a slice of pumpkin cinnamon roll cake from a 9x13 pan

Variations:

  1. Can This Cake Be Made As A Layer Cake? Yes it absolutely can! Prep the batter as stated and use 2 ( 8 or 9 inch) round cake pans. Swirl the cinnamon sugar mixture into the batter in the cake pan and bake for 25 – 30 minutes. 
  2. Can You Make These Muffins? Yes you can. Prep the recipe and fill muffin liners 2/3 full. Divide the cinnamon sugar mixture evenly among the muffins. You will yield abut 24 muffins. 
Pumpkin Cinnamon Swirl Cake on a plate with icing

Love Pumpkin? Here Are A Few More Pumpkin Recipes You Will Love!

Print
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A slice of Pumpkin Cinnamon Roll Cake on a plate

Easy Pumpkin Cinnamon Roll Cake

  • Author: Shelly
  • Prep Time: 10 minutes
  • Cook Time: 40 minutes
  • Total Time: 50 minutes
  • Yield: serves 10 1x
  • Category: Cake
  • Method: Oven
  • Cuisine: Dessert

Description

This Easy Pumpkin Cinnamon Roll Cake is soft and moist, with a sweet cinnamon swirl all topped with a drizzle of glaze icing. The perfect fall breakfast!


Ingredients

Scale

Cake

  • 1 (15.25 ounce) package yellow cake mix
  • 2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 (15 ounce) can pumpkin puree
  • 1/2 cup milk 
  • 1/3 cup oil
  • 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
  • 1 cup light brown sugar
  • 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon

Icing:

  • 2 cups powdered sugar
  • 3 tablespoons milk

Instructions

  1. Cake: Preheat the oven to 325°F. Coat a 9×13 pan with nonstick spray and set aside.
  2. In the bowl of your stand mixer combine the cake mix, pumpkin pie spice, eggs, pumpkin, milk, oil, vanilla. Mix on low for 30 seconds and then raise the speed to medium and mix for 2 minutes, scraping the sides of the bowl as necessary.
  3. Spread the cake batter into your prepared pan. In a medium bowl whisk together the brown sugar and cinnamon. Sprinkle this evenly on top of your cake.
  4. Using a butter knife gently swirl the cinnamon sugar into the cake batter. Don’t over-swirl, as you want ribbons of the mixture throughout the cake.
  5. Bake for 35-40 minutes or until a toothpick entered into the center of the cake comes out clean.
  6. Cool cake for 15-20 minutes.
  7. Icing: In a medium bowl whisk together the powdered sugar and milk. Pour this over the slightly warm cake. Allow the icing to set, or eat right away.

Notes

Store airtight at room temperature for up to 3 days.

Keywords: cookies and cups, cake, pumpkin cake, cake mix recipe

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9 comments on “Easy Pumpkin Cinnamon Roll Cake”

  1. I made this cake a few days ago, and it is absolutely delicious and oh-so easy! I did use heaping spoonfuls on the spices! Yummy

  2. Debbe’ Baker

    This cake sounds amazing! My grandson loves cinnamon rolls and this is the best recipe I’ve found to date to try! I’m making this for Thanksgiving this year. I might have to make one for a taste test first! “YUM EE!”Id use a spice Cake instead of yellow, for added flavor, and a cream cheese frosting with an 8 oz. tub of cool whip folded in for frosting. Id also add 1-C of toasted chopped.pecans .

    1. I have never done done, so I can’t report back on how it would be, however pumpkin butter has sugar and spices so I know the flavor would be much different.

  3. OHMYGOODNESS! I baked this in two layers & assembled with a little glaze in between… It looked so gorgeous on my cake plate, smelled divine & caused multiple requests for the recipe from the party-goers who ate it. Thank you Shelly for letting my friends assume I’m some kind of a baker!

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