A giant cinnamon roll baked in a pie plate or cast iron skillet is the ultimate fun and indulgent breakfast or coffee-break treat!
Don’t say I didn’t warn you!! This pillowy, soft, cinnamon-laced roll is VERY HARD TO RESIST, and let’s just say…I didn’t. When you need a special treat that isn’t too fussy or fancy, this giant cinnamon roll is sure to be a crowd pleaser. An optional overnight rise also means that it’s easy to bake up in the morning and serve warm, which is exactly how it should be served, in my opinion. Holiday mornings just got a little sweeter!
why make a giant cinnamon roll?
This super-sized cinnamon roll ‘cake’ makes a really fun visual presentation and is so fun to cut into slices. You still get those nice layers with a super soft center. I found that baking this cinnamon roll in a stoneware pie plate also made for a nice even bake — the edges were golden but not too overdone, and the middle was soft without being doughy.
This recipe uses a simple dough based on my quick dinner rolls to create a soft, pillowy and scaled up version of your favorite home baked cinnamon rolls. A simple and fast rising dough means that it’s quick enough to whip up during a lazy weekend morning, or to assemble the night before.
how to assemble a giant cinnamon roll cake
The dough, filling, and glaze are all very simple and easy to make, I’d say the trickiest part of this recipe is assembling the cinnamon roll in your pan – but don’t panic! Follow these steps and you (and your cinnamon roll) will be golden.
- Take your time patting your dough out into a neat rectangle and spread the filling as evenly as you can over the dough.
- Use a sharp knife or a pizza cutter to cut the rectangle into 4 narrow strips (cut in half, lengthwise, and then each half again, lengthwise.)
- Take one strip of dough and roll it up from the short end, like you would make a regular cinnamon bun. Place the roll in the center of your prepared baking dish.
- Next, you’re going to want to join the remaining strips to the spiral of dough you put in the center of the baking dish. The dough is soft and stretchy, so this can get a little tricky, but my best advice is just to handle it gently and not worry about things looking too perfect. Once the dough has had a chance to rise a second time and bake in the oven, it will come out looking just fine! Plus it all gets covered in glaze anyway.
- Gently pinch together the short ends of the strips of dough as you join them in the pan.
- Don’t worry if your dough doesn’t fill up your pan – it will expand as it rises and bakes.
giant cinnamon roll variations
Oh, the possibilities!! So many ways to vary this up (I’m planning at least 2 or 3 in my head for the holidays already), where to start??
- Choose another spice or spice blend for the filling, like cardamom, gingerbread spice, pumpkin spice, or how about lemon sugar?
- Spread raspberry jam for the filling and top with sliced almonds. Use almond extract in the glaze.
- Use dried cranberries in the filling with orange zest, and finish with an orange glaze.
- Add finely chopped nuts or almond paste.
- Add finely diced apple or apple butter to the filling.
- Use a bit of cream cheese in the the frosting for a thicker, tangier topping.
pan choice
- I choose a ceramic pie plate for even cooking.
- A springform pan can be used for easy removal and serving.
- A cast-iron skillet gives a rustic look but may result in crustier edges.
giant cinnamon roll storage
Store your cinnamon roll cake at room temperature for 1-2 days, covered with plastic or foil.
freezing instructions (Up to 3 Months)
- Wrap the roll tightly in plastic wrap and then in aluminum foil to prevent freezer burn.
- To thaw, let it sit at room temperature for several hours or overnight in the fridge. Warm in a 300F oven for 10–15 minutes before serving.
dietary modifications
Ingredient Substitutions:
- For dairy-free, use plant-based butter and milk (e.g., almond, oat).
- For gluten-free, use a 1:1 gluten-free flour blend with xanthan gum.
- Replace refined granulated sugar with natural alternatives like coconut sugar or maple sugar. To sub for powdered sugar blend the sugar in a high speed blender or food processor with a small amount of cornstarch or arrowroot to achieve a powdered texture.
Giant Cinnamon Roll
Wow everybody with this fabulous giant cinnamon roll 'cake' ~ it's a crowd pleasing breakfast for holidays and special occasions.
Servings: 8 servings
Equipment
- 9 inch pie plate
- stand mixer optional but helpful
Ingredients
for the cinnamon roll dough
for the filling
- 4 tbsp butter
- 3/4 cup brown sugar
- 3 tsp cinnamon
- 2 Tbsp flour
- 1/8 tsp salt
for the icing
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 1 tbsp butter
- 3 Tbsp milk
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- pinch salt
Instructions
- In a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook attachment, combine the lukewarm water, yeast, and sugar. Allow to proof for 10 minutes.
- Meanwhile, gently heat the butter and milk until lukewarm, about 110F. You can do this in a small saucepan on the stovetop or in a microwave safe dish in the microwave. Note: Be sure the mixture is cooled to lukewarm: warm to the touch but not hot, before adding to the other ingredients or you can kill the yeast. Check the temperature with a kitchen thermometer if you're not sure.
- Add the milk and butter mixture along with the vanilla to the yeast mixture. Add the salt and mix briefly to combine.
- Add the flour, and mix slowly until a shaggy dough forms. Allow the machine to continue kneading the dough for another 2 minutes on low speed.
- Transfer dough to a lightly oiled bowl, and cover tightly. Allow the dough to rise in a warm spot for 25 minutes.
- While the dough is rising, make the cinnamon filling. Melt the butter in a small bowl in the microwave. Mix in the sugar, flour, cinnamon, and salt. You should have a thick paste-like consistency.
- When it is done rising, remove the dough to a lightly floured surface and gently pat into a rectangle about 8 x 10 inches.
- Use a spoon to dot the cinnamon filling evenly over the dough and then spread it out into an even layer. You don't need to be completely perfect, just get it as even as you can, all the way to the edges.
- Using a pizza cutter or a sharp knife, slice the rectangle in half lengthwise, and then do the same for each half. You should have four long, narrow strips of dough.
- Take one strip and roll it up like you would make a single cinnamon roll. Place this in the center of your prepared pie plate or skillet.
- Next, take another strip of dough (handle it gently so it doesn't stretch out too much), and continue to wrap around the first spiral of dough. Pinch the two ends together where they meet. Repeat for the other two strips of dough, continuing to wind around for one "giant" cinnamon roll.
- Don't worry if your cinnamon roll looks a little wonky or doesn't fill up the pie plate. The dough will expand a bit more during the second rise, and while it bakes. Plus, once you cover the whole thing in glaze, no one will be looking at the details!
- At this point you can let the dough rise in a warm spot for another 25 minutes. Or you can cover the unbaked cinnamon roll tightly in plastic wrap and set in the fridge to rise overnight.
- If you've left the dough to rise in the fridge overnight, take it out for about 30 minutes to come to room temperature before baking.
- Preheat oven to 400F. Bake the cinnamon roll for 25-35 minutes until golden brown. If it looks like it's getting too brown on top, cover loosely with a piece of tinfoil.
- Remove from the oven and allow to cool partially before glazing.
- To make the glaze, first melt the butter (I do this in a small bowl in the microwave). Combine the melted butter, powdered sugar, milk, and vanilla extract in a bowl and whisk well until smooth. Pour evenly over the warm cinnamon roll and spread out with a spoon or an offset spatula.
- Enjoy warm or allow the glaze to set and the cinnamon roll to cool before slicing and serving.
Notes
For a more ‘flooded’ look on the top of your giant cinnamon roll feel free to increase the glaze amount.
Nutrition
Calories: 459 kcal · Carbohydrates: 80 g · Protein: 6 g · Fat: 13 g · Saturated Fat: 8 g · Polyunsaturated Fat: 1 g · Monounsaturated Fat: 3 g · Trans Fat: 0.5 g · Cholesterol: 33 mg · Sodium: 433 mg · Potassium: 121 mg · Fiber: 2 g · Sugar: 42 g · Vitamin A: 386 IU · Vitamin C: 0.03 mg · Calcium: 62 mg · Iron: 2 mg
Nutritional information is provided as a courtesy and is an estimate only. This information comes from online calculators. Although The View from Great Island attempts to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures are only estimates.
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This was so tasty! We all really liked the taste. I did encounter a couple of problems, which I will try to rectify the next time (Yes! There will be a next time!) The dough was super soft and sticky so it was very hard to roll. Next time, I will add a bit more flour while kneading and make sure the dough isn’t sticking to the mat where I roll it. The stickiness made it difficult to create the roll, but I managed, even though it looked a mess. It certainly tasted great!
Second, the outside of the roll definitely cooked too fast; I will cover with foil, as taking it out when the outer edge appeared done left the center too uncooked.
Also, I missed the vanilla somehow; it did not make for a less tasty roll!
Definitely give this a try–you won’t be disappointed. And it is very impressive looking.
I made this cinnamon roll, but I was confused. The dough ingredients listed a tablespoon of vanilla. I did not see when to add it. I mixed it in with the milk and butter. I think that it was too much vanilla for the dough. Did I make an error?
I make lots of your recipes and love them!! I was just wondering about this one.
Hi jackie, yes, the vanilla goes into the dough, with the milk and butter, I fixed that, sorry. I do use a lot of vanilla in my recipes lately, I feel like commercial vanilla brands don’t have the oomph they used to have…I think it’s a cost issue, vanilla beans are insanely pricey and so it’s expensive to manufacture a really good vanilla.
thanks for the great information in your reply. i DO love your recipes, make a lot of them and recommend them to others <3
I appreciate that 🙂