BIRTHDAY CAKE CINNAMON ROLLS
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Tender and fluffy Birthday Cake Cinnamon Rolls is like having birthday cake for breakfast! Fun, festive, easy to make, and they taste heavenly! This recipe is one you want to have on your breakfast roster!
Birthday Cake Cinnamon Rolls
Birthday Cake Cinnamon Rolls are an indulgent twist on the classic morning treat, offering a delightful fusion of two beloved desserts. These rolls boast all the comforting warmth and aroma of traditional cinnamon rolls but with an added celebratory flair.
Imagine pillowy-soft dough with a luscious blend of cinnamon sugar, but here’s the twist: the addition of colorful sprinkles and a generous drizzle of vanilla glaze that mimics the festive flavor of a birthday cake. These rolls are not just a treat for the taste buds; they’re a feast for the eyes, radiating a joyful and playful vibe perfect for marking a special day.
Perfect Birthday Breakfast
What sets these Birthday Cake Cinnamon Rolls apart is their ability to transform a simple breakfast pastry into a celebratory centerpiece. With each bite, you’re greeted by the familiar comfort of cinnamon-laced dough, but the pops of colorful sprinkles elevate the experience, adding a delightful crunch and bursts of sweetness. The vanilla glaze, reminiscent of the icing on a birthday cake, not only brings an irresistible sweetness but also acts as a perfect finishing touch, tying together the flavors and textures into a harmonious ensemble.
Whether served fresh from the oven for a birthday breakfast surprise or as a dessert alternative during the festivities, these rolls are a unique and scrumptious way to infuse a touch of celebration into any occasion.
Cake for breakfast?! I’m all in! My youngest son proclaimed, “This is like having a birthday cake for breakfast!”
That’s a good thing!
They are festive-looking!
Birthday Cake Cinnamon Rolls
It’s no secret that I love cinnamon rolls. I’ve shared many different cinnamon roll recipes with you.
- Basic Cinnamon Rolls,
- Snickers Bars Cinnamon rolls,
- No Yeast Old Fashioned Cinnamon Rolls,
- Maple cinnamon rolls,
- cinnamon roll cupcakes,
- Bacon Breakfast Cinnamon Rolls
- (and an Easy Bacon Cinnamon Roll).
There are many versions of Birthday Cake Cinnamon Rolls. Some recipes have the birthday cake flavor, which is a creamy-buttery-vanilla-sweet-with-colorful-sprinkles flavor, in the cinnamon filling. Some recipes have the flavor in the frosting. My recipe has the birthday cake flavor in the actual dough of the cinnamon roll. Therefore, the dough is flecked with various shades of blue, pink, green, and orange, making it festive.
How to make Birthday Cake Cinnamon Rolls
I achieved this by using Pillsbury Funfetti® cake mix plus
As well, you can change the filling from the traditional cinnamon filling to jam, marmalade, or fresh fruit.
One easy recipe with slight variations can give you so many different cinnamon roll options!
Additionally, check out this post for working with yeast!
You’ll also want to try Nutella Cinnamon Rolls.
Birthday Cake Cinnamon Rolls
- In this Twix Bars Sweet Rolls, I give very specific details on how to correctly measure flour.
- As well, I used this Basic Cream Cheese Frosting recipe with 2 tablespoons of sprinkles spread over the frosting.
- Finally, I wrote this post, Tips for Baking with Yeast. Read it first if you’re not familiar with using yeast.
More
If you like this recipe for Birthday Cake Cinnamon Rolls, you may also like these: Slow Cooker Cinnamon Roll Monkey Bread recipe, Homemade Sour Cream Cinnamon Roll Pound Cake, Scratch Made Carrot Cake Cinnamon Rolls, Cinnamon Roll Pie, Sister Schubert Cinnamon Roll Pull Apart Bread recipe, and Apricot Pecan Cinnamon Rolls.
Other reader-favorite recipes include CEREAL CRUNCH COOKIES, 10+ Boozy 21st Birthday Gift Ideas in 2023, CINNAMON ROLL RECIPE ROUNDUP, QUICK CINNAMON HAWAIIAN ROLLS, and EASY RAINBOW CAKE.
Birthday Cake Cinnamon Rolls
Items in blue & underlined below can be clicked for more detail or to purchase.
Ingredients
FOR THE DOUGH
- 15.25 ounce box cake mix (you will use the cake mix like a flour so you do not need the ingredients to make the cake that is listed on the box.)
- 4 and ½ teaspoon active dry yeast 2 packets
- 2 and ½ cups warm water warmed to 110 and 120 degrees Fahrenheit
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 4 and ½ to 5 cups all-purpose flour
FOR THE FILLING
- ½ cup butter real salted or unsalted butter, not margarine
- 1 cup brown sugar packed
- 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
- *optional – 2 tablespoon sprinkles I did not use sprinkles in the filling. I spread 2 tablespoon sprinkles over the top of the Cream Cheese Frosting
FOR THE FROSTING
- Cream cheese frosting Cream Cheese Frosting recipe
Instructions
- In a large liquid measuring cup, measure 2 and 1/2 cups warm water. Warm water for this recipe is between 110 degrees and 120 degrees F.
- Pour in 4 and 1/2 teaspoon active dry yeast. That’s 2 packets if you purchase the packs.
- Let it stand for 10 minutes to activate and foam.
- Once yeast is active pour it into the bowl of a stand mixer. (It should be foamy and bubbly on top. If it’s not, test the yeast and test the water temperature, read my post How to cook with yeast (link below) for questions and troubleshooting.)
- Add cake mix, salt, flour, and vanilla.
- Using the dough hook attachment, knead the dough for 1 to 2 minutes. Dough should pull away from the bowl and be a little sticky.
- Spray a large bowl with non-stick vegetable spray and place dough in it to rise. Cover with plastic wrap that has also been sprayed with non-stick vegetable spray. Place bowl in a warm, non-drafty place like your oven (that’s not on) or microwave.
- Let sit for 45 to 75 minutes until id is doubled in size. (Temperature and humidity will cause it to rise differently so just keep an eye on it.)
- Punch the dough down and knead a couple of times, place the dough back in the bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and allow to rise a second time until it is doubled in size again.
- Once the dough has gone through the second rise, remove it and place on a clean, floured surface.
- Knead the dough 3 to 4 minutes with well-floured hands. Roll the dough into a large rectangle. Roll it large enough so the dough is approximately 1/2 inch thick. Eyeball it or measure if necessary.
- At this point, you’ll want to preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
- For the filling – smear the softened butter over the top of the dough, carefully with a butter knife or your fingertips.
- Next, sprinkle brown sugar over butter. Spread with hands to get it even.
- Sprinkle ground cinnamon over brown sugar evenly. *If you’re putting sprinkles in the filling sprinkle them evenly over the cinnamon now.
- Starting on the long side, roll tightly to form a long, skinny log.
- Slice into even rolls. I usually get 18 to 20 rolls.
- Place the rolls in a greased 9×13 baking pan. 12 rolls will fit in a 9×13 inch pan. Place the remaining in another 9×13 pan if you have 12 more. Or place 6 rolls each in 3 round 9-inch square or round baking pans.
- Regardless of the pan you choose, it will take the rolls 18 to 22 minutes to bake. You want the top to be browned lightly. You may have to center the center of the center roll for doneness. Cook at 2-minute increments until done in the center.
- While cinnamon rolls are baking make the cream cheese frosting (recipe here)
- Allow cinnamon rolls to cool 3 to 5 minutes before frosting.
- Add sprinkles to the top of cream cheese frosting if desired.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional information given is an automatic calculation and can vary based on the exact products you use and changes you make to the recipe. If these numbers are important to you, I recommend calculating them yourself.
These are so festive!
These turned out great! They’ll definitely be a new birthday tradition.