Creating A Cinnamon Roll Wedding Cake: A Step-By-Step Guide

Cinnamon roll wedding cakes are a tasty alternative to traditional wedding cakes. They are perfect for those who don't like regular cakes, want to save money, or are planning a small or micro wedding. Cinnamon roll wedding cakes can be made with multiple tiers and decorated with traditional white frosting, fruits, berries, blooms, dried flowers, and foliage. They can also be covered with cream cheese icing or a simple sugar glaze.

There are several ways to make a cinnamon roll wedding cake. One option is to bake a giant cinnamon roll and use it as a topping for a regular sponge cake. Another option is to create a cinnamon roll layer cake with three layers of cake and cinnamon buttercream frosting. For a more elegant look, you can try a cinnamon roll swirl cake, which requires advanced baking skills. If you're looking for a unique flavour combination, consider a cinnamon vanilla wedding cake with dark chocolate and chilli peppers.

Ingredients:

- Flour

- Sugar

- Salt

- Yeast

- Milk

- Butter

- Egg

- Brown sugar

- Cinnamon

- Confectioners' sugar

- Vanilla extract

Method:

1. Make the dough by mixing flour, sugar, salt, yeast, milk, butter, and egg.

2. Knead the dough by hand or using a mixer.

3. Cover the dough and let it rest for about 30 minutes.

4. Roll the dough out into a rectangle.

5. Spread softened butter, brown sugar, and cinnamon on top.

6. Cut the dough into horizontal strips.

7. Roll up one strip and place it in a greased pan.

8. Coil the remaining strips around the centre roll.

9. Let the shaped cake rise until doubled in size.

10. Bake the cinnamon roll cake until golden brown.

11. Drizzle with vanilla icing or cream cheese frosting.

Choosing a cinnamon roll cake recipe

Type of Cinnamon Roll Cake

Firstly, decide on the type of cinnamon roll cake you want to make. There are several options, including a giant cinnamon roll cake, a cinnamon roll layer cake, a cinnamon roll swirl cake, or even a cinnamon vanilla wedding cake. Each type has its own unique characteristics and level of complexity, so choosing the right one is important.

Complexity and Time Commitment

Consider your baking skills and the time you have available. Some recipes are more suitable for beginners, while others are more advanced and may require multiple practice attempts. The giant cinnamon roll cake, for example, is a good option for beginners as it only requires one short rest and one long rise, making it relatively quick and easy to prepare.

Ingredients and Flavours

Think about the specific flavours and ingredients you want in your cake. If you're a fan of rich, decadent flavours, consider a recipe that includes sour cream or cream cheese frosting. For a unique twist, you could even add dark chocolate and chilli peppers to your cinnamon roll cake. If you're short on time, you could also opt for a recipe that uses store-bought cinnamon rolls or pre-made cake layers.

Visual Appearance

The visual appearance of your cinnamon roll wedding cake is also important. Consider whether you want a uniform, elegant look or a more rustic, homemade style. The giant cinnamon roll cake, for example, has a uniform appearance due to its large cinnamon swirl on top. On the other hand, the cinnamon roll swirl cake creates an elegant ombre effect using copper and ivory frosting.

Portion Size

Finally, consider the portion size you will need for your wedding. Some recipes cater to larger crowds, like the cinnamon roll layer cake, which has three layers and plenty of frosting for piping decorative shapes. If you're expecting a smaller group, you may want to adjust the ingredients accordingly to avoid waste.

Making the dough

The ingredients for the dough are pretty standard: flour, sugar, salt, yeast, milk, butter, and egg. You will also need some softened butter, brown sugar, and cinnamon to fill and shape the cinnamon roll cake.

First, heat the butter and milk together. Next, stir or beat the milk mixture into the dry ingredients, then add the egg. After mixing, your dough is ready to knead. You can use a mixer or your hands to knead the dough. When you’re finished kneading, cover the dough and let it rest for about 30 minutes. It won’t rise much during this time, but this resting period allows the gluten to relax, which makes shaping much easier.

Now it's time to fill and shape the cinnamon roll cake. Roll the dough out into a 15x12-inch rectangle. Spread the softened butter on top, then sprinkle with brown sugar and cinnamon. Using a sharp knife or pizza cutter, slice the dough into 6 horizontal strips. Each strip should be about 15 inches long. Roll up one strip and place it in a greased pan. Coil the remaining 5 strips around the center roll, starting each strip at the end of the previous one to make one large cinnamon roll. Some of the filling may spill out as you pick up the strips, so just sprinkle it on top of the cake when you’re done shaping it.

Shaping the cake

Firstly, roll out your prepared dough into a large rectangle. The exact measurements will depend on the size of your cake, but for context, a rectangle of around 15x12 inches works well for a giant cinnamon roll cake.

Now for the tasty part: spread softened butter on top of the dough, then sprinkle a generous amount of brown sugar and cinnamon over it. You can adjust the amount of cinnamon and sugar to your taste, but be sure to cover the dough evenly.

Using a sharp knife or a pizza cutter, carefully slice the dough into horizontal strips. For a giant cinnamon roll, you'll want around six 2-inch wide strips, but you can adjust the number and width of the strips depending on the size and number of tiers you want for your cake.

Take one strip and roll it up, then place it in the centre of your greased pan. This will be the centre of your cinnamon roll cake. Now, take each of the remaining strips and coil them around the centre roll, starting each new strip where the previous one ended. This will create one large cinnamon roll. Don't worry if some of the filling spills out as you lift the strips; simply sprinkle it on top of the cake once you've finished shaping it.

If you're making a multi-tiered cake, you can repeat this process with smaller strips of dough for each tier, ensuring that the pan size and baking time are adjusted accordingly.

And there you have it! A beautifully shaped cinnamon roll wedding cake, ready for the next steps of rising and baking.

Baking the cake

Giant Cinnamon Roll Cake

This recipe is perfect for a wedding cake as it is huge and super delicious. It employs one large cinnamon swirl on the top, which gives the cake a sense of elegance. It is also beginner-friendly and does not take a long time to make.

Ingredients:

• Flour
• Sugar
• Salt
• Yeast
• Milk
• Butter
• Egg
• Brown sugar
• Cinnamon
• Confectioners' sugar
• Milk or heavy cream
• Vanilla extract

Instructions:

• Heat the butter and milk together.
• Stir or beat the milk mixture into the dry ingredients, then add the egg.
• After mixing, knead the dough using a mixer or your hands.
• Cover the dough and let it rest for about 30 minutes.
• Roll the dough out into a 15x12-inch rectangle.
• Spread softened butter on top, then sprinkle with brown sugar and cinnamon.
• Slice the dough into 6 horizontal strips (each 15 inches long).
• Roll up one strip and place it in a greased pan.
• Coil the remaining strips around the center roll, starting each strip at the end of the previous one to make one large cinnamon roll.
• Let the shaped cake rise until doubled in size, about 1-2 hours.
• Bake the cake until it is puffy and golden brown.
• Whisk together confectioners' sugar, milk, and vanilla extract to make a vanilla icing.
• Drizzle the icing all over the warm cake.

Cinnamon Roll Layer Cake

This decadent cinnamon roll layer cake is perfect for larger crowds, with three layers and lots of cinnamon buttercream frosting. The star of this recipe is the frosting, which is incredibly thick and creamy.

Ingredients:

• Butter
• Powdered sugar
• Vanilla
• Vegetable shortening
• Cinnamon

Instructions:

• Prepare a cinnamon roll cake as your base.
• Make the frosting by mixing the above ingredients.
• Sprinkle some cinnamon on top of the cake for an elegant appearance.

Cinnamon Roll Swirl Cake

This elegant cinnamon roll swirl cake is suitable for more advanced bakers. It has a super fluffy inner layer due to the use of butter, sugar, and sour cream. Egg whites are also added to keep the cake soft.

Ingredients:

• Butter
• Sugar
• Sour cream
• Egg whites
• Copper and ivory frosting (for an ombre effect)
• Buttercream icing

Instructions:

• Bake the cake.
• Layer the cake with the super-rich and flavorful cinnamon frosting.
• Frost the top of the cake with buttercream icing for an amazing finish.

Cinnamon Vanilla Wedding Cake

This unique cinnamon roll cake combines vanilla and cinnamon, resulting in a subtle and delicious flavor. It also includes unusual flavors such as dark chocolate and chili peppers in the buttercream. This recipe creates an incredibly large cake, so you may need to modify the ingredients list depending on the number of guests.

Ingredients:

• Vanilla
• Cinnamon
• Dark chocolate
• Chili peppers
• White fondant

Instructions:

• Prepare the cinnamon roll cake base.
• Layer the cake with the flavored buttercream.
• Top the cake with white fondant for decoration.

Cinnamon Roll Exposed Layer Cake

This rustic and homemade-style wedding cake tastes just like a cinnamon roll. It is dense yet moist and fluffy. The layering is done with a cinnamon buttercream made from salted butter, shortening, powdered sugar, vanilla extract, and water.

Ingredients:

• Salted butter
• Shortening
• Powdered sugar
• Vanilla extract
• Water
• Heavy whipping cream
• Sugar
• Cinnamon
• Corn syrup

Instructions:

• Mix the above ingredients to create a super thick and delicious filling.
• Follow a tutorial to create a drip effect, emulating the glaze on top of cinnamon rolls.

Decorating the cake

If you want to keep it simple, a cinnamon bun wedding cake with white icing is a lovely idea for a casual wedding. You could also add a pretty topper, such as a ribbon and some fabric blooms for a boho wedding, or baby's breath and cinnamon sticks for a rustic wedding.

If you want to get more creative, you could try a cinnamon roll swirl cake, which is suitable for more advanced bakers. This cake has an ombre effect created by copper and ivory frosting, finished with buttercream icing on top.

Another option is to use a giant cinnamon roll as a topping for your regular sponge cake. This gives the cake a sense of elegance and is super easy to make. You can top it off with lots of vanilla icing for an indulgent and tasty vibe.

If you want to add some extra decoration to your cake, you can add a cinnamon roll layer with white fondant, which makes a great base for decoration. Experiment with different styles and toppings to make the cake your own.

Frequently asked questions