Gluten Free Cinnamon Roll Cake
You’re never going to make regular cinnamon rolls again after you try this gluten-free cinnamon roll cake! It’s much easier, and made with a delicious date swirl.
Why you’ll love this gluten-free cinnamon roll cake
There’s nothing like cinnamon rolls on special occasions like birthdays or Christmas morning. Don’t get me wrong, I love recipes like my AIP gingerbread cinnamon rolls, but sometimes I want a shortcut. Okay, a lot of the time I want a shortcut. That’s where this gluten-free cinnamon roll cake comes in.
It’s all of the flavors and vibes you love about cinnamon rolls, but a fraction of the effort. And of course, it’s gluten-free, grain-free, and easy to make dairy-free.
- It’s both quicker and easier than cinnamon rolls. Cinnamon rolls take TIME… like, a lot of time. This is way faster, but still will make you feel like you’re eating a cinnamon roll.
- Fun to make! Making the cinnamon roll swirls in the cake is a fun process that kids will love to help with.
- Super pretty with minimal decorating skills. The swirls are so easy that your kids can do them, and they come out looking beautiful.
Table of contents
Recipe Ingredients
See the recipe card below for full information on ingredients and quantities.
- Almond flour, arrowroot starch, and coconut flour. This is the flour blend that I’ve tested for this recipe. Though you can swap tapioca starch for arrowroot starch, I haven’t tested other swaps.
- Eggs. Though I haven’t tried it, you may be able to swap the eggs for flax eggs.
- Vanilla Coconut Yogurt. I use the Culina collagen yogurt!
- Ghee. You can easily swap butter or coconut oil.
- Coconut milk. You can also use other dairy-free milks.
- Maple syrup and coconut sugar. You can also use honey!
- Dates. It’s important to use fresh dates with the pits if you can, as they will be the juiciest!
- Cinnamon.
- Powdered sugar. To make the glaze!
How to make Gluten Free Cinnamon Roll Cake
Here are the simple steps, with photos, to make this recipe. Find full instructions in the recipe card.
Step one. Soak the dates in hot water and set aside.
Step two. Whisk the wet ingredients. In a separate bowl combine the dry ingredients. Then pour the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients and stir until a batter forms.
Step three. Strain the dates and blend them with ghee & coconut oil.
Step four. Pour half of the cake batter into the baking pan. Spoon 9 small spoonfuls of the date mixture over the cake batter, evenly spacing each one.
Step five. Add the rest of the cake batter on top, spreading to evenly cover date swirls. Repeat the process or scooping the date mixture on top and swirling it into the batter.
Step six. Bake and if using a glaze make it and drizzle over the cake.
Michelle’s Tips & Tricks
- Use fresh dates with the pits! Of course, remove the pits. But these will be the juiciest dates for the best swirl filling!
- The glaze is optional. This recipe is SWEET on its own, but you can definitely add the glaze for a cinnamon roll vibe.
Storage instruction
- Store this recipe without the glaze. The glaze is going to be best fresh, and it will kind of just melt into the cinnamon roll cake as it sits in the fridge.
- Store it in the fridge for 3-4 days in an airtight container.
If you tried this Gluten Free Cinnamon Roll Cake or any other recipe on my blog please leave a star rating and let me know how it went in the comments below. Thanks for visiting!
Other Gluten-Free Cinnamon Recipes to Try…
Gluten Free Cinnamon Roll Cake
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Ingredients
For the cake
- 4 eggs
- 2 tbsp maple syrup
- 2 tbsp coconut sugar
- ½ cup vanilla coconut yogurt, I use culina collagen coconut yogurt
- 1 tbsp melted ghee
- 1 ½ cup almond flour
- 2 tbsp arrowroot starch
- 1 tbsp coconut flour
- 1 tsp Baking powder
- 1 tsp cinnamon, plus extra for topping the cake
For the sticky swirl filling
- 8 whole fresh dates, pitted
- 1 tbsp ghee, melted
- 3 tbsp coconut milk
- Pinch of salt
- ½ tsp cinnamon
For the glaze
- ½ cup powdered sugar, sifted
- 1 tbsp coconut milk
- ¼ tsp vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 F and line an 8×8" pan with greased parchment paper.
- Soak the dates in hot water and set aside while you make the cake batter.
- To make the cake batter, combine the 4 eggs, 1/4 cup maple syrup, 1/4 cup coconut sugar, 1/2 cup yogurt and 1 tbsp of melted ghee. Whisk well.
- In a separate bowl combine 1 1/2 cup almond flour, 2 tbsp arrowroot starch, 1 tbsp coconut flour, 1 tsp baking powder and 1 tsp cinnamon.
- Pour the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients and stir until a batter forms. Set aside.
- Strain the dates and add them to a food processor along with 1 tbsp of melted ghee, 3 tbsp of coconut oil, salt and cinnamon. Blend until there are no longer large chunks of dates and the mixture is smooth.
- Pour half of the cake batter into the baking pan. Spoon 9 small spoonfuls of the date mixture (you should only use half of the date mixutre) over the cake batter, evenly spacing each one. Use a tooth pick to swirl the date mixture into the batter.
- Add the rest of the cake batter on top, spreading to evenly cover date swirls. Repeat the process or scooping the date mixture on top and swirling it into the batter. Top the cake off with a sprinkle of cinnamon.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 25 minutes or until the cake is springy and baked through.
- To make the glaze, sift the powdered sugar into a bowl and add the coconut milk and vanilla. Stir until a glaze forms.
- Drizzle the glaze over the cake and slice into 9 slices! You can also slice into smaller slices if desired.
