Easy Cinnamon Sugar Cake Recipe

Need an easy dessert that’s packed with flavor? This cinnamon sugar cake is soft, fluffy, and frosted with a creamy cinnamon buttercream that brings out the perfect balance of sweetness and spice. The best part? It starts with a simple cake mix but tastes completely homemade. A great go-to recipe for cozy gatherings, holiday celebrations, or anytime you want something sweet!

This cinnamon sugar cake is one of the simplest recipes but yields delicious results. With two tiers of moist white cinnamon cake and a homemade cinnamon buttercream cream frosting, everyone is going to love this easy cake recipe!

Today we are making this cinnamon sugar cake, a super easy cake recipe!

I did have my mom get the recipe (her friend is a cook at the cafe), but after some research, I found out it was a Taste of Home recipe. So, thank you, Taste of Home!

You’ll be shocked at how easily this beautiful cake comes together. In fact, you’ll be able to make it even if you don’t have any baking or cake decorating experience at all.

Why You’ll Love this Recipe

• This cake is as easy as it is delicious. With a simple mix of pantry staples and a little cinnamon magic, you can whip up a bakery-worthy treat in no time. It’s perfect for last-minute desserts or when you just want something sweet and cozy without a lot of fuss.
• The texture is out of this world. Thanks to the addition of sour cream and melted butter, the cake bakes up incredibly moist with a soft, tender crumb. Paired with the rich, cinnamon-spiced buttercream, every bite is a balance of sweetness and warmth.
• It’s an instant crowd-pleaser. Whether you’re serving it for a casual get-together, a holiday dessert table, or just a weekend baking project, this cake is guaranteed to disappear fast. The familiar flavors and homemade touch make it one of those recipes people will ask for again and again.

Ingredients

There are two parts to this delicious easy cake recipe – the cake and the frosting. Both are homemade (or semi-homemade). Elevate the flavors by using the freshest ingredients you can find! Here’s what you need:

Cinnamon Sugar Cake

• White Cake Mix – The flavors stand out best if you use a white cake mix.
• Milk – Any type of unflavored, full-fat milk will work.
• Sour Cream – For a richer cake, use full-fat sour cream.
• Unsalted Butter – Make sure it is unsalted and melted.
• Eggs – These are the emulsifiers; use large or medium eggs.
• Ground Cinnamon – You can’t have cinnamon sugar cake without cinnamon!
• Pure Vanilla Extract – Use a real vanilla extract for a deeper flavor profile.

Homemade Cinnamon Buttercream Frosting

• Unsalted Butter – Use softened butter; it will whip better.
• Powdered Sugar – If you want this to be sugar-free, use a confectioner’s sugar substitute.
• Milk – Whole-fat milk will give the buttercream frosting a richer flavor.
• Ground Cinnamon – This not only gives the frosting the flavor but also the light brown specks.
• Vanilla Extract – Use real vanilla extract.
• Cinnamon-Sugar – Save a little extra cinnamon sugar for the topping.

How to Make

1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F.
2. In a large mixing bowl, combine the ingredients for the cake. Beat on low speed for 30 seconds, then increase to medium speed for 2 minutes. Transfer the batter into two greased and floured 9-inch round baking pans.
3. Bake for 20 – 25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Allow the cakes to cool in the pans for about 10 minutes. Remove from pans and place on wire racks to cool completely.
4. In a large bowl, cream the butter until light and fluffy – about five minutes. Add the powdered sugar, milk, cinnamon, salt, and vanilla extract. Beat until smooth. Then, assemble the cake by spreading the frosting between the layers, over the top, and on the sides. Sprinkle the top and sides with the cinnamon-sugar.

And that’s it!

To dress it up, I used some washi tape and wood skewers to make a few little flags. I off-centered them on the cake. Simple, but still super cute.

Frequently Asked Questions

Here are some questions people often ask about how to make this easy cake recipe. If you don’t see your question in this list, please leave it in the comments.

Can you freeze this cake?

Yes, this cake will freeze perfectly. If you are going to freeze the cake, I suggest doing so without the frosting.

Wrap each cake individually in plastic wrap and store them in a resealable freezer-safe bag. The cakes will stay fresh in the freezer for about six months.

How do you make an easy cake recipe that is gluten-free?

All you have to do is use gluten-free white cake mix! Everything else in this recipe is naturally gluten-free.

How do you make dairy-free buttercream frosting?

If you want to make the buttercream frosting dairy-free, just use almond or oat milk instead of dairy milk. Then, use ghee in place of butter.

More Easy Desserts You’ll Love

• Cream Puff Cake
• Cake in a Jar
• Sticky Toffee Cake
• Peanut Butter Sheet Cake
• Mixed Berry Icebox Cake

What makes this cinnamon sugar cake such an easy cake recipe is that it’s made with a box cake mix. However, with just a few simple tweaks, tricks, and additions, it becomes a really delicious cake that will certainly please everyone’s palette! I hope you enjoyed this easy cake recipe for this delicious cinnamon sugar cake!

If you give this recipe a try, I’d love to hear what you think! Please stop back and leave a comment and a 5-star rating below. 

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Cinnamon Sugar Cake

This Cinnamon Sugar Cake is one of the easiest recipes that yield delicious results. Everyone is going to love this easy cake recipe!

5 from 3 votes

Print Pin Rate

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Keyword: cake, cinnamon, dessert

Prep Time: 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 25 minutes minutes

Total Time: 40 minutes minutes

Servings: 12

Calories: 597kcal

Ingredients

Cake

• 1 package white cake mix
• 1 cup milk
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 6 tablespoons unsalted butter melted
• 3 eggs
• 2 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

Frosting

• 1 cup unsalted butter softened
• 5 cups powdered sugar
• 3 tablespoons milk
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 tablespoon cinnamon-sugar

Instructions

• Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F.
• In a large mixing bowl, combine the ingredients for the cake. Beat on low speed for 30 seconds, then increase to medium speed for 2 minutes. Transfer the batter into two greased and floured 9-inch round baking pans.
• Bake for 20 – 25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Allow the cakes to cool in the pans for about 10 minutes. Remove from pans and place on wire racks to cool completely.
• In a large bowl, cream the butter until light and fluffy – about five minutes. Add the powdered sugar, milk, cinnamon, salt, and vanilla extract. Beat until smooth. Then, assemble the cake by spreading the frosting between the layers, over the top, and on the sides. Sprinkle the top and sides with the cinnamon-sugar.

Notes

Adapted from Taste of Home

Nutrition

Calories: 597kcal | Carbohydrates: 88g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 26g | Saturated Fat: 16g | Cholesterol: 104mg | Sodium: 385mg | Potassium: 92mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 70g | Vitamin A: 806IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 150mg | Iron: 1mg