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These Cake Mix Cinnamon Rolls are easier to make than your typical homemade cinnamon bun, yet still packed with all the fluffy cinnamon goodness of a traditional yeast cinnamon bun!

If making cinnamon rolls has always intimidated you …you’re in luck! This recipe is the perfect solution. Cake Mix Cinnamon Rolls! (I’m like the carb fairy of baking…sprinkling my magical sugary dust everywhere I go!)

The dough comes together in about 5 minutes in your mixer! Yes… it has to rise, but face it…that’s basically one episode of your current Netflix obsession. (We won’t discuss how I know this!) 

Then you are going to punch the dough down…or as I like to call it…“anger management therapy”…then you roll it out…“controlled anger management”…followed by…you get the picture!

These delightful soft rolls are great for holidays, bake sales, or a church brunch. The recipe makes about 14 BIG cinnamon rolls! All you need is a cake mix and a few other simple ingredients hanging around in your pantry!

How To Make Cake Mix Cinnamon Rolls

The original recipe calls for a LOT of kneading and mixing…. I didn’t want to do that! So… I used my dough hook attachment on my KitchenAid Mixer.

In the bowl of your mixer, or in a mixing bowl, add 1 White or Yellow Cake Mix. I used Duncan Hines Yellow Cake Mix. 2 packages of yeast, 1 teaspoon of salt, and 2 cups of flour.

Mix on low until well combined.

Add 2 1/4 cups HOT water.

Mix on low until a very sticky wet dough forms.

Add another 3 cups of flour, one cup at a time, until each cup is incorporated into the dough and the dough begins to pull away from the sides of the bowl and cling to the dough hook.

Once the dough is clinging to the dough hook, like a two-year old to your leg when you’re trying to go to the bathroom…remove dough from hook. Place dough on a well floured surface.

If you’ve followed me for any time, you know I have a passionate love affair with my cloth-covered, “dough disc”.  I’m taking it with me into the next life! You can find them on Amazon.

Knead dough 3–5 times until a nice large ball, non-sticky ball forms. You won’t have any issues kneading this dough. It’s ultra soft and easy to work with. Plus the mixer has done the bulk of the work.

Cover with a light cloth until double in size!

This was eye-opening for me! Friends… I know what’s been happening since I had kids! I go to bed every night…and I pull the covers over me… I’ve been rising for 30 years!!! I just “need” to be punched down! Problem solved! Lol

Let me tell you…this dough RISES! They should be called Lazarus rolls! Whoa!!! So impressive. I uncovered this dough and stood there admiring the miracle that had taken place!

Talk about great “Before” and “After” photos! It’s like my very own Lifetime movie! (Let’s hear it for reverse before and after shots…skinny…to “risen”! Lol) 

Now the fun part…PUNCH IT DOWN!

DANG!!!! Someone had a little pent-up anger going on when she slugged that dough!

Flip the dough over and sprinkle with a little flour. Roll dough out in a large rectangle, about 1/4 inch thick.

One of the things I love about this dough was that it rolls out beautifully. A lot of yeast dough will pull back, and you have to keep rolling and rolling to get it the size and shape you need it. This one won’t do that. Such a fantastic dough.

In a small mixing bowl add 6 Tablespoons of Butter, 2 teaspoons of cinnamon, and 1 1/2 cups of brown sugar. Sprinkle on top of the dough.

TIP: I melted mine in the microwave on high for 1 minute or until butter was melted and a thick paste formed. It was just so much easier to spread than trying to mix the butter into the dry ingredients.

Spread Cinnamon mixture over roll dough.

TIP: It doesn’t have to look pretty or be spread out perfectly. When they bake it will all even out.

Starting on one long side, roll towards the other side.  It’s gonna be a HUGE roll… Keep rolling! Push your ends in to square it up. This will allow for a nice “end” cinnamon bun off your big dough roll.

I cut my dough in half so that you could see how perfectly that filling spreads… and how beautiful the “roll” looks.

Cut in 1 1/2 inch slices. Place in a greased baking dish. Cover with the cloth and allow to rise until doubled in size. It should take about 30 minutes.

TIP: If you have a gas stove place rolls on top of the stove covered. The warmth from the pilot light will help them rise quicker. (Thank goodness there isn’t a pilot light under my bed!)

Once the rolls have doubled in size, place in preheated 350° oven for 20 minutes or until tops are lightly golden brown.

(I’m sorry for the “haze” in the photograph… I got flour on the lens of my camera…blogger problems are real! I realize someone younger with better eyesight would have caught this…you’ll see I didn’t!)

While the rolls are baking…this is the perfect time to mix up the vanilla glaze topping.

In a small bowl add 1 1/3 cups of powdered sugar, 2 Tablespoons milk, and 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla.

Mix together with wire whisk until smooth and sugar has dissolved. Set aside until Rolls are done baking and have cooled slightly.

Remove baked rolls from oven. Allow them to cool slightly.  (Using that new “hazy” photography technique…invented by moi! Just keeping it real friends!)

Aren’t they beautiful…haze and all! So big and puffy with loads of caramelized buttery cinnamon filling. I was so excited with how these turned out.

Drizzle tops, using whisk or a spoon, with Vanilla Glaze. Can you see my second pan peeking in the background…who knew cinnamon rolls where photo bombers?

Let’s get up and close and personal with these wonderful easy to make Cake Mix Cinnamon Rolls.

A Few Basic TIPS and IDEAS before we move on…

• The recipe calls for either a White or Yellow Cake Mix. However, get creative and try Lemon, Red Velvet, or even Pumpkin Spice.
• Place rolls in a warm place to rise.
• You can use dental floss, wrapped around your rolled dough, to cut the cinnamon rolls.
• Store rolls in an airtight container or wrap them individually.
• You can make this recipe without a mixer. Just be sure to work out at the gym first! You’ll need to hand knead in the extra 3 cups of flour.
• Mix glaze ahead of time and keep covered. This will allow it to thicken before drizzling it over your rolls.

From first bite to last…it’s pure HEAVEN! Everything you want a truly spectacular Cinnamon Roll to be! Big, puffy, loaded with cinnamon goodness, a light drizzle of glaze for added flavor…Mmmmm!

I’ll be honest and tell you the texture is slightly…and I do mean SLIGHTLY…different from a traditional yeast dough. However, the time element involved with making this version far outweighs any small differences.

I truly love the ease of this recipe! They are going to be my new “go to” cinnamon roll recipe! Perfect for Christmas morning when you need a quick easy breakfast, or for a last-minute bake sale. (I know my kids were not the only children to tell me at midnight they needed a school treat for the next day!)

If you’re not a baker and cinnamon rolls have terrified you…DROP what you are doing and make a batch of these beauties! You will impress yourself…and the birds at your Nest!

Other Family Favorite Breakfast Recipes

• Blueberry Lemon Soda Bread Muffins
• Cranberry Orange Scones
• Classic Buttermilk Homemade Pancakes
• Banana Crumb Muffins
• Crumb Baked Donuts
• Loaded Grilled Hash Brown Omelet
• Little Breakfast Piggies from Julia’s Simply Southern

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Happy Nesting!

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