The Best Gluten-Free Cinnamon Roll Cake Recipe - My Natural Family (2024)

Rebecca Baron 31 Comments

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This is the best gluten-free cinnamon roll cake recipe that's like a cinnamon roll. It may just be the best cake I've ever eaten. Seriously, I had a hard time shooting a picture of it because I wanted to eat the whole thing right then and there. This is THE most tender cake I have ever had.

The Best Gluten-Free Cinnamon Roll Cake Recipe - My Natural Family (1)

I was asked to make the treat for a family party we were putting together and I gladly accepted. I have been wanting to experiment and create the best gluten-free recipe. I was very happy with the results and so was everyone who ate it. It was the hit of the party and no one cared that it was gluten-free or made from quinoa flour.

I can't taste the quinoa flour in this recipe because the cinnamon masks it so well. You could make it for breakfast, but I'm not the type of person to think regular cinnamon rolls are a suitable breakfast, so it's hard for me to want to recommend cake for breakfast. But, it doesn't seem any less healthy to me than regular cinnamon rolls.

The Best Gluten-Free Cinnamon Roll Cake Recipe - My Natural Family (2)

I thought that instead of rolls but making it in the form of a cake was a brilliant idea! This way a large piece can be cut or a small one depending on diet/preference. 🙂 If you want it to "look" more like a cinnamon roll you can take a glass or anything round and push it down into the cake to cut it after baking it. Doing it this way cuts out all the rolling and rising too!

This is so much easier and faster than traditional cinnamon rolls. I'm the kind of mom that's never going to make regular cinnamon rolls. That's just way too much work for me, so this is a compromise I'm willing to accept. I hope you enjoy thebest gluten-free cinnamon cake recipe ever.

Do you like cakes when they are hot or cold more? Let us know in the comments and how you enjoyed this cake.

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Recipe

The Best Gluten-Free Cinnamon Roll Cake Recipe - My Natural Family (3)

The Best Gluten-Free Cinnamon Roll Cake Recipe

★★★★★5 from 3 reviews

  • Author: Rebecca Baron
  • Prep Time: 30
  • Cook Time: 30
  • Total Time: 1 hour
  • Yield: 16 1x
  • Category: Dessert
  • Cuisine: Gluten-Free
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Description

This might just be one of the best cakes I have ever had. Seriously, I had a hard time shooting it because I wanted to eat the whole thing right then and there. I added tapioca starch to the quinoa flour and the texture was so tender and perfect. I reduced the sugar by ⅓ in the cake along with changing all ingredient amounts and the prep method(using melted butter instead of solid), and added milk. This is THE most tender cake I have ever had.

Ingredients

Scale

FOR THE CAKE:

  • 2 Cups Quinoa Flour *
  • ¼ Cup Tapioca Flour *
  • 1 Cup Sugar
  • 1 tsp Baking Soda
  • 2 tsp Baking Powder
  • ¼ tsp Real Salt *
  • 3 Eggs
  • 10 Tbl Butter (melted, 1 ¼ sticks)
  • 2 tsp Vanilla
  • ¾ Cup Sour Cream
  • ¾ Cup Milk

FOR THE CINNAMON SWIRL:

  • 12 Tbl Butter (softened 1 ½ sticks)
  • ¾ Cup Brown Sugar
  • 1 Tbl Quinoa Flour *
  • 1 Tbl Cinnamon

FOR THE GLAZE:

  • 2 Cups Powdered Sugar
  • 1 tsp Vanilla
  • 3 Tbl Milk

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
  2. Grease a 9x13 baking dish.
  3. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the quinoa flour, tapioca starch, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, and salt until combined.
  4. Pour the melted butter, eggs, and sour cream into the bowl of dry ingredients and whisk together until combined. Add the milk and whisk until smooth. Pour the batter into the greased baking pan.
  5. In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat the softened butter with the browned sugar, quinoa flour, and cinnamon until smooth. Scoop into a piping bag and cut the tip off(about ¼”). Pipe the cinnamon sugar/butter over the cake batter in swirls.
  6. Bake the cake in the preheated oven for 35-40 minutes, or until the middle is puffed and firm to the touch.
  7. While the cake is baking, make the glaze.
  8. In a mixing bowl, whisk the powdered sugar with the vanilla and milk until smooth, adding more or less milk for the preferred consistency.
  9. Remove the cake from the oven.
  10. Let cool for 5 minutes and drizzle the glaze across the top.
  11. Serve warm.

Notes

The quinoa flour will give the cake a very yellow color.

Keywords: Best, Tender, Healthy

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Kathie chapman

    Can you make this dairy free ? We follow a low fodmap diet, are gluten, dairy & soy free. By chance can you replace the butter & sour cream with something else ?

    Reply

  2. Brittany

    Tried this tonight, very good, moist and tender. I have celiac. My husband who eats gluten doesn't normally go for seconds of desserts and grabbed another piece, which must say something. I will make this again

    Reply

    • Rebecca

      Oh I am glad it worked well for both you and your husband! Thanks for the comment!

      Reply

  3. Rachel F.

    Hi! I was planning to make this cake again for my birthday in the next few days, however the recipe seems to have disappeared from this page. I tried loading the page on two different browsers and neither showed the recipe. Is it just my computer or did something change? If it's my computer is there a link you could give me to a printable page with the full recipe? Thanks, Rachel

    Reply

    • Rebecca

      Hey Rachel, Thank you for letting us know. That is really odd. I am not sure what happened there but I put the recipe back up. So you should be good now! Thank you for your patience. 🙂

      Reply

      • Rachel F.

        Thank you so much!! 🙂

        Reply

  4. Kelly

    Boy we miss cinnamon rolls at our house! I can't wait to make these for my boys this weekend. Yum.

    Reply

  5. Cydnee Knoth

    This cake sounds amazing! Your recipe has been pinned Rebecca.

    Reply

  6. Rachel F.

    This cake is incredible. I made it for Christmas and am going to make it again next week! I'm gluten intolerant and found out this fall I have to go off rice and potato as well. This was my first time making anything with quinoa flour, not to mention my first time attempting to bake a dessert since going off rice and potato, and it was PERFECTION. Thank you thank you thank you!!

    Reply

    • Rebecca

      You are so welcome. Glad we could be of help!

      Reply

  7. Diane

    HI Rebecca,

    I am so happy to see the post. First of all this inspires me in terms of making gluten free recipes. I have a child who is on the spectrum and who has serious health issues. I have been intending to try a gluten- free diet for him for many reasons. Also, I am so interested in the fact that you have biological and adopted children. I have 5 of my own and I have been thinking about adoption (sounds crazy). I would love to chat more!!

    Reply

  8. Jo-Lynne Shane

    I am positively DROOLING.

    Reply

  9. Karen

    What a brilliant idea! I may have to make this asap. 🙂

    Reply

    • Rebecca

      Please let me know how it turns out!

      Reply

  10. Kim G

    This cake looks delicious, I am anxious to try it for a Saturday morning breakfast at our house!

    Reply

    • Rebecca

      If you try it, please let me know how you like it.

      Reply

  11. My Natural Family

    Carrie Bernard - Please let me know if you like it!

    Reply

    • Carrie

      I made this for New Year's morning and we weren't crazy about the quinoa taste in this kind of sweet recipe. I'm making it for tomorrow morning, but this time I'm going to try it with a coconut blend four.

      Reply

      • Rebecca

        Will you please let us know how you like it with the alterations? Thanks for sharing!

        Reply

  12. Carrie Bernard

    Trying this as soon as humanly possible!

    Reply

  13. Jennifer Jones Simminger

    Yum

    Reply

  14. Bailey Dexter

    I am am so going to make this! These sound and look great!

    Reply

  15. christine

    was just thinking about making home made cinnamon rolls yesterday, yummm!

    Reply

  16. Leslie Harris

    I am so going to try this cake

    Reply

  17. Lauren

    SOOO Excited to try these! So happy I just found this 🙂

    Reply

    • Rebecca

      Please let us know what you think!

      Reply

  18. Sarah L

    Yummy looking recipe. I like cinnamon rolls.

    Reply

  19. Dani Osenbaugh

    These look delicious!! And thank you for making the recipe gluten free!

    Reply

    • Rebecca

      You're welcome. I LOVE cooking with quinoa flour.

      Reply

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The Best Gluten-Free Cinnamon Roll Cake Recipe - My Natural Family (2024)

FAQs

How do you keep gluten-free cake moist? ›

Add extra liquid: Gluten-free flours tend to absorb more liquid than regular flour, so you may need to add more liquid to your recipes to compensate. This can help to keep your baked goods moist and prevent them from becoming dry and crumbly.

Why did my gluten-free cake turn out gummy? ›

Gluten-free baked goods often benefit from extra liquid to hydrate the flour blends, eliminate grittiness, and achieve a less dense or dry texture. However, it's very important to drive off this extra moisture during baking, or you'll wind up with a gummy texture.

Why do gluten-free cakes not rise? ›

YOUR CAKE IS SINKING IN THE MIDDLE OR NOT RISING

You may not have used enough raising agents. I do recommend experimenting with double action baking powders. Otherwise try using 25 percent more chemical raising agents (baking soda or baking powder) if you're converting a recipe to gluten free.

What helps gluten-free cakes rise? ›

Gluten-free flour blends don't have the same elasticity as flour containing gluten so often the cakes don't rise as much or will sink after rising. To combat the flat cake problem, I add ½ tsp of bicarbonate of soda to the recipe even when using a self-raising gluten-free flour blend.

Which gluten-free flour is best for cakes? ›

Adding sorghum or tapioca flour to a blend increases softness and absorbency, which is ideal for lighter cakes and pastries.

Why are my gluten free cakes so dry? ›

Some gluten free flours will produce a cake which is on the dry side. This might be due to the lack of gluten but can be for many other reasons. Lots of gluten free flour is rice based and this can result in a dry and slightly gritty texture.

Should I let my gluten free cake batter rest before baking? ›

Let Your Batters & Doughs Rest

We recommend covering your batters and doughs and letting them rest for at least half an hour. Note: This will also help batters become thicker and doughs to firm up.

What is the trick to baking with gluten-free flour? ›

Gluten-free flours often contain fine starches, so they absorb more liquid than conventional flour. To address this, gluten-free recipes usually call for more liquid and produce looser batters. They may also call for a larger quantity of leavening, like baking powder, to help add volume and lighten the texture.

How to stop gluten free cakes from crumbling? ›

One of the most common gluten-free baking tips is “let your batter rest”. Letting the batter rest gives the gluten-free flours and starches more time to absorb the moisture. In theory, it will turn your dry, crumbly cakes into delicious, moist masterpieces.

Do gluten free cakes need more baking powder? ›

2 teaspoons of baking powder per cup of gluten-free flour is necessary to ensure proper leavening. Baking soda and buttermilk can be used to leaven instead of baking powder, but 1-1/8 teaspoon of cream of tartar should be added for each 1/2 teaspoon baking soda used.

Why is my gluten-free cake sunk in the middle? ›

It's very common for gluten free baked goods to sink in the middle and sometimes it's even gummy or looks like it isn't fully cooked. Here's some ways to help avoid that: -Don't over-mix your dough. Mix it until everything is just incorporated and be done.

How do you know when a gluten-free cake is done? ›

Ultimately, the toothpick test is just one data source to rely upon: with the trio—toothpick, edges, & centre—you can reliably know your gluten-free baked goods are, well, baked! If your toothpick comes out with wet batter on it, your cake definitely needs more time.

What does baking soda do in gluten free baking? ›

Texture and Rise: Gluten-free baking often requires a bit of finesse to achieve the desired rise and texture. Baking soda's reaction with an acid can help achieve that necessary lift, while baking powder provides an extra boost when the batter or dough is exposed to heat.

What to avoid for gluten free baking? ›

Some baking ingredients that contain gluten (and thus are not suitable for a gluten-free diet) include:
  • Wheat.
  • Semolina.
  • Spelt.
  • Durum.
  • Emmer.
  • Einkorn.
  • Rye, sometimes referred to as pumpernickel.
  • Barley.
Mar 29, 2021

Why is my gluten free cake batter so thick? ›

4. Lighten up your batters. If gluten-free cakes aren't falling apart, they often turn out heavy and unpleasantly dense. That's because gluten creates little pockets of air, so baked goods turn out springy and fluffy; gluten-free flours and grains are lacking this crucial element.

How do you increase moisture in gluten free baking? ›

Honey and agave as a sugar substitute can enhance moisture as well, but be aware that you should cut down slightly on the other liquids you are using in the recipe, as honey and agave are not solid ingredients. Adding an extra egg or oil can also help, but use caution.

How do you make gluten-free dessert less dry? ›

Moisture – for some reason gluten-free cakes tend to get a little dry. Any gluten-free cake will dry out super-fast and get hard on the outside if it's not properly refrigerated and covered. I swear by always using buttermilk and adding a little more fat into the batter to compensate for the dryness.

What helps keep the gluten from forming so it becomes tender and moist? ›

Sugar tenderizes a cake by preventing the gluten from forming. Sugar also holds moisture in the finished product. Sugar crystals cutting into solid fats like butter help form the structure of the product by making small holes which are filled with CO2 when the leavening agents react.

How do you keep a gluten free cake from crumbling? ›

One of the most common gluten-free baking tips is “let your batter rest”. Letting the batter rest gives the gluten-free flours and starches more time to absorb the moisture. In theory, it will turn your dry, crumbly cakes into delicious, moist masterpieces.

References

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