Cinnamon Toast Crunch Cake

Moist layers of Cinnamon Toast Crunch cake layered between a fluffy cheesecake mousse, frosted in rich cereal milk-infused frosting and caked in cinnamon sugar!

Not sure if I’ve ever admitted this on here before, but I’m a wee bit obsessed with cereal. Alright I’ll be honest, I’m a full-blown cereal-a-holic. I love ALL kinds of cereals!! Well, let me specify…I love all the FUN cereals. I don’t go for any of those boring healthy cereals like Grape Nuts or PLAIN cheerios. My cereal has to be frosted, sprinkled, or dunked in sugar before I even consider touching it. 

I think I’ve become even more obsessed with cereal now that I’m an adult (not really) and have the power to buy any cereal I want. That’s really one of the only GOOD things about being an adult, honestly.

Over the last few years, it seems cereal companies have been constantly coming out with new “limited edition” flavors. Some memorable cereals have even emerged from the 90’s vault. One thing’s for sure though. Nothing makes my eyes light up quite like the cereal aisle of my grocery store.

Although I’m ALL about trying the newest and craziest cereal flavors (Sour Patch Kids, anyone??), to me, nothing has ever beaten the cinnamon sugary deliciousness that is Cinnamon Toast Crunch. It’s been around for decades, yet nothing has come close to satisfying my cereal tooth quite like this stuff. It’s got the perfect crisp crunch, it doesn’t instantly turn to mush in milk, and the cinnamon-spiced sugar dusting is beyond heavenly. 

So what better way to honor this iconic cereal than to incorporate it into a showstopper of a cake such as this!

Never in a million baJillian years did I ever think I’d have the opportunity to enjoy my favorite cereal in cake form. I get to eat two of my favorite things in one dessert!

See? You really can have your cake and eat it too 😉

I was absolutely ecstatic about how well this cake turned out. Not only was the cake supremely moist and fluffy, but it actually had the flavor of Cinnamon Toast Crunch cereal.

As opposed to just baking up a cinnamon-flavored cake, my main objective was to actually infuse the flavor of the cereal into the cake. To do this, I soaked some of the cereal in a bowl of milk for about 40 minutes. I then drained and lightly pressed the milk through a fine sieve so that I could mix the milk into the batter. To double up on that Cinnamon Toast Crunch flavor, I also finely crushed some cereal and folded it into the batter. 

The filling and frosting start with the same base. I first made a batch of frosting by combining some butter, salt, powered sugar, and vanilla. Since I had some cereal milk leftover from earlier, I went ahead and mixed it in. I removed a cup of this frosting to make the filling.

To create the tangy cheesecake-like filling, I combined the reserved frosting with some cream cheese and finely crushed Cinnamon Toast Crunch cereal. To lighten it up, I folded in some whipped heavy cream. Super easy, and super addictive…

Once filled and frosted, I dusted the entire cake in a sparkling sheen of cinnamon sugar. Then I piped a crown of frosting around the top and finished it off with a few extra pieces of Cinnamon Toast Crunch cereal.

As you can tell, this cake is absolutely LOADED with Cinnamon Toast Crunch deliciousness. You don’t even have to be a fan of the cereal to go absolutely Lady Gaga over this cake. I mean, what more could you ask for than pillowy moist layers of Cinnamon Toast Crunch-spiked cake, light and fluffy cream filling, rich cereal milk-infused frosting, and a glistening cloak of cinnamon sugar?

Cinnamon Toast Crunch Cake

Moist layers of Cinnamon Toast Crunch cake layered between a fluffy cheesecake mousse, frosted in rich cereal milk-infused frosting and caked in cinnamon sugar!

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 1 hour hr 30 minutes mins

Cook Time 35 minutes mins

Steeping Time 40 minutes mins

Total Time 2 hours hrs 45 minutes mins

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Servings 10 Servings

Ingredients

  

Cereal Milk:

• 1 ½ cup Cinnamon Toast Crunch cereal
• 1 ½ cup milk

Cake:

• 1 ⅓ cup all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 1 ¼ cup Cinnamon Toast Crunch finely crushed
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• ¼ cup brown sugar
• ½ cup vegetable oil
• ½ cup plain Greek yogurt
• ¾ Cereal Milk from recipe above
• 1 egg
• 1 ½ teaspoon vanilla

Filling/Frosting:

• 1 ½ cup unsalted butter cold and cut into Tablespoons
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 5 cups powdered sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• Remaining Cereal Milk (about 1/2 cup)
• 4 ounces cream cheese
• ½ cup Cinnamon Toast Crunch cereal finely crushed
• ¾ cup heavy cream (whipped)

Assembly:

• Cinnamon sugar
• Cinnamon Toast Crunch Cereal

Instructions

 

Make the Cereal Milk:

• Add the Cinnamon Toast Crunch cereal to the milk, and stir until fully soaked; let steep for 40 minutes.
• Place a fine-mesh sieve over a medium bowl and strain out the milk. Using the back of a spoon, wring the milk out of the cereal, but don't force the cereal through the sieve. Discard the soaked cereal, and set the cereal milk aside.

Make the Cake:

• Preheat oven to 350ºF degrees. Line three 6-inch round cake pans with parchment paper and spray with nonstick cooking spray.
• In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, salt, crushed cereal, and both sugars until well combined. Add the oil, yogurt, and 3/4 cup cereal milk and continue stirring with a whisk. Stir in the egg, followed by the vanilla.
• Pour batter into prepared baking pans and bake in the oven for 32-34 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Allow cakes to cool in the pan for 10 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.

Make the Filling/Frosting:

• In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter and salt on high until fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the powdered sugar, a cup at a time, until fully incorporated. Mix on high for 3 minutes. Add the vanilla, followed by the cereal milk, a Tablespoon at a time, beating until fluffy, about 2 minutes.
• Remove 1 cup of the frosting and set aside for the filling. Transfer the rest of the buttercream to a separate bowl, then return bowl to mixer.
• In the mixer, beat the cream cheese, reserved frosting, and crushed cereal until smooth and combined. Add half of the whipped cream, and continue beating until combined. Remove bowl from mixer, and fold in the rest of the whipped cream.

To Assemble:

• Place a cake layer on a cake plate or pedestal. Spread 1/3 of the filling on top, and repeat with the remaining cake layers and filling, ending with a layer of filling on the top. Chill cake in the freezer for 1 hour.
• Once chilled and solid, frost the cake with the frosting. Coat entire cake in cinnamon sugar, then finish with a border of frosting around the top. Garnish with Cinnamon Toast Crunch pieces.

Notes

*Cake will stay fresh covered or wrapped in plastic wrap in the refrigerator for up to one week.