Supremely moist and fluffy cake swirled with brown sugar-cinnamon filling, loaded with juicy berries, and slathered in luscious mixed berry cream cheese frosting!
With the seemingly endless days of rain that occur this time of year, it’s important to find ways to brighten up these dark and dreary days. For me, incorporating something sweet into my day is the best option. Especially when that something sweet combines the flavors of warm cinnamon and sweet berries into one lusciously comforting cake.
So without further ado, allow me to drown those rainy day sorrows with this Mixed Berry Cinnamon Roll Cake.
Just like a classic cinnamon roll, this cake is swirled with brown sugar-cinnamon filling and generously slathered in cream cheese frosting. The only difference is it’s ten times easier to make AND it’s teeming with berrylicious goodness! Not only are there blueberries, blackberries, and raspberries baked into the cake, but there’s also a mixed berry compote swirled into the frosting. I mean, come on, how can you NOT lose your shiitake mushrooms over this??
Why You’ll Love This Cake
- Easy to make: This cake has all the flavors of a cinnamon roll (plus more!), but without all the fuss of making cinnamon rolls.
- Brimming with berry goodness: A delicious trio of berries are baked into the batter, AS WELL AS berry compote swirled into the cream cheese frosting.
- A cinnamon roll in cake form: I mean, what’s NOT to like about that?? It’s also like a cinnamon roll and a blueberry muffin had a baby.
Tips For Cinnamon Roll Cake Success
Sprinkle the berries: Since the batter is pretty thick, sprinkling the berries on top of the batter is your best bet. This will prevent the berries from smashing and bleeding into the batter.
Add a little almond extract: This tip is totally optional, but I love how almond extract enhances the cream cheese frosting. All you need is an 1/8 teaspoon, but it makes such a tremendous difference in the overall flavor.
Don’t over-swirl: Try not to swirl the batter too much, or you won’t end up with pronounced areas of brown sugar-cinnamon filling.
How to Make Cinnamon Roll Cake
Start with the brown sugar filling: In a medium bowl, stir the butter, brown sugar and cinnamon together until smooth and creamy.
Make the cake batter: In a large mixing bowl, whisk the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt together. Add the sour cream, milk, eggs, and vanilla, stirring until just combined. Pour in the melted butter, and stir everything together until completely incorporated.
Layer the batter and the filling: Grease an 8-inch square baking dish with nonstick cooking spray or butter. Pour half of the batter into the bottom of the baking dish, smoothing it out into an even layer. Sprinkle half of the berries evenly over the batter. Drop teaspoon-sized dollops of the brown sugar filling over the batter. Repeat steps with the remaining batter, berries, and brown sugar filling. Use a skewer or butterknife to swirl figure-eights throughout the batter.
Bake the cake: Bake in a preheated 350ºF oven for 35-40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with few crumbs attached. Make sure to stick the toothpick into the cake part rather than a brown sugar swirl. Allow cake to cool on the counter for at least 20 minutes before frosting.
How to Make the Frosting
Start with the berry compote: Place the berries into a small saucepan set over medium heat, stirring constantly. Once the juices begin to release, combine a little sugar and cornstarch in a small bowl. Add this mixture to the berries, and continue stirring until it thickens. Immediately transfer berry compote to a small bowl, and chill in the refrigerator until completely cooled.
Make the cream cheese frosting: In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat the butter, cream cheese, and vanilla together until completely smooth. Add the powdered sugar, and continue beating until frosting is nice and creamy.
Frost the cake: Using a butterknife or an offset spatula, spread the cream cheese frosting evenly on top of the cake. Take the berry compote, and drop teaspoonfuls of it evenly over the frosting. Using the back of a spoon, spread the berry compote into and on top of the frosting.
What kind of berries should I use?
For the cake, I used a 1/2 cup each of blueberries, blackberries, and raspberries. You could also use sliced strawberries, or add a higher ratio of blueberries, blackberries, etc. For the frosting, I also used a mixture of blueberries, blackberries, and raspberries.
Can I use frozen berries?
Absolutely! If you don’t have access to fresh berries, frozen berries work just as well. In fact, I ended up using frozen berries that I had flash-frozen and kept in my freezer.
Mixed Berry Cinnamon Roll Cake
Ingredients
Brown Sugar Swirl:
- 6 Tablespoons salted butter, softened
- ½ cup packed brown sugar
- 1 ½ teaspoon cinnamon
Cake:
- 1 ⅔ cup all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- ½ cup sour cream
- ¼ cup milk
- 2 eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 3 Tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
- 1 ½ cup mixed berries (I used blackberries, raspberries, and blueberries)
Cream Cheese Frosting:
- ½ cup mixed berries (I used blackberries, raspberries, and blueberries)
- 1 Tablespoon granulated sugar
- ½ teaspoon cornstarch
- 3 ounces cream cheese
- 3 Tablespoons salted butter, softened
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- ⅛ teaspoon almond extract (optional)
- 1 cup powdered sugar
Instructions
Make the Brown Sugar Swirl:
- In a medium bowl combine the butter, brown sugar and cinnamon until smooth; set aside.
Make the Cake:
- Preheat oven to 350ºF, and line an 8-inch square baking dish with parchment paper. Spray with nonstick cooking spray.
- In a large bowl, whisk the flour, baking powder, salt, and sugar together until combined. Add the sour cream, milk, eggs, and vanilla, mixing until batter is almost combined. Pour in the melted butter and continue mixing until smooth.
- Pour 1/2 of the batter into the prepared pan, spreading into an even layer. Sprinkle half of the berries evenly over the batter. Drop teaspoonfuls of half of the brown sugar mixture over the batter. Spread remaining batter on top, followed by remaining berries, and spoonfuls of remaining brown sugar mixture. Using a skewer or knife, swirl figure-eights throughout the batter.
- Bake in the oven for 35-40 minutes, or until the top is set and center of the cake jiggles slightly. A toothpick inserted in the center should come out with moist crumbs attached. Allow to cool slightly while you make the frosting.
Make the Frosting:
- In a small saucepan over medium heat, cook the berries until their juices start to release.
- In a small bowl, combine the sugar and cornstarch. Add cornstarch mixture to the cooked berries, and continue cooking, until mixture thickens. Once thickened, immediately pour berry compote into a small bowl to cool completely.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the cream cheese, butter, vanilla and almond extract together until combined. Add the powdered sugar and continue mixing until smooth.
- Spread frosting on top of cake. Drop spoonfuls of the berry compote evenly over frosting. Use the back of a spoon to swirl compote into the frosting. Cut into squares and serve!