Insanely Delicious Cinnamon Roll Cake with Apples and Pecans

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Insanely Delicious Cinnamon Roll Cake with Apples and Pecans combines the flavors of fall like apple and pecan together with refrigerated cinnamon rolls for an easy ooey gooey breakfast cake or quickie coffee cake. Trust me – stop what you’re doing and make this recipe!

This easy country coffee cake cheats by calling for refrigerated cinnamon roll dough that, once combined with ripe apples and sweet pecans, becomes a coffeetime indulgence you’ll not soon forget.

One bite of a homemade cinnamon roll and you’ll swear you’re going to learn to bake come hell or high water.

Hey, in my case, there’s a first time for everything! But seriously…

All images and text ©Jenny DeRemer for Not Entirely Average, LLC

As the world slowly begins to open up again, I am hearing from readers that quick idea dinners and sweet snacks and bakes are at the top of the post-pandemic wish list.

For so many others of you for whom the jury is still out on whether we are post-pandemic or just in a calm, surprisingly you’ve requested quickie dinner and sweet snacks and bakes as well.

Boxed cake mix hacks are an easy way to achieve sweet bakes without really having to be a baker.

So yeah, those hacks are for me! Not a baker – SO NOT A BAKER!

That’s why this clever cinnamon cake begins with a step up from a boxed mix and works with premade cinnamon roll dough as its base.

The apples and pecans will have eaters fooled into thinking YOU baked this all up from scratch!

How This Recipe Came About…

I love a good coffee cake mid morning when I stop to assess how the day will play out.

I grab coffee, my calendar, a quiet corner, and often, a piece of warm cake I’ve zapped in the microwave for a few seconds. It’s my morning fix.

I also love cinnamon rolls, maybe even more than cake, as I find myself popping the pre-mades into my oven more often than not.

When you run a food blog, there are days you crave certain things, but there’s just no energy to whip ’em up.

Coming up with a breakfast cake recipe or a coffee cake recipe to utilize those pre-mades was in the works for a while if I’m honest.

It just made sense. No fussing with a cake batter or sticky cinnamon mixture outside of the pre-made refrigerated cinnamon rolls was in my future, and now hopefully in yours.

The concept of using refrigerated biscuits or bread dough is not new.

In fact, I sheepishly latched on to this speedy hack for when I needed my cheap and easy sweet fixes.

What’s different about this one is that I am using fresh chopped raw apples that will bake at the same time and temp as the bread dough.

A healthy shot of whiskey wakes those apples right up!

And when supporting ingredients like pecans, vanilla, and sugar are added, this easy cinnamon roll cake recipe becomes a baking delight.

Insanely Delicious Cinnamon Roll Cake With Apples And Pecans

Do You Have What’s Needed For An Insanely Delicious Cinnamon Roll Cake With Apples And Pecans? Check The List!

• Unsalted butter
• Apples
• Refrigerated cinnamon rolls
• Brown sugar, light or dark
• Cinnamon
• Light corn syrup
• Whiskey
• Eggs
• Pecans
• Powdered sugar
• Vanilla extract
• Milk

What Are The Best Canned Cinnamon Rolls To Use For A Cinnamon Roll Cake?

It may seem like any old refrigerated cinnamon roll dough will do, but many brands are miles apart when tasting side by side.

In particular, many come across as tasting ‘salty.’ I have tasted numerous brands for this cake.

Here are three I recommend for this recipe:

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Trader Joe’s Canned Refrigerated Cinnamon Rolls, Annie’s Cinnamon Rolls, and Immaculate Baking Cinnamon Rolls.

With the exception of Trader Joe’s, the others are both available at most US grocers.

If you’re fortunate enough to have a Trader Joe’s locally, then you have that additional choice.

What Kind Of Apples Work Best In Apple Pecan Cinnamon Roll Cake?

Any apple will work in this bake.

Given they go in uncooked and are only in for about 40 minutes total oven time, most varieties hold their shape.

For this cinnamon roll cake using canned cinnamon rolls I am using one Granny Smith and one Honeycrisp.

This way, if my bake runs over time, or the Honeycrisp breaks down slightly, I will still have pieces of apple versus apple sauce!

How To Make An Apple Pecan Cinnamon Roll Cake?

Cinnamon roll coffee cake is as easy as chopping the apples and arranging with the cinnamon rolls in a buttered cake pan.

The remaining ingredients are whisked together and poured over top. The ensemble then goes into a 375°F oven for a 35-to-45-minute bake.

The most difficult part of this recipe for cinnamon cake is waiting while it bakes.

The aroma of cinnamon and apples wafting from your kitchen will have you pacing that oven timer of yours!

What If I Do Not Have Whiskey?

This recipe calls for one tablespoon of whisky.

If you did not have whisky but wanted to substitute another liquor, consider apple brandy, pear cognac, or any sort of orange flavored liquor such as Cointreau.

If you prefer not to add any alcohol at all, replace with equal measures of apple or orange juice.

Do I Have To Use Pecans?

Pecans scream autumn in the American South, so you’ll see me specify them in practically everything I make.

If you do not have access to pecans or prefer to use another nut, walnuts, almonds, or macadamia nuts work great. Unsalted, untoasted, just plain naked…

How Long Does Cinnamon Roll Cake Take To Prepare?

Set aside just under one hour for this recipe for cinnamon roll cake.

You’ve got about ten minutes of prep and an oven pre-heat. Beyond that, a 35 to 45 minute bake.

I do allow the cake five to ten minutes to cool once pulled from the oven and before hitting it with the glaze.

Modifying The Norm To Make It Not Entirely Average…

Swollen golden raisins, chopped crystalized ginger, white chocolate chips, or a drizzle of warm caramel in addition to the sugar glaze would make this recipe not entirely average for sure!

For Christmas last year, my Mom added several tablespoons of chopped chocolate covered orange peels to the apple cinnamon roll layer before she added the whiskey brown sugar mixture.

The orange became the dominant flavor and the chocolate was just a really pleasant surprise when I dug my fork into the warm cake!

Can A Cinnamon Roll Cake Be Made Ahead?

Yes. This cinnamon cake recipe may be made ahead by one day.

Because it must be stored in the refrigerator, you will need to reheat it in your microwave for several seconds if you want that warm cinnamon roll experience.

Can A Cinnamon Roll Cake Be Frozen?

Yes. If you have a vacuum sealing system, this is the way to go for this cake in particular.

It is able to retain a degree of moisture this way, whereas it looses this attribute if say freezing in a plastic freezer bag or casserole.

How To Serve An Apple Pecan Cinnamon Roll Cake?

WARM! Warm with just the glaze it calls for or even warm with a scoop of French vanilla and some hot caramel topping!