Wishes for a second helping. I originally published this recipe in 2013 and have since added new photos, success tips, and streamlined instructions. I’ve made very few edits to the original recipe, which are reflected in the printable recipe below. Like a sprinkle-loaded stack of birthday cake pancakes, these Funfetti cake-inspired rolls are the happiest treat on your special morning. I make them a few times each year when a family birthday rolls around. And, on several occasions, I’ve made these INSTEAD of birthday cake, because… honestly… cinnamon rolls for dessert just makes sense. And some people just don’t like cake. Yes, I know you’re out there!
You’ll Love These Birthday Cake Cinnamon Rolls
Filling tastes like cake mix, but it’s not from a box Fluffy, buttery, and tender dough Loaded with colorful rainbow sprinkles, like a batch of confetti cupcakes Topped with cream cheese icing (and more sprinkles!) Almost like having confetti cake for breakfast
The dough for these birthday cake cinnamon rolls comes from my raspberry sweet rolls. It’s my favorite dough, and I based my ultra-popular overnight cinnamon rolls recipe off of it, too. And it’s quite easy! If you’re afraid of working with yeast, please do not be intimidated; there is hardly any “work time” involved, just some “wait time” as the yeast does its job. Patience is yeast’s best friend. I chose to use this particular dough recipe as the base for these colorful rolls because I love how fluffy the end result is. The rolls are soft, tender, buttery, and sweet and truly make a wonderful “starter” dough recipe for any sort of filling. And I figured their fluffy, pillow-y texture and buttery taste would make the perfect base for a confetti cake center. Swirls of sprinkles and sweet dough—how can you go wrong?
Grab These Ingredients for the Sweet Roll Dough:
Here’s the dough: After the dough comes together, it will be a little soft and sticky—that’s normal. Knead the dough on a floured counter or keep it in the mixer for kneading—whichever method you use, it should be about 5 minutes of kneading. If you need a visual for doing so by hand, my How to Knead Dough tutorial will help. What if I Don’t Have a Stand Mixer? If you do not own a mixer, you can mix the dough together with a large wooden spoon/silicone spatula. It will take a bit of arm muscle. A hand mixer works, but the sticky dough repeatedly gets stuck in the beaters. Place the dough into a lightly greased bowl, cover, and set it in a draft-free area to rise until doubled in size—it takes about 2 hours. After that, punch the risen dough down:
Cake Mix Filling
Now let’s talk about the filling. The crème de la crème of today’s rolls. How did I achieve the cake batter flavor without cake mix? Well, I began thinking about the texture and taste of actual cake mix. Creamy, buttery, powdery smooth, vanilla-y, and sweet. (Everything we know and love about these cake batter chocolate chip cookies!) I took those 5 main attributes and brainstormed ways to get them without using a box mix. Baker’s Tip: If the dough keeps shrinking as you roll it out, stop what you’re doing, cover it, and let it rest for 10 minutes to relax the gluten. I often do this when I’m making pizza dough. When you return to the dough, it should stretch out much easier. For that creamy taste and texture, the secret ingredient is powdered coffee creamer. You could also use dry milk powder. For the buttery flavor, I used (surprise!) melted butter. For the powdery smoothness, I used all-purpose flour. For the vanilla flavor, I used vanilla extract. And for the sweetness, I used a mix of white and brown sugars. Voila! You have a cake batter filling without a box cake mix. Stir in 1/2 cup of sprinkles, but do not use nonpareils (the little balls) in your homemade cake batter mix. I always say non! to nonpareils in baked goods because they bleed their colors in the oven. You can sprinkle nonpareils on top of the frosted rolls before serving, however!
Fill the Rolls
Spread softened butter all over the rolled-out dough, and then sprinkle with cinnamon, followed by the homemade cake crumbles. The butter will allow the crumbles to stick and the cinnamon is just necessary for cinnamon rolls, right?! I do not suggest leaving out the cinnamon as there may not be enough flavor without it. Plus, cake batter + cinnamon rolls… need I say more? Use a very sharp knife to cut the roll into 12 rolls. Arrange in a greased baking pan, cover, then let the rolls rise until a little puffy, about an hour. This is the 2nd rise. (Alternatively, you could let the rolls rise overnight. See Notes in the written recipe below for overnight instructions.) Here are the sprinkle cinnamon rolls before and after that 2nd rise: Then it’s time to bake. Your birthday breakfast is almost here!
The Icing on the Cake 😉
I love the pops of color inside the swirls of soft, fluffy dough—a gorgeous tie-dye effect. It doesn’t matter what birthday you’re celebrating, whether it’s their 5th or 95th; kids and kids-at-heart can’t help but smile when they see these. I mean, just look at them—this is a birthday party in a breakfast pastry! But feel free to use vanilla icing if cream cheese frosting isn’t your favorite.
