Cinnamon Roll Cake with Chocolate Ghosts – An Easy Halloween Cake

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Do you love cinnamon rolls but don't want to prepare yeast dough? Then try our moist cinnamon roll cake baked in a springform pan! This easy cake with a delicious cinnamon-sugar filling tastes like one giant cinnamon roll and is transformed into a cute Halloween cake with little ghosts made from white chocolate. Perfect for baking with kids and for a Halloween party!

Boo! Our cake plate is haunted! When it slowly starts getting colder outside, the leaves change color and Halloween is just around the corner, there's hardly anything nicer for my Minis and me than a cozy afternoon of baking. And what could be more fitting for fall than the wonderful smell of cinnamon slowly spreading throughout the kitchen?

My Minis and I love sweet yeast rolls – and especially cinnamon rolls! But sometimes things simply need to be a little quicker. After all, you don't always have time to prepare yeast dough and then wait for it to rise. That's exactly why we're baking an easy cinnamon roll cake without yeast today!

The cake consists of a fluffy cake batter into which we swirl a wonderfully aromatic mixture of butter, brown sugar and cinnamon. And because Halloween is just around the corner, our cinnamon roll cake gets an especially cute decoration: little ghosts made from white chocolate!

This turns an ordinary cinnamon cake into a delightfully spooky Halloween cake in no time.

And the best part? The Minis can help with both baking and decorating!

Why We Love This Cinnamon Roll Cake

There are many reasons why our cinnamon roll cake is a wonderful family cake!

For one thing, it's wonderfully uncomplicated. Unlike classic cinnamon rolls, it's not made with yeast dough but with a simple cake batter. That means no long rising time, no complicated rolling out and no shaping individual rolls. Instead, we simply pour the batter into a springform pan and spread our delicious cinnamon-sugar filling over it. We then use a fork to make little swirling movements through the batter. This creates the typical cinnamon roll pattern that makes our cake especially moist and flavorful.

For another thing, the cake is wonderful to bake together with kids. The Minis can weigh the ingredients, mix the batter, spread the cinnamon filling and, of course, create the little chocolate ghosts.

And when Halloween is over? Then we simply leave out the ghosts and enjoy our cinnamon roll cake as a cozy fall cake with our afternoon coffee.

Recipe for Moist Cinnamon Roll Cake Without Yeast

Our cinnamon roll cake is baked in a springform pan with a diameter of 26 cm. The base is a simple cake batter. Brown sugar, butter and plenty of cinnamon provide that typical cinnamon roll flavor. Finally, we decorate the cake with little ghosts made from white chocolate.

 

Ingredients for One Cinnamon Roll Cake

Sponge dough

• 75 g softened butter
• 2 eggs
• 360 ml milk
• 420 g flour
• 1 pinch of salt
• 1 packet baking powder
• 120 g sugar
• 1 packet vanilla sugar

Filling

• 120 g butter
• 100 g brown sugar
• 1 tbsp flour
• 2 tbsp cinnamon

Decoration

• 50 g white chocolate
• Gold glitter
• sugar pearls

Baking accessories

26 cm springform pan, 2 mixing bowls, kitchen scales, measuring cup, hand mixer, spatula, saucepan, melting bowl, wooden spoon, teaspoon, tablespoon, fork and cooling rack.

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Preparation

• First, preheat the oven to 180°C / 350°F, conventional heat (top and bottom heat).
• Place the eggs and butter in a mixing bowl and beat until light and fluffy.
• Add the milk and briefly mix it in.
• Mix the flour, salt, sugar, vanilla sugar and baking powder together in a mixing bowl.
• Pour the egg-butter-milk mixture into the dry ingredients and quickly mix everything together.

Mini-TipOnly mix the batter until all the ingredients are combined. Mixing for too long can make the cake less fluffy.

• Line the springform pan with parchment paper and pour in the batter.
• For the cinnamon filling, melt the butter in a saucepan and remove it from the heat.
• Stir the brown sugar, cinnamon and flour into the melted butter.
• Spread the filling evenly over the batter and use a fork to gently swirl it into the batter.

Mini-Tip Don't mix the cinnamon filling completely into the batter. The different layers should still be visible after baking.

• Bake the cinnamon roll cake on the middle rack for approximately 45 minutes. To check whether the cake is fully baked, insert a wooden skewer into the cake.
• After baking, let the cake cool on a cooling rack.
• Then melt the white chocolate over a water bath and decorate the cinnamon roll cake with chocolate ghosts. To do this, place a teaspoon of melted chocolate onto the cake and use the spoon to pull the chocolate into a little point. While the chocolate is still melted, place two flat sugar sprinkles or chocolate balls on top as eyes.

And our easy Halloween cinnamon roll cake with chocolate ghosts is ready!

Preparation in pictures

5 Tips for a Moist Cinnamon Roll Cake

To make sure your cinnamon roll cake turns out wonderfully, I've put together a few practical tips for you.

1. Use Softened Butter for the Cake Batter

The butter for the cake batter should be soft. This makes it easier to mix with the eggs and the other ingredients. For the cinnamon filling, on the other hand, we use melted butter.

2. Don't Mix the Batter for Too Long

As soon as the dry and wet ingredients are combined, you should stop mixing. This helps keep the cake batter as light and fluffy as possible.

3. Spread the Cinnamon Filling Evenly

To make sure that every slice of cake tastes of cinnamon, you should spread the cinnamon-sugar mixture as evenly as possible over the batter.

4. Only Gently Swirl the Cinnamon Filling Through the Batter

To create the typical cinnamon roll pattern, the cinnamon filling and cake batter shouldn't be completely mixed together. A few gentle swirls with a fork are more than enough.

5. Always Do the Skewer Test

Especially with a larger cake baked in a springform pan, the baking time can vary slightly. So check whether the cake batter is completely baked through before removing the cake from the oven.

Baking Cinnamon Roll Cake with Kids

I love recipes where my Minis can do as many of the steps themselves as possible. And our cinnamon roll cake is perfect for that!

The Minis can already help when weighing the ingredients. Afterwards, they can mix the dry ingredients together, add the milk to the batter and help with stirring. Spreading the cinnamon filling is particularly exciting, of course. Using a fork, they can create little swirls and loops in the batter. And when decorating with the chocolate ghosts, the Minis can let their creativity run wild.

Younger children can, for example, add ingredients to the bowl, mix dry ingredients and place sugar pearls on the ghosts as eyes.

Older children can also weigh the ingredients independently, prepare the cake batter, spread the cinnamon filling and create the chocolate ghosts using a teaspoon.

Of course, adults should take over or at least help with melting the butter and chocolate and working with the hot oven.

What Do Kids Learn When Baking Together?

Baking is about so much more than just the finished slice of cake.

When weighing and measuring ingredients, children learn about numbers and quantities. Stirring and spreading ingredients helps them practice their hand-eye coordination. And decorating the little chocolate ghosts requires concentration, patience and fine motor skills. But what I find particularly lovely is the sense of achievement at the end. When the Minis proudly look at their self-decorated Halloween cake and can say, "I helped bake that!" Then the afternoon of baking together was definitely worth it.

Can I Prepare the Cinnamon Roll Cake in Advance?

Yes! Our cinnamon roll cake is wonderful to prepare in advance.

Especially if you want to bake it for a Halloween party, you can prepare the cake the day before. Let it cool completely after baking and store it well covered in a cool place. You can decorate the cake with the chocolate ghosts either the day before or shortly before the Halloween party. This gives you more time for your little and big fans of spooky treats on the day of the party.

How Should I Store Cinnamon Roll Cake?

Store the completely cooled cinnamon roll cake well covered. Without delicate decorations, it can usually be stored in a cool place for about two to three days. If you've already decorated it with chocolate ghosts, make sure the chocolate doesn't get too warm.

For freezing, I recommend wrapping the cake in individual portions in airtight packaging without the Halloween decorations. After thawing, you can decorate it with the little ghosts.

Frequently Asked Questions About Cinnamon Roll Cake

Can You Bake Cinnamon Roll Cake Without Yeast?

Yes! Our cinnamon roll cake is made with a simple cake batter and baking powder. This means there's no need for the rising time required for classic yeast dough. The typical cinnamon roll flavor comes from the filling made with butter, brown sugar and cinnamon.

Why Isn't My Cinnamon Roll Cake Fluffy?

If the cake batter is mixed for too long after adding the flour, the cake can become denser. That's why you should only mix the ingredients until you have an even batter. The correct baking time is also important.

How Do You Create the Cinnamon Roll Pattern in the Cake?

Spread the mixture of melted butter, brown sugar, cinnamon and a little flour over the cake batter. Then carefully use a fork to make swirling movements through the filling. This creates the typical cinnamon-sugar swirls.

Can I Bake the Cinnamon Roll Cake Without Halloween Decorations?

Of course! Without the chocolate ghosts, the cake is a simple cinnamon cake that is wonderful with afternoon coffee, during fall or throughout the Advent season.

How Do You Make Chocolate Ghosts for a Halloween Cake?

Place a small dollop of melted white chocolate onto the cooled cake. Use a teaspoon to pull the chocolate into a point and add two small sugar pearls or chocolate sprinkles as eyes.

Which Cake Is Suitable for a Halloween Party with Kids?

A simple cake like our cinnamon roll cake is a lovely choice. It can easily be prepared in advance and transformed into a Halloween cake with little ghosts made from white chocolate. But of course, you'll find more Halloween cake ideas here on our blog.

Our Cinnamon Roll Cake – An Easy Halloween Cake for Kids

For me, cinnamon is simply part of fall!

And our moist cinnamon roll cake without yeast is a wonderful way to enjoy the delicious flavor of cinnamon rolls as an uncomplicated cake.

What I particularly love is that we can transform a simple cinnamon cake into a really cute Halloween cake with just a few ingredients. The little chocolate ghosts are quick to make and turn our cake into a real eye-catcher on any Halloween buffet.

And when Halloween is over, we simply bake the cake without the ghosts. After all, cinnamon roll cake tastes delicious all year round!

My Minis and I wish you and your Minis lots of fun baking and decorating together!

Yours, Lia!

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Halloween-Baking with kids – Would you also like to have a spooky Halloween baking event with your kids and friends? I've put together great baking highlights for Halloween for you here! From muffin and baking cups to matching edible decorations, you'll find spooky Halloween cake decorations in this list! Have fun browsing!*

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