Cinnamon Roll Poke Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting
This Cinnamon Roll Poke Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting is an easy fall dessert made with a boxed cake mix, a rich cinnamon filling, and creamy homemade frosting. It delivers all the comforting flavor of cinnamon rolls without making yeast dough.
Servings 15 pieces
Ingredients
Cake
- 1 box white cake mix plus the ingredients listed on the package (water, oil, and eggs)
Cinnamon Filling
- 14 ounces sweetened condensed milk
- 4 tablespoons melted butter
- ½ cup brown sugar
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon salt
Cream Cheese Frosting
- 4 ounces cream cheese softened
- ⅓ cup butter softened
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoon milk if needed
Optional
- Ground cinnamon or cinnamon sugar for dusting
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly coat a 9 x 13-inch baking pan with nonstick cooking spray. Prepare and bake the cake according to the package directions. Let the cake cool completely.
- Using the handle of a wooden spoon or a thick straw, poke holes about 1 inch apart over the entire cake.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the sweetened condensed milk, melted butter, brown sugar, cinnamon, and salt until smooth.
- Slowly pour the cinnamon filling over the cake, allowing it to soak into the holes. Spread any remaining filling evenly over the top and refrigerate for 1 hour.
- Beat the cream cheese and butter until smooth. Mix in the vanilla, then gradually beat in the powdered sugar. Add milk only if needed until the frosting is smooth and spreadable.
- Spread the frosting over the chilled cake. If desired, dust lightly with ground cinnamon or cinnamon sugar before serving.
Notes
- Cool the cake completely before adding the cinnamon filling.
- Poke holes evenly across the cake so every slice is full of cinnamon flavor.
- Refrigerating the cake allows the filling to soak in and improves the texture.
- Dust with ground cinnamon or cinnamon sugar just before serving for extra cinnamon roll flavor.