Celebrate every day like it’s your birthday with these Birthday Cake Cinnamon Rolls! Soft, fluffy, mile-high rolls, like my classic cinnamon rolls, are filled with a sweet, buttery brown sugar mixture and loaded with colorful rainbow sprinkles that bring fun and festive flavor to every bite. If you love these birthday cake rolls, you will also want to check out my quick and delicious One-Hour Cinnamon Rolls, too!
Ingredients & Substitutions
- Flour: I combined two types of flour, all-purpose and bread flour, for the dough. The all-purpose flour keeps the rolls soft and tender, while the bread flour, with its higher protein content, adds a pleasant chewiness. Together, they create a dough that’s soft yet sturdy enough to hold all that delicious filling. This is the same dough I used for my Maple Cinnamon Rolls, which you will also want to try.
- Butter: I use unsalted butter in all three parts of the rolls (the dough, filling, and frosting). It lets you control the overall saltiness and keep the flavors balanced. If you’re using salted butter instead, just reduce the added salt a bit to compensate.
- Sprinkles: I love the rainbow sprinkles for a birthday treat. But, of course, you could use a favorite color or colors that match the theme of your party.
- Frosting: I went with a whipped cream cheese frosting because I wanted something light and fluffy.
Can I Make These Rolls Without Bread Flour?
Yes! You can definitely make these birthday cake rolls without bread flour. Many of my cinnamon roll recipes use only all-purpose flour, and they still turn out soft, fluffy, and delicious. For this recipe, I added bread flour to give the dough a bit more structure and chew. But if you don’t have any on hand, feel free to use 3 cups of all-purpose flour instead.
Can I Use A Different Frosting For Birthday Cinnamon Rolls?
Yes, you can definitely use a different frosting for birthday cake rolls! The whipped cream cheese frosting is light and fluffy, but classic cream cheese frosting (like in my Raspberry Cream Cheese Sweet Rolls), vanilla glaze, or a confectioners’ sugar (powdered sugar) icing all work well too. Use your favorite frosting to make these rolls your own.
Make-Ahead Birthday Cake Cinnamon Rolls
Want to prep ahead? These rolls are perfect for it!
Refrigerator Method: After you make the dough, fill, roll, and slice it, place the unbaked rolls in a greased dish. Cover and refrigerate up to 24 hours. When ready to bake, let them sit at room temperature for about an hour, then pop them in the oven.
Freezer method: You can also freeze the unbaked rolls for up to 3 months. When ready, place them in a greased dish and thaw in the refrigerator overnight. Let them come to room temperature for about an hour before baking.
Can I Make The Dough Without A Stand Mixer?
Yes, you can make the dough without a stand mixer, but it just takes a bit more effort (and gives you a decent arm workout!). You’ll need about 20-25 minutes of gentle kneading to match the 5 minutes with a dough hook. It can get a little messy, and you might add extra flour along the way, but it definitely works. Or, if you want something easier to make by hand, try my Amish Cinnamon Rolls, no mixer needed (unless you want to)!
Storing & Reheating Birthday Cinnamon Rolls
Once cooled, store birthday cake rolls in an airtight container at room temperature for 1-2 days. For longer storage, keep them in the refrigerator for up to 5 days (but they might dry out a bit faster). To enjoy, reheat gently in the microwave or oven until warm. Want to keep them longer? Freeze the rolls for a few months!
Freezing Baked Birthday Cake Rolls
For the best results when freezing baked birthday cake rolls, freeze them without the frosting. Once the rolls have completely cooled, wrap each one individually in plastic wrap. Then place the wrapped rolls in a freezer-safe bag or container. They can be stored in the freezer for up to 2–3 months. When you’re ready to enjoy, thaw the rolls overnight in the refrigerator, then spread on the whipped cream cheese frosting. Don’t forget the extra sprinkles, too!
Birthday Cake Cinnamon Rolls
Ingredients
Dough
- ⅔ cup (163 g) whole milk, warmed in the microwave for about 30 seconds
- 5 tablespoons granulated sugar, divided
- 1 envelope (2 ¼ teaspoons) active dry yeast
- 2 large eggs, room temperature, beaten
- ½ cup (1 stick / 113 g) unsalted butter, softened
- 2 cups (250 g) all-purpose flour
- 1 cup (127 g) bread flour
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
Filling
- ½ cup (1 stick / 113 g) unsalted butter, softened
- ⅔ cup (130 g) light brown sugar, packed
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- ½ cup (60 g) all-purpose flour
- 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ cup rainbow sprinkles
Whipped Cream Cheese Frosting
- 3 ounces cream cheese, softened
- ¼ cup (½ stick / 57 g) unsalted butter, softened
- 1 ½ cups (188 g) confectioners' sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 pinch kosher salt
- rainbow sprinkles, for garnish
Instructions
- To the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, add warm milk, 1 tablespoon of granulated sugar, and yeast. Mix briefly, then let the mixture sit for about 5 minutes until foamy.
- Add eggs, butter, the remaining 4 tablespoons of sugar, all-purpose flour, bread flour, and salt. Switch to the dough hook attachment. Mix on low speed to combine.
- Continue kneading on medium speed until the dough is smooth, about 5 minutes.
- Spray a medium bowl with nonstick cooking spray. Place the dough into the bowl, rotating it to grease all sides. Cover with a towel or plastic wrap. Let it rise in a warm area until doubled in size, 1-2 hours.
- Once the dough has doubled in size, place it onto a floured counter or work surface. Roll the dough into a 10×15-inch rectangle, about ¼-inch thick.
Filling
- In a small bowl, combine the butter, brown sugar, granulated sugar, flour, vanilla, and salt.
- Evenly spread the butter mixture over the dough, making sure it covers the entire surface.
- Sprinkle the entire surface with sprinkles.
Assembly
- Spray a 9×9-inch baking dish with nonstick cooking spray.
- Starting on the long edge of the dough, tightly roll it up (like a log or cylinder).
- Using a very sharp knife, evenly cut the log into 9 rolls. Place them into the prepared baking dish, filling side up.
- Cover with plastic wrap. Let rise in a warm place until doubled, about an hour.
Bake
- Preheat oven to 325°F.
- Bake for 35-40 minutes, or until lightly golden on the edges and done in the middle.
- When the rolls are almost done baking, make the frosting.
Frosting
- To the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, add cream cheese, butter, confectioners' sugar, vanilla, and salt. Mix on low just to combine.
- Once the ingredients are all incorporated and smooth, switch to the whisk attachment. Mix on high for 4-5 minutes until light and fluffy.
- Immediately frost the rolls while still warm.
- Finish with a sprinkle of rainbow sprinkles on top.
Did you make this recipe?
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What the Test Kitchen had to say about this recipe:
Autumn
These rolls are so soft and fluffy! I would eat these whether it is my birthday or not!
Elizabeth
What a neat idea to make birthday cake rolls! I love them, and the colorful sprinkles make me smile.
Stephanie
This is a fun variation of cinnamon rolls. And, the frosting is perfect with them!
Bella
Oh, I really love these rolls! They are so soft with colorful sprinkles inside and out! What's not to love?!?
Read the recipe, don’t see cinnamon in the ingredient list??