Funfetti cinnamon rolls are a fun celebratory take on regular cinnamon rolls. The filling is stuffed with butter, cinnamon, and cake batter crumbs. The frosting is, of course, cream cheese frosting, but gets a decoration of sprinkles!
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🎂Celebratory cinnamon rolls
I love, love, love cinnamon rolls! See pumpkin spice cinnamon rolls, red velvet cinnamon rolls, apple crumble cinnamon rolls, or regular cinnamon rolls! There is nothing quite like the smell of them baking, the fluffy sweet bread, the warm and buttery, cinnamon filling, and the sweet, tangy cream cheese frosting. I could go on!
These funfetti cinnamon rolls have everything that a regular cinnamon roll has, but with the addition of a cake batter filling and sprinkles. These are truly worth any celebration!
There are quite a few steps to this recipe, but the best thing about cinnamon rolls, is that they can be partly made the day before, and finished the next day!
🥘Ingredients
Ingredient notes
- Dry milk powder - this gives the cake batter filling a creaminess texture. You can leave it out. The taste will be a bit less creamy, but still good!
- Sprinkles - not all sprinkles are created equal. Jimmies (the long skinny sprinkles) are best for this recipe. They don't bleed easily, like other sprinkles do.
- Yeast - use whatever kind of yeast you are used to using. I used dry active yeast in this recipe.
🔪Instructions
Cinnamon roll dough
First, make the dough by placing yeast, sugar and warm milk in a bowl . Add eggs and melted butter and stir to combine. Add 4 cups of flour and salt. Knead the dough until it comes together and cleans the sides of the bowl. Add ¼ cup more flour at a time, if needed.
Place the dough into a greased bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and place in a warm environment until it doubles in size, about 1 hour.
Cake batter filling
While the dough is rising, make the cake batter filling. Add granulated sugar, brown sugar, flour, dry milk powder, baking powder, and salt to a medium sized bowl. Whisk to combine. Break apart any large chunks of brown sugar.
Add vanilla extract. Using a pastry cutter, a fork, or your hands, cut cold butter into the dry ingredients. You want the butter to coat all the dry ingredients and the size to be small. We don't want big chunks on our cake.
Stir in sprinkles and then turn out onto a parchment lined baking tray. Use a spatula to spread it out evenly. Bake at 300°F (150°C) for 15 minutes.
Let it cool on a wire rack for 15 minutes, and then break it into chunks. Transfer to a clean small bowl and let the filling cool completely.
Cream cheese frosting
Whisk cream cheese and butter together until smooth. Add In icing sugar and whisk until combined.
Place the risen dough onto a floured surface and using a rolling pin, roll the dough into a large rectangle, about 15x20 inches. Spread butter over the dough, and then sprinkle with cinnamon. Scatter the cake batter filling over top. You may not need to use it all.
Roll the dough starting at the long side of the rectangle. Cut the dough into 12 rolls and place them into a greased 9x13 inch baking dish. Cover the cinnamon rolls with plastic wrap and place in a warm environment until doubled in size, about 30 minutes.
Bake the cinnamon rolls for 20 minutes. If the tops of the rolls are browning too quickly, lightly cover them with tin foil. Remove from the oven onto a wire rack. Let the cinnamon rolls cool for 10 minutes, and then spread the cream cheese frosting on top. Scatter sprinkles over top of the frosting.
For more step by step photos, view my web story for funfetti cinnamon rolls!
✔️Expert tips
- Don't have dry milk powder? Leave it out. It won't make a significant change to the deliciousness of this recipe.
- Cut the cinnamon rolls with a serrated knife or floss. Just make sure the floss isn't flavoured.
- If the cinnamon rolls are browning too quickly in the oven, place some tin foil lightly over the tops of them and continue baking.
💭FAQs
Cinnamon rolls are great to make ahead. Prepare the cinnamon rolls to the part in the recipe where they go cut side up into a greased pan. Cover with plastic wrap and store in the refrigerator over night.
The next day, take them out of the refrigerator. Let them get to room temperature and then double in size before continuing with the rest of the recipe.
To freeze before baking - The cinnamon rolls can be frozen after they have been filled, rolled up, cut, and placed in the baking pan. Cover and place in the freezer. When you are ready to bake, let thaw in the refrigerator overnight. Place at room temperature and let the rolls double in size. Continue with recipe.
To freeze after baking - You can freeze the rolls with frosting on them, or not. Let them cool to room temperature. Freeze either the entire pan or individual rolls. Cover them tightly and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw at room temperature or overnight in the refrigerator. Warm them in the oven or microwave.
The difference is in the filling. Cinnamon buns usually contain nuts.
Wait 10 minutes after taking them from the oven, and then frost. If you frost right away, the frosting would melt too much down the sides and off the rolls. You want them warm though, because some oozing down the sides of the pan is wanted.
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Funfetti Cinnamon Rolls {overnight}
Equipment
- 1 9"x13" pan
Ingredients
Dough
- 1 teaspoons dry active yeast
- 1 cup whole milk warm
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs room temperature
- ⅓ cup unsalted butter melted
- 4-4½ cups all purpose flour
Filling
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- ¼ cup light brown sugar packed
- ¾ cup all purpose flour
- 2 tablespoons dry milk powder
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¼ cup unsalted butter cold, cut into ½ inch squares
- 2 tablespoons sprinkles jimmies work best
Cream Cheese Frosting
- 8 oz cream cheese room temperature
- ¼ cup unsalted butter room temperature
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 1-2 tablespoons sprinkles jimmies work best
Spread
- 6 tablespoons butter softened
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
Instructions
Dough
- Place yeast, sugar and warm milk in a bowl. Add eggs and melted butter and stir to combine.
- Add 4 cups of flour and salt. Knead the dough until it comes together and cleans the sides of the bowl. Add ¼ cup more flour at a time, if needed.
- Place the dough into a greased bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and place in a warm environment until it doubles in size, about 1 hour.
Cake Batter Filling
- Add sugars, flour, dry milk powder, baking powder, and salt to a medium sized bowl. Whisk to combine. Break apart any large chunks of brown sugar.
- Add vanilla extract. Using a pastry cutter, a fork, or your hands, cut cold butter into the dry ingredients. You want the butter to coat all the dry ingredients and the size to be small. We don't want big chunks on our cake.
- Stir in sprinkles and then turn out onto a parchment lined baking tray. Bake at 300°F (150°C) for 15 minutes. Let it cool on a wire rack for 15 minutes, and then break it into chunks. Transfer to a clean small bowl and let the filling cool completely.
Cream Cheese Frosting
- Whisk cream cheese and butter together until smooth. Add In icing sugar and whisk until combined.
Assembly
- Place risen dough onto a floured surface and using a rolling pin, roll the dough into a large rectangle, about 15x20 inches.
- Spread butter over the dough, and then sprinkle with cinnamon. Scatter the cake batter filling over top. You may not use it all.
- Roll the dough starting at the long side of the rectangle. Cut the dough into 12 rolls and place them into a greased 9x13 inch baking dish.
- If you are baking right away, preheat oven to 350°F. Cover the cinnamon rolls with plastic wrap and place in a warm environment until doubled in size, about 30 minutes. Bake the cinnamon rolls for 20 minutes. If the tops of the rolls are browning too quickly, lightly cover them with tin foil.
- Remove from the oven onto a wire rack. Let the cinnamon rolls cool for 10 minutes, and then spread the cream cheese frosting on top. Scatter sprinkles on the frosting.
- Cover and store leftovers in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
Notes
- Don't have dry milk powder? Leave it out. It won't make a significant change to the deliciousness of this recipe.
- Cut the cinnamon rolls with a serrated knife or floss. Just make sure the floss isn't flavoured.
- If the cinnamon rolls are browning too quickly in the oven, place some aluminum foil lightly over the tops of them and continue baking.
Did you try this recipe? Comment below to let me know ☺️