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The Ultimate Breakfast Cake is to die for! Is it dessert? Is it breakfast? You decide! You’ll either think I’m totally crazy or totally brilliant, but ones thing’s for sure – it’s delicious!
Looking for a more traditional breakfast cake? My Blueberry Streusel Coffee Cake is the perfect choice!
The Ultimate Breakfast Cake Recipe
This is one of those cakes that I dreamed up a while ago, but it took me a while to decide to actually execute it. I thought I might be a little crazy and I wasn’t entirely sure it’d turn out well enough to share. Every layer is a marshmallow treat – think rice krispie treat, but without the rice krispie cereal. And each layer is made with one of my favorite breakfast foods. Of course we could debate the nutritional value of these favorites as breakfast, but none the less they are considering breakfast food. 🙂
The bottom layer is the most “normal” for a marshmallow treat – it’s cinnamon toast crunch. Hands down my favorite cereal when I want to indulge in a sugary sweet option.
Layer number two is made with chopped up cinnamon rolls mixed into the marshmallow mixture. This is where I started to wonder if it’d work out well or not. Being that cinnamon rolls aren’t as crispy of a texture, I wasn’t sure it it’d hold up or if the texture would end up kind of weird.
The top layer is made with chopped up donuts. I used a mix of powdered sugar and cinnamon cake donuts. This one seemed funkiest, so I tried it first. After I made the cake layer and let it set, I cut some for the hubs to try and didn’t tell him what it was when I asked him to try it. 🙂
He wasn’t able to guess but he picked out the marshmallow and cinnamon – and he was a fan! Score! He loved the taste and the texture.
So I went for it and made the cake!
Why I Love This Layer Cake
As you can guess, the cereal layer has the most crunch to it. The donut layer is the softest I’d say, simply by nature of the fact that the donuts are softest. But it all holds together well with the marshmallow mixture and it’s wonderfully soft and chewy! Same for the cinnamon rolls, they are just a touch firmer.
Everything is made in springform pans, then layered together with marshmallow fluff. 🙂
It is all topped with a vanilla icing and some frosting that’s adorned with additional donuts. The final result is a totally crazy and over the top cake that was seriously to die for! Plus, it’s completely no bake!
I figure it’s worth mentioning that you don’t need to have 3 springform pans to make this. You could totally make one layer at a time with one pan, it’ll just take a little longer to wait for each one to set.
I can’t even explain how good it was except to say that if you love all three of those breakfast foods, you will love this cake. Being that it’s kind of a crazy cake, I made sure to get plenty of opinions. I shared it with our church group and my parents and not one person took issue with it’s weirdness. It was embraced with love and a desire for more. 😉 Upon taking my first bite, I about died. SO good!
This cake is perfect for the breakfast lover or someone who doesn’t really like cake for their birthday and feels like having some other crazy cool option. If you can make rice krispie treats, you can make this cake. And it doesn’t take long at all. Time to get on it!
Watch How To Make It
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The Ultimate Breakfast Cake
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Total Time: 40 minutes
- Yield: 12-15 slices
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Stove
- Cuisine: American
Description
The Ultimate Breakfast Cake is to die for! Is it dessert? Is it breakfast? You decide! You’ll either think I’m totally crazy or totally brilliant, but ones thing’s for sure – it’s delicious!
Ingredients
CEREAL TREAT
- 3 tbsp butter
- 10 oz marshmallows
- 5–6 cups cinnamon toast crunch
CINNAMON ROLL TREAT
- 3 tbsp butter
- 10 oz marshmallows
- 8 cups (about 14 oz) chopped cinnamon rolls (I used 6 large cinnamon rolls)
DONUT TREAT
- 3 tbsp butter
- 10 oz marshmallows
- 7–8 cups (about 20 oz) chopped donuts
- 7 oz jar marshmallow creme
ICING
- 2 tbsp (28g) salted butter
- 1/4 cup (52g) sugar
- 1/4 cup (60ml) heavy whipping cream
- 1/4 cup (60ml) water
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 tsp corn syrup
- 2 cups (230g) powdered sugar
FROSTING
- 1/4 cup (112g) salted butter
- 1/4 cup (95g) shortening
- 2 cups (230g) powdered sugar
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1–2 tbsp (15-30ml) water or milk
Instructions
1. Prepare a 9 inch springform pan with non-stick spray.
2. In a large saucepan, melt the butter and marshmallows over medium-low heat. Heat and stir until completely melted.
3. Add the cinnamon toast crunch and stir until well coated.
4. Pour the mixture into the prepared pan and use a spatula sprayed with non stick spray to help press the cereal into the pan in an even layer.
5. Refrigerate the cereal treat until completely cooled.
6. For the remaining layers, you can resume the same pan once the previous layer is cooled, or you can use additional springform pans. Whichever you choose, prepare the springform pan again with non-stick spray.
7. Repeat step 2, then add the chopped cinnamon rolls and gently stir until well coated.
8. Pour the mixture into the prepared pan and use a spatula sprayed with non stick spray to help press the cereal into the pan in an even layer.
9. Refrigerate the cinnamon roll treat until completely cooled.
10. Repeat the treat making process with the chopped donuts, gently stirring the mixture together and pressing into the pan.
11. Once all three layers are made and cooled, place the cereal layer on a cake stand or other serving plate.
12. Spread about 1/2 cup of marshmallow cream, or just enough to have a light coat on top of the treat layer, into an even layer on top.
13. Add the cinnamon roll treat layer, then repeat adding another 1/2 cup marshmallow cream.
14. Top the cake with the donut layer.
15. To make the icing, combine all ingredients except for the powdered sugar in a small sauce pan. Heat on low until sugar is melted, then turn heat to medium to bring to a boil. Boil for 3 minutes, stirring occasionally, then remove from heat and immediately pour into a heat-proof glass bowl.
16. Whisk in powdered sugar and allow to cool slightly and thicken. If you find your icing to be a little thick, just add a touch more water to thin it back out.
17. Drizzle the icing down the sides of the cake while still a little warm. It will be too firm to pour and get a nice drizzle if it cools completely.
18. Spread the remaining icing over the top of the cake.
19. To make the frosting, beat the butter and shortening together until smooth.
20. Slowly add half of the powdered sugar and mix until smooth.
21. Add the vanilla extract and water or milk and mix until smooth.
22. Slowly add remaining powdered sugar and mix until smooth.
23. Pipe swirls of frosting around the top of the cake. I used Ateco tip 808. Finish of the cake with additional donuts.
24. Store cake in an airtight container in the fridge until ready to serve. Cake is best for 2-3 days.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 Slice
- Calories: 712
- Sugar: 73.4 g
- Sodium: 468.8 mg
- Fat: 24.7 g
- Carbohydrates: 121.8 g
- Protein: 5.3 g
- Cholesterol: 19.1 mg
Categories
Enjoy!
I am so sad, for my experience with making this wasn’t so good. It was probably my fault…I thought I gently stirred in the cinnamon rolls with the marshmallow mixture..but it ended up as a very grainy-type gooey soup, not even edible . 🙁 Plus I bought off brand marshmallows (I normally use Kraft when purchasing marshmallows, store was out of that brand) ..guessing that could’ve been the culprit, although the cereal layer came out great with using the store brand marshmallows and set up nicely. I didn’t complete the cake, (I would’ve had to go to store to get more cinnamon buns) for I didn’t want to end up using all the donuts and have that same outcome as I did with the cinnamon buns. Hubby nibbled on the cereal layer..so it wasn’t a total bust. Maybe one day I’ll be brave and try it again. I was so bummed..I know my family would’ve loved it.
I hold brunch buffets often for my ever-growing family as a mother, grandmother and great grandmother. I am always looking for new ideas. My family will go crazy over this…so different. I cannot wait to surprise them at the next brunch with this little beauty that will be held in late January. OH MY GOODNESS…incredible! You, my dear, are very creative!
I made the breakfast cake for Easter brunch! It was a huge success! I made it because it was something different, but it was so delicious that it will be making more brunch appearances!
Thank you for a great recipe!
I’m glad to hear it! Sounds like a fun Easter brunch! Thanks Kathy!
I think it looks and most likely taste disgusting !!!!
So sweet of you to say! Thank you!
Sharon, when responding to you, the author used such restraint! Did you even stop to think about her feelings when you posted this comment? I don’t understand why you felt the need to be so rude! Surely you are old enough to know that was totally inappropriate. I understand this might not be your ideal recipe, but she created it and was probably proud of it. Seriously-so rude!
Wow!! So creative and decadent!!!!!
Omg this is awesome! Love all those layers! I want a huge slice 🙂
Thanks Beth! 🙂
Ho. Ly. Cow.
Divine!!
Not just breakfast, I would eat this any time of the day *^*
Thanks Rae Ru!
Wow, who knew breakfast could be so incredible fun!!!!
Now this sounds wickedly AWESOME and such FUN !!! This certainly is the Ultimate Breakfast Cake 🙂
Thanks Lynne!
This is SUCH a fun treat recipe!