• For the Cinnamon Roll Cake Layers
• Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.
• Grease and flour three 8x2 round cake pans.
• In the bowl of your mixer, combine dry ingredients: cake mix, flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, and salt. Whisk for 30 seconds to blend.
• In another bowl, combine sour cream, water, eggs, oil & vanilla extract. Add the wet ingredients to the dry and mix on medium speed for 2 minutes. Stop after 1 minute to scrape the sides and bottom of bowl then continue to beat for the second minute.
• Pour into prepared pans and bake at 325 degrees....check after 22 minutes- Cakes are done if middle of cake springs back when touched, a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean or with just a few crumbs attached.
• Makes about 7 cups of batter.

Cinnamon Sugar Glaze to Brush on the Cake Layers

• Mix together and set aside.  This will be used to brush approximately 2 Tablespoons on the tops of each layer as you stack the cake. This is used as a simple syrup on the layers. 

Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting

• Cut the butter into slices and add to the bowl of your mixer. Beat on low to medium speed until the butter is softened and smooth.
• Cut the cold cream cheese into pieces and add to the butter, beating at low to medium speed until incorporated. If you are using a hand mixer you may need to soften the cream cheese a bit more.
• Add the vanilla. Gradually add the powdered sugar and cinnamon beating on low speed until blended. You may want to cover the bowl with a dish towel to keep down the cloud of powdered sugar.
• Increase mixing speed and beat until fluffy. Don't over mix or it will become too soft. If it becomes too soft, just refrigerate a short while to firm it up a bit.
• **If you are making a dark brown swirl of frosting on top of the cake as we did, reserve ¼ cup of frosting as set aside.
• This frosting will pipe best if used while still chilled. You can make it in advance, refrigerate and when ready to use let it soften slightly (do not microwave) and remix.
• Will frost a 3 layer 8 or 9 inch cake.

Assembly of Cake

• Place the first cake layer on a cake plate or pedestal. Brush the top with brown sugar glaze (we use a silicone pastry brush for this. It should soak in very quickly).
• Then, spread the top of the layer with cinnamon cream cheese frosting. Top with the second cake layer and repeat- (glaze, then add the frosting). Top with the third cake layer and then frost the cake.
• *I like to apply a thin (crumb coat) layer of frosting over the cake first. Then I like to chill to firm things up (10-15 minutes in the freezer), and finish with the second layer of frosting. Decorate however you like! I used a bench scraper to smooth the frosting around the sides.
• For the spiral on top: I placed a small amount of frosting in a bowl and combined with additional cinnamon to darken, and piped a spiral on top of the cake using a small round piping tip 3. I finished with a large shell border on top and bottom of the cake, piped with a 1M piping tip.