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A single red velvet cinnamon rolls on a plate, with the remaining cinnamon rolls on a cutting board, surrounded by two mugs of tea.
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Red Velvet Cinnamon Rolls

These cinnamon rolls have the flavor of traditional red velvet cake with the addition of a little bit of cocoa and the classic cream cheese frosting. You can break the process up or make them overnight rolls by just refrigerating the dough after you make it or refrigerate the unbaked rolls after cutting them up. More detailed instructions for this can be found in my section above. Feel free to increase the amount of food coloring if you want your rolls to be more vividly red, or reduce/eliminate the food coloring if you are averse to artificial dyes.
Course Breakfast, brunch, Dessert, Snack
Cuisine American
Keyword cinnamon rolls, cream cheese frosting, red velvet
Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 28 minutes
Rise Time 3 hours
Servings 12
Calories 515kcal
Author Irvin

Ingredients

Dough

  • 1 cup whole milk
  • 1/2 cup plus 1 teaspoon white sugar
  • 2 1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast 7 g or 1 package
  • 6 tablespoons unsalted butter 85 g or 3/4 stick
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 tablespoons red food coloring
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 2 large eggs
  • 4 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 cup cocoa powder natural not Dutch-process 40 g

Cinnamon filling

  • 1/2 cup unsalted butter 115 g or 1 stick
  • 3/4 cup packed dark brown sugar 165 g
  • 2 tablespoon ground cinnamon
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

Frosting

  • 4 ounces cream cheese at room temperature, 115 g or 1/2 brick
  • 4 tablespoon unsalted butter at room temperature, 57 g or 1/2 stick
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1 cup powdered sugar sifted 115 g

Instructions

  • Make the dough by first heating up the milk up in a small saucepan until it is warm to the touch, about 90 to 100°F. This should only take about 15 seconds on a hot stove. Sprinkle 1 teaspoon of white sugar in it, then stir the yeast into the milk with a fork until it dissolves. Set aside for 5 to 10 minutes until you start to see some bubbles form on the top of the milk.
    dissolve yeast in warm milk and let proof until bubbles form on the surface.
  • Meanwhile melt the butter by placing it in a medium sized microwave safe bowl and cooking it in the microwave for 30 to 45 seconds. Stir in the vanilla and the red food coloring to the melted butter.
    Add vanilla and red food coloring to the melted butter.
  • Pour the milk into the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook attachment. Add the red butter, the eggs, remaining sugar, and kosher salt and beat together with a fork.
    Combine yeasty warm milk with eggs and red butter.
  • Add the flour and cocoa to the bowl. Mix with the dough hook on slow speed until most of the flour has been absorbed. You may need to stop the mixer occasionally and scrape down the sides or bottom of the bowl to mix in any dry ingredients that haven’t incorporated. Once a dough has formed, increase the speed to medium and knead the dough for 4 to 5 minutes or until a smooth elastic dough has formed.
    Add flour and cocoa to the liquid and knead until a smooth dough forms.
  • Spray a large bowl, at least twice the size of the dough, with cooking oil. Pull the dough out of the mixing bowl (it will be very soft and slightly sticky) and stretch the dough as much as you can to form a ball. Place the dough in the greased bowl, with the rough side down. Cover with plastic wrap. At this point you can either refrigerate the dough overnight or place it in a warm spot in your kitchen to let rise until double in size, about 60 to 90 minutes. See my section above about creating the optimum environment for this process.
    place the dough in a greased bowl, cover with plastic wrap and let rise until double in size.
  • While the dough is rising, make the filling by placing the butter in a medium sized microwave safe bowl. Cook the butter for 30 to 45 seconds in the microwave, or until it is melted. Add the brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt and stir until blended and uniform in color. Set aside to cool.
    Mix filling ingredients together.
  • Once the dough has risen, dump it out on to a clean smooth surface. Don’t flour it. You want the dough to “stick” slightly to the surface, this will help it roll out. Roll the dough into an 18 x 12-inch rectangle.
    Roll dough out to a rectangle.
  • Spread the cinnamon filling evenly all over the dough, leaving a 1/2-inch bare area at the top of the dough on the long side.
    Spread filling over the dough.
  • Roll the dough up tightly from the bottom to the uncovered top area, forming an 18-inch log. Cut the dough into 12 individual 1 1/2-inch pieces.
    Tightly roll the dough into a long log, then slice into rolls.
  • Spray a 9 x 13 inch baking pan with cooking oil, then line the inside of the pan with parchment paper leaving 1-inch overhang on the sides.
    Spray a baking pan with cooking oil, then line with parchment paper.
  • Place the cinnamon rolls, swirl side up, in the baking pan in a 4 x 3 inch grid. Cover with plastic wrap. At this point you can either refrigerate the dough overnight or place it in a warm spot in your kitchen to let rise until puffy and touching each other, about 45 to 60 minutes. See my section above about creating the optimum environment for this process.
    Place rolls in prepared pan. Let rise until the rolls are puffy and touching.
  • Once the rolls are puffy and touching, preheat the oven to 350°F. Bake in the oven for 27 to 30 minutes or until the top of the rolls start to brown and look puffy and dry. If you have an instant read thermometer, the middle roll should read somewhere around 185° to 190°F.
  • While the rolls are baking, make the frosting. Place cream cheese, butter, vanilla, and salt in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Sift the powdered sugar into the bowl (don't skip this step, as powdered sugar has a tendency to clump and this makes your frosting lumpy). Mix together until fluffy and creamy, about 2 to 3 minutes.
    sift the powdered sugar over the cream cheese and frosting.
  • Once the rolls are done, remove from the oven and spread half the frosting over the hot rolls. The frosting should turn into a liquidy glaze and coat all the crevices of the rolls. This will ensure the rolls stay moist as they cool. Let the rolls cool down further, about 30 to 45 minutes, then spread the remaining frosting over the rolls.
    Spread half the frosting over the hot red velvet cinnamon rolls, let cool, then cover with the remaining frosting.

Nutrition

Calories: 515kcal