Description
Deliciously soft and fluffy red velvet cinnamon rolls made from scratch with a rich cinnamon-cocoa filling and topped with creamy cream cheese frosting. Perfect for a decadent dessert or special breakfast treat.
Ingredients
Scale
Tangzhong
- 3/4 cup water
- 1/4 cup bread flour
Dough
- 1/3 cup whole milk, room temperature
- 1/3 cup heavy cream, room temperature
- 1 tablespoon white vinegar
- 3 2/3 cups bread flour
- 1/3 cup granulated sugar
- 1 1/2 tablespoons cocoa powder
- 2 teaspoons instant yeast
- 1 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1 large egg, room temperature
- 1/4-1/2 teaspoon red gel food coloring
- 8 tablespoons unsalted butter, cool room temperature
Filling
- 12 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
- 3/4 cup light brown sugar, packed
- 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
- 2 teaspoons cocoa powder
- 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste
Cream Cheese Frosting
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
- 5 ounces cream cheese
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 1 tablespoon heavy cream
- 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste or extract
Instructions
- Make Tangzhong: In a small saucepan, whisk together the water and bread flour. Cook over medium heat, whisking constantly for 4-5 minutes until the mixture thickens into a paste-like slurry. Scrape into a bowl and set aside to cool.
- Prepare Milk Mixture: In a small bowl, combine whole milk, heavy cream, and white vinegar. Set aside to curdle slightly.
- Mix Dry Ingredients: In a stand mixer bowl, combine bread flour, granulated sugar, cocoa powder, instant yeast, and fine sea salt until well mixed.
- Add Wet Ingredients: Add the milk mixture, large egg, tangzhong, and red gel food coloring to the dry ingredients. Using a dough hook, knead on low speed for 2 minutes until a shaggy dough forms.
- Add Butter: Gradually add softened unsalted butter 1/2 tablespoon at a time, ensuring each portion is fully incorporated before adding more.
- Knead Dough: Continue kneading the dough on medium-low speed for 10-12 minutes until the dough is smooth, elastic, and slightly sticky.
- First Rise: Shape the dough into a smooth round ball, place it back into the mixer bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and let it rest in a warm spot for 30 minutes.
- Prepare Filling: In a bowl, mix unsalted butter, light brown sugar, ground cinnamon, cocoa powder, and vanilla bean paste until smooth and creamy.
- Roll Dough: Lightly flour a surface and roll the dough into a 15×21-inch rectangle. Spread the cinnamon filling evenly over the surface with an offset spatula.
- Form Rolls: Using a pizza cutter, slice the dough into twelve 1 3/4-inch strips. Roll each strip tightly away from you to form individual rolls and place them into a parchment-lined 9×13-inch baking pan.
- Second Rise: Cover the pan with plastic wrap and let the rolls rise in a warm place until doubled in size, about 1-2 hours. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 325°F (162°C).
- Bake Rolls: Bake the cinnamon rolls for 28-35 minutes or until the internal temperature of the center rolls reaches 185°F. Remove from oven and let cool for 15 minutes on a wire rack.
- Prepare Frosting: While rolls bake, beat cream cheese and butter in a mixing bowl until smooth. Gradually add powdered sugar and beat until light and fluffy. Mix in vanilla bean paste and heavy cream.
- Frost and Serve: Spread cream cheese frosting evenly over warm rolls. Let sit for 15 minutes to allow frosting to seep in. Serve warm and enjoy.
Notes
- Measure your dry ingredients properly using the spoon-level method or a kitchen scale for best results.
- Use a kitchen scale to ensure accurate flour measurement to avoid dense dough.
- Store leftover rolls in an airtight container at room temperature to keep them soft for up to 4 days.
- Reheat rolls in a preheated oven at 350°F for 10-15 minutes or microwave in 30-second increments until warm.
- The red gel food coloring can be adjusted to your preferred shade of red, usually between 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon.
- Allow enough rising time for the dough to double, which is critical for fluffy cinnamon rolls.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 roll
- Calories: 370 kcal
- Sugar: 20 g
- Sodium: 180 mg
- Fat: 20 g
- Saturated Fat: 12 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 7 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 42 g
- Fiber: 2 g
- Protein: 6 g
- Cholesterol: 70 mg
