Sweet Strawberry Rolls with Strawberry Frosting

Cinnamon rolls have had their day in the sun for far too long and it’s about time that they were de-throned for a season. Strawberries and cream rolls — now is the time to shine! If you have never heard of strawberries and cream rolls then you are in for a treat. For cinnamon roll lovers, these strawberry sweet rolls are going to take your taste buds to the next level!

Jump to:

• Tips and Tricks
• Strawberries and Cream Sweet Rolls
• Ingredients
• How to Prepare
• Frequently Asked Questions
• Sweet Strawberry Rolls with Strawberry Frosting

Tips and Tricks

• These strawberries and cream sweet rolls will need time to rise. You can either make these overnight and allow them to rise in the fridge or you can leave them on the counter to rise for an hour at room temperature.
• The milk for the sweet roll dough can not be cold and needs to be warm. Set out a cup of milk on the counter to warm to 115ºF before starting the baking process.
• The eggs and the cream cheese for this recipe will also need to be at room temperature, the same as the milk. So go ahead and place these out on the counter at the same time as the milk to bring down their temperature.
• If the sweet rolls didn’t rise in the fridge overnight, then try allowing them to rise at room temperature for an hour.
• Using a metal 10×15 pan is optimal as it gives the rolls enough room to rise while still looking uniform and not overcrowded.
• For the frosting, the key is to just keep mixing. If it isn’t spreadable, then keep that mixer running! If the mixture still isn’t thinning after five minutes or so, then add a tablespoon of heavy cream to the icing to help it along.

Strawberries and Cream Sweet Rolls

• Prep Time: 30 minutes
• Cook Time: 25 minutes
• Rise Time: 1 hour
• Servings: 10

Ingredients

Dough:

• 1 cup warm milk (240 ml)
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar (115 grams)
• 4 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (640 grams)
• 2 1/4 tsp instant dry yeast
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 cup salted butter (110 grams)
• 1 tsp salt

Filling:

• 3/4 cup cream cheese (6 ounces, 170 grams)
• 1/3 cup strawberry jam (110 grams)
• 2 cups strawberries, sliced (300 grams)

Cream Bath:

• 1/2 cup heavy cream (for the top of the rolls) (120 grams)

Frosting:

• 1/2 cup strawberries, sliced (80 grams)
• 2 cups powdered sugar (220 grams)
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup soft cream cheese (60 grams, 2 oz)

How to Prepare

• To make the sweet roll dough, pour one cup of warm milk and 2 ¼ teaspoons of active dry yeast into a medium-sized bowl. Mix the milk and the dry yeast until the yeast is dissolved. Then, you can add two eggs, half of a cup of melted butter, one teaspoon of salt, and half a cup of sugar. Whisk all of these ingredients together with an electric mixer until they’re merged. Slowly begin to pour four cups of all-purpose flour into the mixture. Resume slowly beating the dough as you pour in the flour a cup at a time. After about five minutes of mixing you should have a dough-like consistency.

• Now that your dough is made, it’s time to knead it. On a floured surface, place your dough and work it in your hands until it becomes elastic and sticky. (Even though it’s sticky, you don’t need to add more flour; it’s supposed to be like that.) Place the kneaded dough in a greased bowl and cover it with a towel. Give your dough time to rise in the bowl by either allowing it to set at room temperature for an hour or placing it in the fridge overnight.

• While the dough is rising, it’s time to work on the filling. Wash and dice two cups of strawberries and set them to the side. In a small bowl, mix 6oz of room temperature cream cheese and 1/3 cup of strawberry jam with an electric mixer, then set aside.

• Preheat your oven to 375ºF/190ºC.
• If your dough has had time to rise, puff out the dough onto a floured surface and begin to knead and roll the dough out. Use a rolling pin to form the dough into a rectangular shape.

• Now it’s time to put that delicious filling on the inside of our sweet rolls! Bring back the cream cheese and strawberry jam mixture that was beaten together and, with a spatula, smooth the cream cheese over the entirety of the dough. Place a handful of the diced strawberries on top of the cream cheese filling and, starting on the long end, roll the dough from one side to the other.

• Cut your roll into one-inch slices (this should make about 10 sweet rolls) and place them on a greased baking pan. Cover the pan with a towel or wax paper for another 20 minutes. The sweet rolls should be pretty cozy together by the end of the 20-minute rising time and are ready to be drenched in heavy cream.

• Place your rolls in the oven and bake them for 20 to 25 minutes until the rolls have a lovely golden brown color to them. Make sure and check your rolls after the 20 minutes mark to ensure that they don’t burn (no one wants crispy sweet rolls).

• While your sweet rolls are cooking in the oven, let’s go ahead and make that delicious frosting that goes on top. In a large mixing bowl, beat together 2oz of softened cream cheese, two cups of powdered sugar, ½ a teaspoon of vanilla extract, and half a cup of diced strawberries. Continue to mix all of these ingredients with a mixer until you get a frosting consistency. If the frosting still seems chunky and isn’t becoming soft, allow the frosting to sit for a little bit while the juices from the strawberries integrate themselves into the cream cheese. If you’ve been mixing them for longer than five minutes, then you can add a tablespoon of heavy cream to help it along.

• Once your sweet rolls have finished cooking in the oven remove them and allow them to cool before placing this exquisite frosting on top. Use a spatula to spread the frosting over the sweet rolls, then grab a fork and dig right in! Who needs a plate when you can have the whole pan anyway?

Frequently Asked Questions