Look how pretty!
Man, I love cinnamon rolls. Like, I LOVE ‘em. They’re so gooey and cozy, especially in the center 🤤. I mean, just picture yourself sitting down to get some work done on a chilly rainy day, with a big ol’ cinnamon roll right out of the oven with a mug of coffee. Ahhhhhh. Can you tell I’m exited for fall?
Anyway, these are pretty much the summer equivalent to that. Buttery dough, sweet lemony filling, and a gooey mascarpone frosting with floral rose weaved throughout.
Describe These Rolls to me
Taste: These have a pretty strong lemon flavor, but it isn’t sour. We’ve got plenty of sugar, lots of butter, and both the filling and the frosting are dotted with vanilla beans. The dough itself is pretty boring, but the filling is packed with flavor. The frosting is light, gooey, and a little floral from the rose water, which goes perfectly with the lemon.
Texture: Just like a cinnamon roll! Soft dough that a fork can slide right through, and that all important gooey center. It’s a little crusty on the outside, but so fluffy on the inside. And the frosting melts into the warm rolls, giving you nothing but buttery, lemony, gooey goodness.
Ease: Again, these are about as simple as making a cinnamon roll. The dough doesn’t require a mixer and will come together pretty quickly, but it does need to rise for a few hours. The filling is super simple to whip up, and there is no overly complicated shaping. And lastly, the frosting is just like a classic cream cheese frosting (but with mascarpone) and can come together quickly too.
The Dough
This dough is pretty classic. We’ve got flour, a little sugar, salt, and lemon zest Then we add some warm milk, melted butter, and yeast. Yeast is what makes these nice and big and fluffy. Lastly, we add an egg for structure. Then mix that all up and knead it together. Then we let it rest for a little bit while we get the filling ready. Once we’ve done that, we can roll the dough out and start filling and shaping these bad boys. Once these have had some time to rise they get so fluffy and soft, and the centers are so tender.
The Filling
I love the simplicity of this filling. We start by spreading some butter on our rolled out dough. This will keep the rolls moist and tender. Next up, we sprinkle on a whole bunch of lemon sugar. This is made with sugar, lemon zest, and vanilla bean paste for a simple, but delicious flavor. And thats it! So easy, but SO GOOD.
The Frosting
Ok here’s a thing about me. I don’t like cream cheese. I don’t know what it is, but I just really don’t like it. I’m not a fan of cheese cake or cream cheese frosting for this reason. So instead of using the classic cream cheese frosting here, we’re making a mascarpone frosting. I like the taste better, and I think it’s lighter and creamier. But you make it just as you would with cream cheese. Mix up the mascarpone with some butter, sugar, vanilla, lemon juice, and rose water. I love the floral element the rose water adds. It’s delicate, but pairs magnificently with the lemon and mascarpone.
Rose
If any of you have been reading these posts, then you may have noticed my obsession with florals. They make desserts sound so fancy, but it’s such a simple touch to add. I love decorating with flowers, as well as using their subtle flavors in my food. Often I go fro lavender, but today it’s rose! Rose is very strong, so we have to make sure we aren’t using too much. A little goes a long way here, and it goes so well with the lemon and buttery mascarpone.
I highly recommend eating these warm. They will be gooey, and the frosting will have melted into the rolls a little. It’s so good with a mug of tea in hand, especially on a Sunday morning.
Lemon Sweet Rolls with Mascarpone Rose Frosting
Ingredients
Method
- In a large bowl, whisk together the four, sugar, salt, and lemon zest. Set aside. In a medium sized heat-proof bowl, add the milk and butter. Microwave in 30 second increments, stirring after each, until the butter is melted (if there are small pieces of butter still, thats ok). The mixture shouldn’t be scorching hot. Whisk in the yeast until dissolved. Add this milk mixture to the dry ingredients along with the egg and use a sturdy spatula or a wooden spoon to stir until a shaggy dough forms.
- Place the dough on a floured surface and knead for 3-5 minutes. The dough should spring back a little when lightly poked. The dough should be soft and smooth. If it is very sticky add a little more flour, and if it is too dry add a little water. Place the dough in a lightly greased bowl and cover with a clean kitchen towel or plastic wrap. Let the dough rise for 20 minutes or so as we prepare the filling.
- In a small bowl, add the sugar, lemon zest, and vanilla bean paste. Use your fingers to rub it together so that you don’t have clumps of zest or vanilla. Set aside.
- Grease a 9×13 inch rectangular baking dish with butter. Set aside.
- After 20 minutes, roll the dough out into a 8×14 inch rectangle on a floured surface. Spread the softened butter in an even layer on top of the rectangle. Sprinkle the lemon sugar on top of the butter and use your hands to make sure it is even. Carefully, roll the rectangle up into a 14 inch log. Try and make it as tight as you can. Pinch the seam closed to prevent the rolls from unraveling. Cut the log into 12 even rolls and place them swirl up in the prepared baking pan.
- Cover with a clean kitchen towel and allow the rolls to rise in a warm and humid place (I set them outside in the summer) for one and half- two hours. The rolls should at least double in size.
- Preheat the oven to 375℉.
- Once risen, bake the rolls for 24-25 minutes or until browned on top. When you tap the top of the rolls it should sound hollow on the inside. Remove from the oven and allow to cool in the pan for at least 20-30 minutes before frosting.
- In a large bowl, beat the mascarpone on medium speed using a hand or stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Once smooth, add the butter and beat to combine. Add the sugar, rose water, lemon juice, vanilla bean paste, and salt. Beat on low speed for 20 seconds to combine, and then turn the speed up to medium high and beat for at least 1 minute. Spread the frosting over the slightly cooled rolls in and even layer. I like to pipe it and top them with rose petals and lemon slices, but this is optional.
- Enjoy warm! They will be perfectly gooey and tender after having rested for about 20-30 minutes out of the oven. They should be warm, but not hot. Rolls stay fresh for 2-3 days covered in the refrigerator.