Orange cream cheese frosting for cinnamon rolls

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These homemade Orange Cinnamon Rolls with Cream Cheese Icing are perfectly gooey in the centers and incredibly fluffy in texture. These cinnamon rolls filled with orange marmalade are made with instant yeast so they come together quickly! 

Cinnamon rolls are the quintessential comfort food. There’s nothing like the smell of warm cinnamon buns baking in the oven—as much as I love a good candle, the smell of freshly baked cinnamon rolls puts all other scents to shame. 

Growing up, the best surprise was when we’d wake up to the smell of those Pillsbury cinnamon rolls with orange icing baking in the oven (I still love those things with all of my heart!). We usually had them on birthdays, on vacation, or on a holiday—and when you start the day like that, you just know pretty much nothing can bring you down. 

These Orange Cinnamon Rolls (made from scratch!) are the fancier version of the canned ones, and while those ones still hold a place in my heart, they don’t hold a candle to the homemade version. Cinnamon rolls from scratch are fluffier, gooey-ier, and all around more decadent. 

Three Reasons These Homemade Orange Sweet Rolls Rock:

1. Instant Yeast: Yeast can be a really finicky ingredient to work with so instant yeast is a life saver. It not only saves time, it’s much easier to work with.
2. Orange Marmalade: Orange and cinnamon are one of my favorite flavor pairings. Fresh orange is such a bright and sweet flavor, and it really enhances the rich cinnamon flavor. Orange marmalade (jam or preserves work too) adds so much flavor and texture. Make sure you use a really good marmalade for the best flavor! You want to use one that you’d like to eat plain or on toast, biscuits, etc.
3. Cream Cheese Icing: While the gooey centers of a cinnamon roll are hands down the best part, the icing might just be the next best thing. Cream cheese icing is slightly tangy and pairs so well with the sweet cinnamon orange flavor. These cream cheese glazed orange cinnamon rolls will knock your socks off!

Cream Cheese Glazed Orange Cinnamon Rolls Ingredients:

Dough:

• Unsalted Butter: I prefer unsalted butter in baking because I can control the amount of salt in each recipe.
• Whole Milk: Whole milk is important because it adds a very rich texture to the dough.
• All Purpose Flour
• Granulated Sugar
• Salt
• Instant Yeast: Instant Yeast is easier to work with than active dry yeast because it’s less temperamental, and it is a bit quicker during the rise times.
• Egg

Orange Cinnamon Filling:

• Unsalted Butter
• Brown Sugar
• Granulated Sugar
• Ground Cinnamon
• Orange Marmalade
• Heavy Cream: This is an optional ingredient that you drizzle on the rolls right before baking. It makes for extra rich, extra decadent, and extra gooey filling.

Cream Cheese Icing:

• Heavy Cream: Alternatively, you can use whole milk. The icing won’t be quite as thick or rich.
• Cream Cheese
• Powdered Sugar
• Vanilla Extract
• Salt
• Orange Zest

How To Make These Orange Rolls From Scratch:

Dry Ingredients: Mix flour, sugar, salt, and yeast together in the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with the dough hook attachment.

Wet Ingredients: Heat milk and butter together on the stove (or in the microwave) until it reaches about 112-115 degrees Fahrenheit.

Knead: Mix wet ingredients and the egg into the dry ingredients and let the dough knead for about 6 minutes (using the dough hook).

Rise: Place the dough in an oiled bowl and cover with a damp towel. Set it in a warm place and let it rise until it is doubled in size. 

*Pro Tip: Warm your oven to the lowest temperature setting, then turn it off. Let your dough rise in the oven with the door cracked open.

My family doesn't have a ton of food traditions for the holidays, but the ones that we have, we are fiercely loyal to. Enter cinnamon rolls.

Growing up we would buy the cinnamon rolls that come in the can from the grocery store. You know the ones that come in a tube and all you have to do is put them in a pan and bake. They also come with that incredible frosting? Well I have taken that as inspiration to create my own homemade cinnamon rolls. They are not as easy as the ones that come in the jar but I dare say they are tastier. Scented with orange zest and topped with the most delicious cream cheese frosting, it would not be the holidays if we did not make these cinnamon rolls.  They have become a holiday tradition for us and I hope they can become one for your family too. 

Couple notes about the recipe. First since cinnamon rolls are most often served for breakfast, I have broken down the recipe to make it a little easier the morning that you serve them. I like to make the dough the night before, let the dough slowly rise in the refrigerator overnight. I also make the cinnamon filling and cream cheese frosting the night before and store them both in the fridge. In the  morning I pull out the dough, cinnamon filling and cream cheese frosting when I first wake up and let it come to room temperature for about 30 minutes. Then I roll out the dough, spread the filling, slice it,  then place in the pan to do the second rise. If you wanted to do even more the night before you could even roll out the cinnamon rolls, slice them and then let them rise overnight in the fridge in the pan that you are going to bake them in. The only drawback to doing this is that sometime the rolls rise too much in the fridge overnight and loose their cylindrical shape. If they rise a little too much, just gently place them back together.

Also, if orange zest if not your thing in cinnamon rolls, feel free to omit. You could also add other types of warm spices like nutmeg, cloves or cardamom. 

Lastly, if you don't have a cast iron skillet, you can make these in a casserole pan or cake pan. 

Enjoy! 

Cinnamon Rolls with Orange Zest and Cream Cheese Frosting

For the dough: 

• 3/4 cup warm milk
• 2 1/4 tsp. dry active yeast 
• 2 Tbs. brown sugar
• 2 1/2 cups flour 
• 1 egg
• 2 Tbs. unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1/2 tsp. salt

For the filling:

• 1 stick (8 tbs.) unsalted butter, at room temperature 
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
• 1 Tbs. orange zest
• pinch of salt

For the cream cheese frosting: 

• 8 oz. cream cheese, at room temperature 
• 2 Tbs. fresh orange juice
• 1 Tbs. orange zest
• 1 cup powdered sugar

In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine milk, yeast, brown sugar and 1/2 cup flour. Mix together mixture and let stand for 5 minutes or until yeast mixture is bubbling and the yeast has bloomed. Fitted with the dough hook, add the egg and butter, mixing each one throughoutly until well combined. Add remaining flour and salt. Knead dough on low until smooth and slightly tacky, about 5 minutes. 

On a lightly floured surface, knead dough by hand for 1 minute. Place dough into a greased bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Let dough rise in the refrigerator overnight. (Or until dough has doubled in size.) 

While the dough is rising, make the cinnamon filling. In a bowl of a stand mixer or using a hand mixer, beat together the butter, brown sugar, cinnamon, orange zest and salt until smooth and creamy.  Set aside. 

On a well floured surface, roll out the dough into a 14" x 12" rectangle. Spread the filling on the dough. Starting with long side of the dough that is closest, roll the dough into a long tube. 

Slice the dough into approximate 1" thick rounds and place in a well greased cast iron skillet or casserole dish. Let dough rise for about 30 minutes or until doubled in size. 

Pre-heat oven to 400°F. 

Bake cinnamon rolls for about 20 minutes or until golden brown. While the cinnamon rolls are baking, make the cream cheese frosting. 

In the bowl of a stand mixer or using a hand mixer, mix together the cream cheese, orange juice, orange zest and powdered sugar. 

What is the icing on cinnamon rolls made of?

Do you frost cinnamon rolls before or after cooking?

What kind of frosting is on Pillsbury cinnamon rolls?

What can I put on top of my cinnamon rolls?