Carrot Cake Cinnamon Rolls with Cream Cheese Frosting
Ginger Carrot Cake Cinnamon Rolls with Cream Cheese Glaze perfect for Easter breakfast or brunch! Make these homemade cinnamon rolls in advance for a fast and easy morning treat. Great for holiday and spring. Carrot cake base with crystallized candied ginger, walnuts, and carrot cake spices. Topped with a cream cheese glaze. Vegetarian and kid friendly.
In a small bowl, dissolve yeast in ½ cup warm water as per package directions for the correct temperature to ensure that you keep your yeast alive.
1 package active dry yeast, ½ cup warm water
In a large bowl, mix the milk, sugar, melted butter, salt, egg, ½ teaspoon cinnamon, and ¼ teaspoon nutmeg. Add yeast mixture and mix to combine.
½ cup milk, ¼ cup sugar, ⅓ cup unsalted butter, 1 teaspoon salt, 1 large egg, ½ teaspoon cinnamon, ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
Add in 2 cups of flour and the shredded carrots and mix until smooth.
1 ½ cups shredded carrot, 4 cups all-purpose flour
Add additional flour ½ cup (or less) at a time until the dough is easy to handle (the amount of flour that you need will vary).
Roll the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead for 5 to 10 minutes. (You can knead in a stand mixer as well at speed 1 or 2 as per mixer instructions. I have found a stand mixer takes longer). The dough is ready when you can stretch it thinly to see light through it without it breaking, and the dough bounces back when you press it with your finger.
Place the dough into a greased bowl (you can use 1-2 teaspoons of vegetable oil to coat the bowl you mixed everything in). Cover bowl with saran wrap and then a kitchen towel. Let sit until the dough has doubled in size, approximately 60-90 minutes.
When dough has doubled in size, punch it down. Then put it back on a floured surface and using a rolling pin, roll the dough into a rectangle approximately 15x9 inches.
Spread the melted butter on top of the dough.
4 Tablespoons unsalted butter
Mix the cinnamon, brown sugar, ground ginger, ground nutmeg, and ground cloves in a small bowl. Sprinkle the mixture over the butter.
1 cup light brown sugar, 3 Tablespoons cinnamon, 1 teaspoon ground ginger, ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg, ⅛ teaspoon ground cloves
Sprinkle the candied crystallized ginger across the dough to your preference. Top with walnuts if using.
¾ cup walnuts, ¼ cup candied ginger
From the long edge, tightly roll the dough all the way to the other long edge and pinch dough together to seal. Using a serrated knife, cut the log in half. T
hen cut each half into half again so that you have four equal pieces. Lining up two pieces at a time, cut each into three rolls so that you have a total of 12.
Coat the bottom of your 9x13" baking dish with some additional melted butter and sugar to coat. Place the cinnamon roll slices close together in the dish (four rows of three) and let them rise until the dough has doubled again, approximately 45 minutes. (If you are making these the night before, once the rolls have doubled in size, cover them in plastic wrap and place them in the refrigerator. In the morning, pull them out to warm to room temperature before baking).
Preheat the over to 350°F. Once the rolls have doubled in size, place them in the oven and bake for about 30 minutes or until they are starting to brown.
While the rolls are baking, prepare the icing. Whisk the cream cheese in a stand mixer until creamy. Add the milk and whisk in until combined. Sift in the powdered sugar and whisk until smooth. You can also add some flavorings such as vanilla, a teaspoon of orange extract, or another flavor.
Pour the glaze over the rolls. Decorate with pieces of crystallized candied ginger or candy carrots if desired. Serve warm.
candied ginger, marzipan or candy carrots
Notes
Make the rolls the day before for a fast and easy breakfast. Rolls can be heated for approximately 15 minutes to warm up.I get my candied ginger from the bulk bins at my local grocery store or you can get it online.Make marzipan carrots for a cute decoration!