CAKE MIX LEMON SWEET ROLLS

CAKE MIX LEMON SWEET ROLLS

Move over cinnamon rolls, there’s a new roll in town and it’s lemon rolls! It’s no secret that I love cinnamon rolls (and make them often). I was wanting to shake things up a bit so I decided that it would be nice to make Lemon Rolls for a change. Lemon is such a great flavor for spring, but I’ve never tried it in a breakfast type of food.  Oh my, I have been missing out. Lemon Rolls rock – you need lemon sweet rolls in your life, trust me on that!

CAKE MIX LEMON SWEET ROLLS

When I was figuring out how to make these, I wasn’t sure what to put in the filling.  Cinnamon was clearly not the top choice.  So after noodling ideas for a while, I decided to try something a little crazy.  A secret ingredient if you will.  Sugar and some lemon zest was fine, but just didn’t feel complete.  I needed something more for these lemon rolls.

These super soft sweet rolls start with a lemon cake mix for great citrus flavor. Perfect for any spring breakfast or brunch!

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INGREDIENTS

FOR THE ROLLS:

·      1 (16.5 oz.) box lemon cake mix

·      4 1/2 teaspoons active dry yeast

·      2 1/2 cups warm water

·      1 teaspoon salt

·      4 1/2 cups flour

FOR THE FILLING:

·      1/2 cup butter, very soft

·      1/2 cup white sugar

·      1/2 cup brown sugar

·      4 teaspoons lemon zest

FOR THE FROSTING:

·      4 ounces cream cheese, softened

·      1/2 cup butter, softened

·      1 teaspoon vanilla

·      1-2 tablespoons lemon juice

·      1 1/2 cups powdered sugar

·      Pinch of salt

INSTRUCTIONS

1.   In a medium bowl, stir yeast into warm water; set aside. In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine cake mix, salt and 4 cups of the flour. Stir in the yeast and water. Gradually add the last 1/2 cup flour until the dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl and a soft but slightly sticky dough forms.

2.   Cover with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place until dough is doubled in size, about 60 minutes.

3.   Turn dough onto a large, floured surface and knead once or twice. Roll dough into a rectangle about 12 inches wide, 28 inches long and 1/4 inch thick.

4.   Spread soft butter evenly over dough. Combine sugars and lemon zest and sprinkle over butter.

5.   Once you have spread the butter and sugar mixture over the dough, cut the large rectangle in half to form two smaller rectangles. Starting with a long end, roll each rectangle into a log. Slice the dough into 1 to 1 1/2 inch pieces.

6.   Place the rolls into 2 greased 9x13 pans (or a 9x13 and a 9x9, depending on how many rolls you have). Cover the rolls and let rise until doubled in size, about 40 minutes.

7.   Meanwhile, preheat oven to 350 degrees. Bake rolls for about 20-25 minutes, or until golden brown.

8.   While rolls cook, beat the cream cheese and butter for the frosting with an electric mixer until creamy. Mix in the vanilla and 1 tablespoon of lemon juice.

9.   Gradually add the powdered sugar and salt, mixing until smooth. Add more lemon juice, if needed, until frosting reaches desired consistency. Spread frosting over hot rolls.

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