Cinnamon rolls with heavy cream are canned cinnamon rolls baked in a pool of cream with a buttery brown sugar topping, then covered with a thick cream cheese icing. The cream soaks into the dough as it bakes, so the rolls come out tall, soft and gooey, far closer to a bakery roll than to anything from a tube. They are ready in 40 minutes, and they are an easy treat for a holiday breakfast, a brunch or a lazy weekend.
How to make cinnamon rolls with heavy cream: Arrange 2 cans of large refrigerated cinnamon rolls in a sprayed 9×13-inch dish and pour 1 cup of heavy cream over and between them. Stir melted butter, brown sugar and cinnamon together and pour it over the top. Cover with foil and bake at 350°F for 30 to 40 minutes. Whisk soft butter, cream cheese, the icing from the cans and powdered sugar, and spread it on.
Why You’ll Love It
- It starts with canned rolls. No dough to make and nothing to roll out.
- Soft and gooey. The cream bakes into the dough.
- A caramel-like bottom. Butter, brown sugar and cream turn into a sauce in the dish.
- Thick icing. The little tubs of icing are stretched with cream cheese and butter.
- Ten minutes of work. The oven does everything else.
Ingredient Notes
Cinnamon rolls. Two 17.5-ounce cans of refrigerated Grands, with five large rolls in each. Keep the icing that comes in the cans.
Heavy whipping cream. One cup for the two cans. For a single package, use 1/2 cup.
Salted butter. Eight tablespoons in all. Half is melted for the topping and half goes into the icing.
Brown sugar and cinnamon. A 1/3 cup of sugar and a 1/2 teaspoon of ground cinnamon for the topping.
Cream cheese. Four ounces, which is half a block.
Powdered sugar. One cup, to sweeten and thicken the icing.
Ingredients
- 2 cans (17.5 ounces each) refrigerated Grands cinnamon rolls, icing saved
- 1 cup heavy whipping cream
- 4 tablespoons salted butter, for the brown sugar topping
- 1/3 cup brown sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 4 tablespoons salted butter, for the icing
- 4 ounces cream cheese (half a block)
- 1 cup powdered sugar
How to Make Cinnamon Rolls with Heavy Cream
1. Prepare the dish. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Spray a 9×13-inch baking dish with nonstick cooking spray.
2. Add the rolls and cream. Arrange the cinnamon rolls evenly in the dish and set aside both containers of icing. Pour the heavy whipping cream over the rolls and between them.
3. Add the brown sugar topping. Melt 4 tablespoons of the butter in a small bowl. Stir in the brown sugar and ground cinnamon, then pour the mixture evenly over the rolls.
4. Bake. Cover the dish with foil and bake for about 30 to 40 minutes, until the cinnamon rolls are cooked through.
5. Make the icing. Take the dish out of the oven and set it aside. Put the remaining 4 tablespoons of butter and the cream cheese in a medium bowl. Microwave for 30 seconds, just until very soft, then whisk together. Whisk in the icing from both containers, followed by the powdered sugar.
6. Ice and serve. Spread the icing over the rolls and serve warm.
How to Tell When They Are Done
This is the part that worries people, because the dish still looks wet when the timer rings. A little liquid left in the pan is normal. Some cream and melted sugar can stay behind as a sauce, even when the bread is fully baked. So a wet pan does not, on its own, mean the batch is raw.
Look at the dough, not at the sauce.
| Check | Done | Needs more time |
|---|---|---|
| The tops | Puffed, set and golden brown | Pale and flat |
| The center roll | Springs back when pressed lightly | Feels soft and sinks |
| The inside spiral | Bready and fluffy when you pull it open | Shiny, sticky and doughy |
| The liquid | Mostly soaked in. A little sauce is fine | Rolls are still sitting deep in thin cream |
Test a roll from the middle of the dish. The ones at the edges always finish first. If the center is still doughy at 30 minutes, cover the dish again and give it more time, up to the full 40 minutes. Other brands and smaller rolls bake at other speeds, so trust the dough more than the clock.
Why Pour Cream on Cinnamon Rolls?
The dough drinks it. As the rolls bake under foil, they soak up the cream from below and steam from above, so they rise taller and stay soft all the way to the middle. The cream that does not soak in mixes with the butter and brown sugar and makes a sweet sauce on the bottom of the dish.
Tips for Success
Why cover the dish with foil?
Foil holds in the steam and stops the tops from getting dark before the centers are baked.
Where should the cream go?
Over the tops and into the gaps between the rolls, so each one sits in a little of it.
How soft should the butter and cream cheese be?
Very soft, but not hot and runny. Thirty seconds in the microwave is usually enough. If they are too firm, the icing will be lumpy.
When should I ice them?
While they are warm. The icing melts a little and runs into the spirals.
Can I use other cinnamon rolls?
Yes. Other canned brands work. Watch the baking time, because smaller rolls finish sooner.
Storage and Reheating
Refrigerate leftovers within 2 hours, in a shallow, covered container. They keep for 3 to 4 days. Reheat until hot all the way through, to 165°F. In a microwave, cover the rolls and turn the plate so they warm evenly.
What to Serve With It
Serve the rolls warm, with coffee, fruit and something savory like eggs or bacon. If you love the flavor, try the easy cinnamon roll coffee cake, the cinnamon roll French toast rolls or the cinnamon roll cheesecake. For a lighter topping, whip up the cream cheese whipped cream. And for more easy sweets, there is a 5-ingredient slow cooker pineapple cream cake and a 3-ingredient slow cooker ice cream sandwich dessert.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much heavy cream goes with canned cinnamon rolls?
One cup for two cans of large rolls, or 1/2 cup for one package.
What is the viral cinnamon roll recipe with heavy cream?
It is canned cinnamon rolls baked in heavy cream with butter and brown sugar, then iced. This is that method.
Can you use Pillsbury cinnamon rolls?
Yes. The recipe is written for large canned Grands rolls.
How can you tell the rolls are baked when there is cream in the pan?
Check the dough. The tops are golden and the middle is fluffy, not doughy. A little sauce in the dish is fine.
Final Notes
I carry the whole dish to the table and let everyone pull out their own roll with a spoonful of the sauce. If you make it, leave a comment to tell me how it turned out or ask a question.
Cinnamon Rolls with Heavy Cream
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Ingredients
- 2 cans refrigerated Grands cinnamon rolls 17.5 ounces per can; five large rolls per can. Save the included icing.
- 1 cup heavy whipping cream
- 4 tablespoons salted butter for the brown sugar topping
- 1/3 cup brown sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 4 tablespoons salted butter for the icing
- 4 ounces cream cheese half a block, for the icing
- 1 cup powdered sugar for the icing
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Spray a 9x13-inch baking dish with nonstick cooking spray.
- Arrange the cinnamon rolls evenly in the dish and set aside both containers of icing. Pour the heavy whipping cream over the rolls and between them.
- Melt 4 tablespoons of the butter in a small bowl. Stir in the brown sugar and ground cinnamon, then pour the mixture evenly over the rolls.
- Cover the dish with foil and bake for about 30 to 40 minutes, until the cinnamon rolls are cooked through.
- Take the dish out of the oven and set it aside. Put the remaining 4 tablespoons of butter and the cream cheese in a medium bowl. Microwave for 30 seconds, just until very soft, then whisk together. Whisk in the icing from both containers, followed by the powdered sugar.
- Spread the icing over the rolls and serve warm.
Notes
Nutrition
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