Chocolate Sweet Rolls with Espresso Frosting
Chocolate sweet rolls combine a light, fluffy dough with a gooey chocolatey filling and are topped with an espresso frosting that adds a layer of flavor while complimenting the chocolate. They are a yummy and unique addition to a special breakfast or brunch.
Equipment
- 1 Stand mixer or hand mixer
Ingredients
Dough
- ¾ cup whole milk
- 2 ¼ teaspoons active dry yeast
- ¼ cup white sugar
- 8 tablespoons salted butter room temperature
- 3 eggs room temperature
- 4½ cups all purpose flour (4 ½ cups = 540 grams)
- 1 teaspoon salt (add ⅛ teaspoon extra if using unsalted butter)
Filling
- 2 tablespoons butter very soft
- ½ cup brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons cocoa powder
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon optional
Frosting
- 4 ounces cream cheese room temperature
- 2 tablespoons salted butter room temperature
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- 1 tablespoon heavy whipping cream
- 1½ teaspoons espresso powder
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- ¼ teaspoon salt
Instructions
Dough
- Take out the butter and eggs to bring them to room temperature.
- Heat the milk in microwave until warm 105℉ - 110℉. [It's best to use a kitchen thermometer if you have one.] Add the warm milk, yeast and a little of the white sugar to the mixer bowl. Let sit for 5-10 minutes.
- Add the flour and salt to a small bowl and set aside.
- Add the rest of the sugar, the softened butter and the eggs to the mixing bowl. Mix on low speed until the eggs are incorporated. The butter will not incorporate at this stage, which is normal.
- Add the flour and salt mixture to the mixing bowl in three to four different stages. Scrape down the sides of the mixing bowl after each addition and then mix on a low speed until the flour has been incorporated. Repeat until all flour has been added.
- After the flour has been incorporated, switch to the dough hook and knead on low speed for 5 minutes.
- Spray a large bowl (or reuse the mixing bowl) with cooking spray. The dough is sticky and that's normal. Let the dough rise in a covered bowl for a total of two hours. After one hour, knead the dough using the stretch and fold method. If you're familiar with this method, do it in the bowl. If this is your first time, take the dough out of the bowl and set on a floured surface. Take a hold of a large piece of dough at the 12 position, stretch it away from your body, and then fold it back toward the middle of the dough ball. Rotate the ball ⅛ to ¼ of a turn and repeat the stretch out and fold back motions. Keep repeating until you have gone around 2 times and the dough becomes less stretchy. You DO NOT have to do this, BUT it does make the rolls more fluffy and soft. Put the dough back in the bowl to rise for another hour. So, the total rise time is two hours with the optional stretch and fold after one hour.
Filling
- Spray the 9x13 pan (or large round pan) with cooking spray and set aside.
- After the dough has risen for the two hours, put it on a floured surface and roll it out into a 12 x 18 inch rectangle. [If the dough is ever resistant, let it rest for 10 minutes. Don't overwork the dough trying to roll it out. It should roll out easily.]
- Brush 2 tablespoons of very soft butter on to the dough with a pastry or silicone brush. You want to use very soft but not melted butter. Think of the butter as the glue that will hold the brown sugar chocolate mixture to the dough. You can also use your fingers or a knife to spread the butter.
- Mix the brown sugar, cocoa powder and cinnamon together in a small bowl until the cocoa powder and cinnamon are incorporated into the brown sugar.
- Sprinkle the brown sugar mixture evenly over the dough and lightly press it in.
- Starting with the long side, roll the dough into a tight log.
- Cut the dough into 9-12 pieces. I use 9 pieces for a large round pan or 12 pieces for a 9x13 pan. Use your favorite cutting method. If you aren't sure how to cut the roll, see my FAQ section for different cutting methods.
- Add the cut sweet rolls into your sprayed pan of choice, cover with aluminum foil or plastic wrap and let rise for one hour. [For overnight rolls, cover and place directly in to the refrigerator. Remove next day and let sit on the counter for one hour to get to room temperature prior to baking.]
Baking
- Preheat oven to 350 ℉.
- Bake the sweet rolls uncovered for 27-32 minutes. Check them at 27 minutes. [If you made overnight rolls, they could take longer if they were colder to start with.] They will be lightly golden brown on top.
- When you remove the sweet rolls from the oven, start making the frosting.
Frosting
- Put the softened cream cheese and softened butter in to a mixing bowl and mix until thoroughly combined and fluffy.
- Combine espresso powder with heavy cream in small bowl so that some of the espresso powder dissolves.
- Add the powdered sugar, heavy whipping cream and espresso mixture, salt and vanilla to the mixing bowl and mix until light and fluffy. It takes less than two minutes.
- When the sweet rolls are still hot, spread a very thin layer of frosting on every part of the outer layer of the sweet rolls. It will melt, and that's perfect. It softens the outer layer of the lightly browned rolls.
- Once the sweet rolls have cooled for at least 20 minutes, spread the rest of the frosting on the rolls. If you are not serving them warm, wait until they have completely cooled to frost them.
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