Soft, fluffy, and finished with whipped mascarpone frosting, these Tiramisu Cinnamon Rolls bring together everything you love about a homemade cinnamon roll and the coffee flavor of your favorite dessert. A buttery cinnamon filling gets a delicious twist with instant coffee, cocoa, and vanilla, while the soft yeast dough carries a little coffee of its own. Finished with a generous layer of mascarpone cream and a light dusting of cocoa powder, every swirl is rich, creamy, and full of flavor.
What Makes Them Special?
The coffee flavor is built into both the dough and the filling. A small amount of instant coffee in the dough creates a subtle base, while another teaspoon in the filling brings a more noticeable coffee note to the buttery cinnamon swirl. Cocoa adds a gentle chocolate flavor without turning these into chocolate rolls.
The frosting is what really sets them apart. Instead of a simple sugar glaze, these rolls get a generous topping of mascarpone whipped together with heavy cream, powdered sugar, and vanilla. It is creamy and airy, giving the rich filling a softer finish.
The final cocoa dusting adds that familiar tiramisu look and a slightly bittersweet contrast. Together, the coffee, cinnamon, vanilla, and mascarpone create a bake that feels equally suited to a slow weekend breakfast or an afternoon dessert.
Important Note
Dissolve the instant coffee before adding it to the filling so it spreads evenly rather than leaving concentrated granules. Use only a small splash of water and allow it to cool before mixing it with the butter. The same applies to the dough: add the instant coffee to the warm milk first and stir until fully dissolved before combining it with the remaining ingredients. Let the baked rolls cool before adding the mascarpone frosting so the whipped topping stays thick, creamy, and fluffy instead of melting into the pan.
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Why You’ll Love This Recipe
Coffee in Every Swirl: Instant coffee in the dough and filling gives these rolls a layered coffee flavor that works beautifully with cinnamon and vanilla.
Soft, Buttery Dough: Milk, egg, butter, and oil come together in a rich dough that bakes into tender rolls with a satisfying, fluffy center.
Whipped Mascarpone Frosting: Mascarpone and heavy cream create a generous topping that feels like part of the dessert, not just a finishing glaze.
Two Favorites in One: This recipe brings the cozy appeal of cinnamon rolls together with the coffee, cocoa, and cream combination that makes tiramisu so delicious.
Serving Suggestion
Serve these tiramisu cinnamon rolls once they have cooled slightly and are generously topped with the fluffy mascarpone frosting. Finish each roll with a light dusting of cocoa powder just before serving for that classic tiramisu-inspired look and a subtle bittersweet contrast. They are especially delicious alongside a freshly brewed cappuccino, latte, or espresso, which enhances the coffee notes in the soft cinnamon filling. For brunch, serve them with fresh berries or a simple fruit platter, or enjoy one as an indulgent afternoon dessert with an extra spoonful of mascarpone cream on the side.
Pro tips for the softest cinnamon rolls
• Keep the Dough Soft: The dough should feel soft and slightly tacky after kneading. Avoid adding lots of extra flour simply to make it completely dry to the touch, as this can make the rolls dense and dry. If the dough is sticking to your hands while kneading or shaping, lightly oil your hands instead of adding more flour.
Use Spreadable Butter: Softened butter makes the filling easier to mix and spread. It should hold its shape while yielding easily when pressed, rather than being melted or runny.
Watch the Dough, Not Just the Clock: Room temperature affects rising time. Give the dough time to become noticeably puffy before moving on to shaping or baking.
Cut Without Flattening: Use a sharp knife or unflavored dental floss to portion the log. Clean cuts help preserve the spiral instead of squeezing the filling out.
Stop Whipping at the Right Moment: Whip the frosting until thick, fluffy, and spreadable. Once it holds soft peaks, stop rather than continuing to beat it unnecessarily.
Ingredient Notes
Flour: This forms the structure of the rolls. Start with the listed amount and use only a light dusting on your work surface when rolling out the dough.
Milk and Water: The milk should be lukewarm, not hot. Use the water to dissolve the instant coffee for the dough before adding it to the other ingredients.
Butter and Oil: Butter adds richness, while the oil is incorporated into the dough alongside it. Use softened butter for both the dough and filling.
Dry Yeast: The yeast gives the dough its rise. Check the package instructions, as some types need to be activated in liquid before mixing.
Instant Coffee: Use instant coffee rather than ground coffee. Dissolving it first helps distribute its flavor evenly throughout the dough and filling.
Brown Sugar and Cinnamon: These create the familiar cinnamon roll center. Brown sugar adds a deeper sweetness that pairs beautifully with the coffee.
Heavy Cream: Pour 30 to 50 g heavy cream over the rolls directly before baking. It creates soft, gooey rolls with a rich center. Heavy cream is also used in the mascarpone frosting.
Cocoa Powder: A little goes into the filling, with more used for dusting. Sift the finishing cocoa over the frosting for an even layer.
Ingredients
For the Dough
• 500 g flour
• 270 ml lukewarm milk
• 30 g water
• 1 medium egg
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 60 g butter, softened
• 90 g sugar
• 7 g dry yeast
• 1 tsp instant coffee
For the Filling
• 110 g butter, softened
• 120 g brown sugar
• 2 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp cacao powder
• 1 tsp instant coffee, dissolved in a small splash of water
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
For Before Baking
– 30–50 g heavy cream
For the Mascarpone Frosting
• 250 g mascarpone
• 200 ml heavy cream
• 70 g powdered sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
For Dusting
• Cocoa powder
Equipment
- Mixing Bowls
- Kitchen scale
- Chef´s Knife
- Cutting Board
- Stand Mixer
- Kitchen Towel
- Sifter
- Dough Scrapert
- Pastry Brush
- Measuring Cups
- Parchment Paper
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Instructions
1. Activate the Yeast
Warm the milk until it is lukewarm, not hot. Add the dry yeast and 1 teaspoon of the 90 g sugar, then stir until the yeast has dissolved. If you want to, you can leave the mixture to sit for a few minutes, until the yeast looks slightly foamy on top.
2. Add the Coffee and Remaining Ingredients
Add the instant coffee to the warm yeast milk and stir until fully dissolved. Add the medium egg, vanilla extract, and remaining sugar. Then add the flour and water and mix everything together until a rough dough forms.
3. Knead in the Butter
Knead the dough by hand or with a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook. Once the dough has come together and is well combined, add the softened butter gradually while continuing to knead. Keep kneading until the butter is fully incorporated and the dough is smooth, soft, elastic, and slightly tacky. If it sticks to your hands, lightly oil your hands instead of adding more flour.
4. Let the Dough Rise
Shape the dough into a ball and place it in a lightly greased bowl. Cover the bowl and let the dough rise in a warm place until doubled in size and visibly puffy. The rising time depends on the temperature of your kitchen.
5. Prepare the Filling
Dissolve the instant coffee for the filling in a very small splash of water and let it cool. Add the softened butter, brown sugar, cinnamon, cocoa powder, cooled coffee mixture, and vanilla extract to a bowl. Mix until smooth, creamy, and spreadable.
6. Roll Out the Dough
Transfer the risen dough to a lightly floured work surface. Roll it into a large rectangle. Try to keep the thickness even so the rolls bake evenly and have neat spirals.
7. Fill and Shape the Rolls
Spread the filling evenly over the dough, leaving a small border along one long edge. Roll the dough tightly from the opposite long edge into a log. Cut the log into even rolls using a sharp knife or unflavored dental floss. Arrange the rolls in a greased baking dish, leaving a little space between each one.
8. Let the Rolls Rise Again
Cover the baking dish and let the rolls rise again until puffy. Toward the end of the rising time, preheat the oven to 175°C. Just before baking, pour 30 to 50 g heavy cream evenly over the risen rolls. The cream soaks into the dough during baking and creates an especially soft, rich, gooey center.
9. Bake and Cool
Bake the rolls at 175°C for 26 minutes, until lightly golden and baked through. Remove the baking dish from the oven and loosely cover the rolls. Leave them to cool in the dish for about 1 hour, until they are no longer warm.
10. Make the Mascarpone Frosting
Once the rolls have cooled, add the mascarpone, heavy cream, powdered sugar, and vanilla extract to a mixing bowl. Whip everything together until thick, creamy, fluffy, and spreadable. Do not overmix. Stop once the frosting holds its shape. You can also make the frosting ahead.
11. Frost and Serve
Spread the mascarpone frosting generously over the cooled cinnamon rolls. Finish with a light dusting of cocoa powder just before serving. Serve immediately and enjoy.
FAQ
Yes! You can swap every ingredient out to a vegan alternative for it to be vegan friendly!
Store leftover frosted Tiramisu Cinnamon Rolls in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Because the frosting contains mascarpone and heavy cream, they should be kept chilled. For the best texture and flavor, enjoy the rolls within 3 days.
For the best result, reheat an unfrosted roll and add fresh mascarpone frosting afterward. Warm an unfrosted roll in the microwave in short 10-second intervals until just soft and warm. If the rolls are already frosted, let them sit at room temperature briefly before serving instead of heating them, so the frosting stays thick and creamy.
TIRAMISU CINNAMON ROLLS
Zutaten
Methode
- Warm the milk until it is lukewarm, not hot. Add the dry yeast and 1 teaspoon of the 90 g sugar, then stir until the yeast has dissolved. Leave the mixture to sit for a few minutes, until the yeast looks slightly foamy on top.
- Add the instant coffee to the warm yeast milk and stir until fully dissolved. Add the medium egg, vanilla extract, and remaining sugar. Then add the flour and water and mix everything together until a rough dough forms.
- Knead the dough by hand or with a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook. Once the dough has come together and is well combined, add the softened butter gradually while continuing to knead. Keep kneading until the butter is fully incorporated and the dough is smooth, soft, elastic, and slightly tacky. If it sticks to your hands, lightly oil your hands instead of adding more flour.
- Shape the dough into a ball and place it in a lightly greased bowl. Cover the bowl and let the dough rise in a warm place until doubled in size and visibly puffy. The rising time depends on the temperature of your kitchen.
- Dissolve the instant coffee for the filling in a very small splash of water and let it cool. Add the softened butter, brown sugar, cinnamon, cocoa powder, cooled coffee mixture, and vanilla extract to a bowl. Mix until smooth, creamy, and spreadable.
- Transfer the risen dough to a lightly floured work surface. Roll it into a large rectangle. Try to keep the thickness even so the rolls bake evenly and have neat spirals.
- Spread the filling evenly over the dough, leaving a small border along one long edge. Roll the dough tightly from the opposite long edge into a log. Cut the log into even rolls using a sharp knife or unflavored dental floss. Arrange the rolls in a greased baking dish, leaving a little space between each one.
- Cover the baking dish and let the rolls rise again until puffy. Toward the end of the rising time, preheat the oven to 175°C. Just before baking, pour 30 to 50 g heavy cream evenly over the risen rolls. The cream soaks into the dough during baking and creates an especially soft, rich, gooey center.
- Bake the rolls at 175°C for 26 minutes, until lightly golden and baked through. Remove the baking dish from the oven and loosely cover the rolls. Leave them to cool in the dish for about 1 hour, until they are no longer warm.
- Once the rolls have cooled, add the mascarpone, heavy cream, powdered sugar, and vanilla extract to a mixing bowl. Whip everything together until thick, creamy, fluffy, and spreadable. Do not overmix. Stop once the frosting holds its shape.
- Spread the mascarpone frosting generously over the cooled cinnamon rolls. Finish with a light dusting of cocoa powder just before serving. Serve immediately and enjoy.
