Soft and fluffy apple cinnamon rolls with maple mascarpone frosting. These delicious rolls are swirled with butter, cinnamon sugar, and thinly sliced apples and topped with a delicate maple mascarpone frosting.
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Apple Cinnamon Rolls with Maple Mascarpone Frosting
There are four parts to this recipe: the dough, cinnamon filling, apples, and maple mascarpone frosting. Every single bite of these apple cinnamon rolls is just mouth-watering delicious.
Recipe Run Through
Mix dry ingredients – Add flour, sugar, instant dry yeast, and salt to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook. Mix until everything is combined.
Add wet ingredients – Add milk and egg to the dry ingredients and knead for about 10 minutes until the dough comes together.
Add butter – While the mixer is still on, slowly add cubed, softened butter, one cube at a time. Continue kneading for 10-20 minutes until the dough passes the window-pane test.
First proof – When finished kneading, roughly pre-shape the dough into a round with your hands and a bench knife. Next, transfer the dough to a clean, lightly oiled bowl and proof for 1 1/2 – 2 hours at around 78°F/26°C. The dough should double in size during this time. As always, I like to use myBrød and Taylor Proofer to manage the temperature.
How to make cinnamon sugar filling
While the dough is proofing, you can prepare the cinnamon sugar filling.
Add softened butter, sugars, and cinnamon to a bowl.
Mix with a fork until you have a spreadable paste.
Leave at room temperature until you’re ready to shape.
How to Shape Apple Cinnamon Rolls
Once the dough has doubled in size, you’re ready to shape the cinnamon rolls.
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Start by preparing the apples.
Use a mandolin or a sharp knife to cut apples into 1-2 millimeter halved slices. You want to do this right before you’re ready to shape.
Next, once the dough has doubled in size: lightly flour your work surface and the top of the dough. Then, roll out the dough to a 14×20-inch/35×50 cm rectangle.
Evenly spread the cinnamon sugar filling on top using an off-set spatula.
Arrange thinly sliced apples all over, leaving a small gap around the edges of the dough.
Roll the dough up as tightly as possible, starting from the shortest side of the rectangle.
Final proof – Place each cinnamon roll in separate 4-inch/10 cm baking rings, or arrange them in a 9×9-inch baking pan with tall sides. Allow the cinnamon rolls to rise until nice and puffy looking. This second proof typically takes around 30-45 minutes.
How to Make maple mascarpone frosting
While the cinnamon rolls are proofing one last time, start preparing the maple mascarpone frosting. This is a small batch of frosting, enough to cover nine cinnamon rolls with about a tablespoon of frosting.
Add mascarpone, cream cheese, powdered sugar, maple syrup, vanilla extract, and salt to the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment.
Beat on medium-high for 30 seconds until smooth. Do not overmix, or the frosting will curdle.
While the mixer is on, slowly add whipping cream.
Whisk for about 1 minute until smooth and fluffy. Be careful not to overmix.
Transfer the frosting to a bowl, cover it, and refrigerate until later.
Bake – Preheat the oven to 350°F/180°C. Whisk together an egg and water to make the egg wash. Once the rolls have finished proofing, lightly brush the cinnamon rolls with egg wash. Bake for 12-15 minutes if you use separate baking rings or 15-20 minutes if you use a 9×9-inch baking pan.
Assemble – Allow the rolls to cool on a wire rack for 15-20 minutes. Finally, add the delicious Maple Mascarpone Frosting on top and an extra sprinkle of cinnamon if desired.
Soft and fluffy apple cinnamon rolls with maple mascarpone frosting. These delicious rolls are swirled with butter, cinnamon sugar, and thinly sliced apples and topped with a delicate maple mascarpone frosting.Â
Add the dry ingredients to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook. Mix until everything is combined.
400 g bread flour, 50 g granulated sugar, 7 g sea salt, 7 g instant dry yeast
Add milk and egg to the dry ingredients.
200 g whole milk, 1 large egg
Knead for 10 minutes until the dough comes together.
Add cubed, softened butter, one cube at a time. When all the butter is added, scrape down the sides of your bowl, and continue kneading for 10-20 minutes until the dough passes the window-pane test.
70 g unsalted butter
Place the dough on your work surface and roughly pre-shape the dough into a round using your hands and a bench knife.
Transfer the dough to a clean, lightly oiled bowl, cover, and place in a warm spot, ideally at 78°F/26°C.
Proof the dough for 1 ½-2 hours or until doubled in size.
Meanwhile, make the Cinnamon Sugar Filling:
Cinnamon Sugar Filling
Add softened butter, sugars, and cinnamon to a bowl. Mix with a fork until you have a spreadable paste. Leave at room temperature until you're ready to shape.
80 g unsalted butter, 40 g granulated sugar, 40 g dark brown sugar, 8 g ground cinnamon
Shape
Start by preparing the apples. Use a mandolin or a sharp knife to cut apples into 1-2 millimeter halved slices. You want to do this right before you're ready to shape.
2 large red apples
Next, once the dough has doubled in size: lightly flour your work surface and the top of the dough. Then, roll out the dough to a 14×20-inch/35×50 cm rectangle.
Evenly spread the cinnamon sugar filling on top and arrange thinly sliced apples all over, leaving a small gap around the edges of the dough.
Roll the dough up as tightly as possible, starting from the shortest side of the rectangle. Cut half an inch or so off the edges of the roll. Use a sharp serrated knife to cut the dough into 1.5-inch/3.8 cm pieces. You should end up with nine large cinnamon rolls.
Second Proof
Place each cinnamon roll in separate 4-inch/10 cm baking rings, or arrange all of them in a 9×9-inch baking pan with tall sides.
Allow the cinnamon rolls to rise until nice and puffy looking. This second proof typically takes 30-60 minutes.
Meanwhile, make the Maple Mascarpone Frosting:
Maple Mascarpone Frosting
Add mascarpone, cream cheese, powdered sugar, maple syrup, vanilla extract, and salt to the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment.
30 g full-fat cream cheese, 125 g mascarpone, 30 g pure maple syrup, 5 g powdered sugar, ⅛ tsp salt, ½ tsp vanilla extract
Beat on medium-high for about 30 seconds until smooth. Do not overmix, or the frosting will curdle.
Turn the mixer to low, and slowly add whipping cream.
125 g whipping cream
Whisk for about 1 minute on medium speed until smooth and fluffy. Be careful not to overmix.
Transfer the frosting to a bowl, cover it, and refrigerate until later.
Bake
Preheat your oven to 350°F/180°C.
Whisk together an egg and water to make the egg wash.
1 egg, 1 tbsp water
Lightly brush the cinnamon rolls with egg wash.
Bake for 12-15 minutes if you use separate baking rings or 15-20 minutes if you use a 9×9-inch baking pan. The cinnamon rolls are done when the internal temperature is 200°F/95°C.
Assemble
Allow the rolls to cool on a wire rack for 15-20 minutes.
Finally, add the delicious Maple Mascarpone Frosting on top and an extra sprinkle of cinnamon if desired.
Notes
Nutritional analysis per serving (9 servings) Disclosure: The nutrition facts are automatically calculated. I can not guarantee the accuracy of the data. Please don’t consider it a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
