Fluffy White Chocolate Raspberry Rolls
These fluffy, decadent white chocolate raspberry rolls are the perfect mix of sweet and tang. Pillowy dough, tangy raspberries, pockets of white chocolate and a white chocolate cream cheese frosting to top things off. They’re bright, rich, and just a little bit fancy, but still easy enough to make on a weekend morning.
The dough is my tried-and-true base cinnamon roll recipe, which brings the best soft and fluffy texture. It’s an easy, foolproof recipe made in a stand mixer for minimal effort, though you could mix it by hand, too. Paired with a tangy raspberry filling that doesn’t need any pre-cooking, these rolls have that perfect balance between sweet and tart.
Raspberry heart rolls
On Valentine’s day I love the shaping these rolls like love hearts, even though the way I bake them and ice them, the shape isn’t very prominent in the end. If you want the hearts to be more defined, then you can bake them as stand alone-rolls rather than pull-apart, on a larger baking sheet.
To roll the hearts, the dough is cut into strips. Then you roll up one side half way, then do the same with the other to meet in the middle.
Pinch down the bottom of the roll to create the bottom point of the heart.
Ingredients you’ll need
Here’s a run down of the key ingredients needed and why. You can find the amounts and everything needed in the printable recipe card at the bottom of this post.
The raspberry filling
To make the filling, I first macerate the raspberries in a bit of sugar to release their natural juices. This helps the filling spread more evenly over the dough. I don’t pre-cook them because that can make the filling a bit too wet and it doesn’t give these delicious little pockets of berry in the dough the way that macerating them does.
How to make them
- Warm the milk and add to a stand mixer bowl with yeast and sugar.
- Add the eggs, flour and salt and mix into a thick dough.
- Add the butter in and mix until the dough is strong and glossy and passes the window pane test. Then let it rise.
Windowpane test: Let the dough rest for a few minutes then pinch off a small piece and gently stretch it between your fingers. If the dough stretches thin enough to become see-through without tearing, it’s ready. If it tears, knead for a few more minutes and test again.
- Macerate raspberries with sugar and cornstarch and break them up a bit with a fork.
- Roll out the risen dough into a rectangle and spread on the filling.
- Roll the dough into a log, from the long side, the cut into slices.
- Let them rise until doubled in size before baking.
- Melt the white chocolate and let it cool, then add to creamed butter and cream cheese.
- Whisk in powdered sugar until creamy.
- Spread with frosting while they’re still a bit warm.
- Enjoy!
Storing Instructions:
Cover the rolls tightly with plastic wrap or store in an airtight container. They will stay fresh for up to 2 days at room temperature.
Refrigeration: For longer storage, place the rolls in an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 5 days. Reheat them in the microwave for 15–20 seconds before serving.
More cinnamon roll recipes
White Chocolate Raspberry Rolls
Ingredients
- 240 g whole milk
- 7 g instant yeast or active dry yeast
- 50 g granulated sugar
- 530 g all-purpose flour plus more for dusting
- 2 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 85 g unsalted butter softened to room temperature
Filling
- 250 g raspberries fresh or frozen
- 30 g powdered sugar
- 1 tbsp cornstarch
- 85 g white chocolate chips
Frosting
- 85 g white chocolate chopped
- 50 g unsalted butter room temperature
- 113 g cream cheese Block-style room temperature
- 180 g powdered sugar
- 1/2 tsp vanilla paste or extract
Instructions
- In a small saucepan, warm the milk to around 95-104°F / 35-40°C and pour it into the bowl of a stand mixer. Sprinkle yeast and sugar over the warm milk. If using active dry yeast, let this sit for around 5-10 minutes until it becomes foamy; if using instant yeast, this step can be skipped. 240 g whole milk, 7 g instant yeast, 50 g granulated sugar
- Add the flour, eggs, and salt to the yeast mixture. Fit the stand mixer with a dough hook attachment and mix until a thick dough forms. 530 g all-purpose flour , 2 large eggs, 1 teaspoon salt
- Add the softened butter, a few cubes at a time. Keep mixing on medium speed for around 10 minutes until the dough is soft and strong and passes the windowpane test. 85 g unsalted butter
- Kneading by hand. Alternatively, knead the dough by hand. Mix the dough with a wooden spoon until it forms a shaggy ball. Pull it onto a lightly floured surface and knead a few cubes at a time in the butter. Knead by hand for around 10 minutes until it becomes an elastic and smooth dough. If you need a break, let the dough rest for 10 minutes and return to it.
First rise
- Once kneaded, form the soft dough into a ball. Transfer the ball of dough to a large, lightly greased bowl and cover it with plastic wrap or a damp dish towel.
- Let the dough rise in a warm place until doubled in size, around 1 to 1 ½ hours. The total time will depend on your room temperature. The dough can also be covered tightly and refrigerated for up to 16 hours.
Filling
- Add the raspberries to a medium bowl and sprinkle over the sugar and cornstarch. Toss to coat, then leave them to sit and macerate for around 15 minutes for fresh raspberries or 30 minutes until defrosted if using frozen raspberries. Break them up a bit with a fork. 250 g raspberries, 30 g powdered sugar, 1 tbsp cornstarch
Shaping
- Grease or line a 9×13-inch baking dish with parchment paper.
- Punch down the risen dough, then pull it from the bowl onto a lightly floured work surface. Dust the top of the dough with some flour. If the dough has come from the fridge, it will be very stiff.
- Use a rolling pin to roll the dough into a large 12×16-inch rectangle (30cm x 40 cm).
- Add on the raspberry filling and use a spoon or offset spatula to spread it out. Sprinkle over white chocolate chips. 85 g white chocolate chips
- Roll the dough tightly from one of the long edges into a jelly-roll style log.
- Cut the log into 12 equal pieces using unflavored dental floss for extra clean cuts or a serrated knife.
- Place the rolls onto a prepared baking pan, spacing them evenly.
- Let them rise until doubled in size. Preheat the oven to 350°F /180°C.
- Bake the rolls in the oven for around 28-30 minutes until golden brown. If they are browning too fast, you can cover the top of the rolls loosely with aluminum foil.
Frosting
- Melt the white chocolate in a heat proof bowl in the microwave, in 20 second increments, stirring after each time. Once almost all melted, remove and keep stirring until smooth. Let it cool down to room temperature. 85 g white chocolate
- While the rolls are baking, make the frosting. In a large bowl, using a handheld or stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter until smooth and creamy. Add in the cream cheese and beat until combined. 50 g unsalted butter, 113 g cream cheese Block-style
- Add the white chocolate, powdered sugar and vanilla. Beat on low speed to incorporate the sugar, then switch to high and beat until creamy 180 g powdered sugar, 1/2 tsp vanilla paste
- Let the baked rolls cool for 20 minutes, then spread on the frosting. Serve while still a bit warm.
