Sweet Raspberry Rolls

These fluffy raspberry rolls are the perfect way to say “I love you” for Valentine’s Day or whenever! They’re shaped like hearts and filled with love, plus they are so delicious with the perfect mix of tangy filling, sweet frosting, and soft roll texture.

Close-up of a sweet roll with a fluffy texture, filled with vibrant red raspberry jam, and drizzled with white icing. The roll is set on a white plate, highlighting its inviting and freshly baked appearance.

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

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. And instead of thick cream cheese frosting you can use a simple glaze, so that the definition of the roll still comes through.

A hand is rolling up pastry dough filled with raspberry jam into small rolls on a white surface. The dough is soft and pale, while the jam is vibrant red, creating a contrast.
  • 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.
Close-up of heart-shaped pastries filled with bright red raspberry jam. The pastries have swirls of creamy dough, creating a visually appealing contrast between the red jam and pale dough.
  • 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.

  • All-purpose flour. Forms the base of the dough.
  • Instant or active dry yeast. Leavens the dough.
  • Butter. It enriches the dough and makes it lovely and tender. You can use salted or unsalted, and reduce the added salt if using salted butter.
  • Frozen or fresh raspberries. No need for pre-cooking this filling.
  • Sugar. White sugar is in the dough, and powdered sugar is used for the filling and frosting.
  • Cornstarch: to coat the raspberries to slightly thicken them when baking.
  • Large eggs and milk. Binds the dough, enriches and brings tenderness.
  • Cream cheese. Block-style cream cheese for the frosting.

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

  1. Warm the milk and add to a stand mixer bowl with yeast and sugar.
  1. Add the eggs, flour and salt and mix into a thick dough.
A close-up of dough being mixed in a metal stand mixers bowl. The dough is smooth and light in color, with the bowls edges slightly covered in flour. The mixer appears shiny and is partially visible.
  1. 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.

Close-up of a fork mixing vibrant red frozen raspberries. The berries are coated in frost, creating a textured, icy appearance. The image captures the freshness and vibrant color of the fruit.
  1. Macerate raspberries with sugar and cornstarch and break them up a bit with a fork.
A person using a spoon to spread a pile of crushed red raspberries on a light-colored surface.
  1. Roll out the risen dough into a rectangle and spread on the filling.
A hand rolls a strip of dough filled with vibrant red raspberry jam, shaping it into a pinwheel. The pastry is on a white surface, and the jam is spread evenly across several dough strips.
  1. Cut strips and roll them into hearts. Place them in a 9×13 inch pan.
Close-up of unbaked raspberry swirl pastries, showcasing creamy dough rolled with vibrant red raspberry filling, creating a spiral pattern. The texture of the dough and the juicy fruit filling are clearly visible.
  1. Let them rise until doubled in size.
Close-up of freshly baked raspberry swirl rolls showcasing golden brown dough and vibrant red filling. The raspberry rolls are arranged in a compact layout, highlighting the spiral pattern and the texture of the baked pastry.
  1. Bake until golden.
Close-up of an electric mixer beating creamy batter for raspberry rolls in a glass bowl. The batter, destined to complement the tartness of raspberry, appears smooth and thick with a light yellow color. The mixer blades are mid-motion, creating inviting swirls in the mixture.
  1. Whisk the cream cheese frosting.
Close-up of iced cinnamon rolls topped with white frosting and sprinkled with heart-shaped pink and white sprinkles. The rolls are partially visible beneath the creamy layer in a baking dish.
  1. Spread with frosting while they’re still a bit warm.
A close-up of a cinnamon roll topped with white icing and pink and white heart-shaped sprinkles on a decorative white plate. The roll has a hint of red filling visible.
  1. Top with valentine’s themed sprinkles if you like!

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.

A close-up of a partially eaten pastry with creamy icing and a pink heart-shaped sprinkle, resting on a decorative white plate. A fork is holding a piece of the pastry. The pastry has a layer of fruit filling.

More cinnamon roll recipes

Close-up of a rasperry sweet roll with a swirl of raspberry filling and white icing on top, sprinkled with small heart-shaped decorations. The texture of the pastry appears soft and fluffy.

Sweet Raspberry Rolls

Elien Lewis
Soft and fluffy raspberry rolls filled with tangy pockets of red raspberries encased in a tender dough, and smothered in cream cheese frosting. I shape them like hearts to celebrate Valentine's Day, but they can also be cut like traditional cinnamon rolls.
No ratings yet
Prep Time 25 minutes
Cook Time 28 minutes
2 hours
Course Dessert
Cuisine American
Servings 12
Calories 363 kcal

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

Frosting

  • 113 g cream cheese Block-style room temperature
  • 30 g unsalted butter room temperature
  • 180 g powdered sugar
  • 1 tbsp milk

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.
  • 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.
  • 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.
  • 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.

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.

Rolling

  • Heart shaped. Cut the dough into 12 long strips. Take one side of a strip and gently roll it toward the center.
  • Roll the opposite side of the same strip toward the center, meeting the first rolled side. Pinch the bottom where the two rolled sides meet to form a heart shape.
  • Regular cinnamon roll shaped – 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 25-28 minutes until golden brown. If they are browning too fast, you can cover the top of the rolls loosely with aluminum foil.

Frosting

  • While the rolls are baking, make the frosting. In a large bowl, using a handheld or stand mixer fitted with a whisk or paddle attachment, beat the cream cheese and butter together on high speed until smooth and creamy.
  • Add the powdered sugar and milk. Beat on low speed to incorporate the sugar, then switch to high and beat until creamy
  • Let the baked rolls cool for 20 minutes, then spread on the frosting.

Notes

Storing- 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.

Nutrition

Serving: 1rollCalories: 363kcalCarbohydrates: 60gProtein: 8gFat: 10gSaturated Fat: 6gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 3gTrans Fat: 0.3gCholesterol: 55mgSodium: 283mgPotassium: 157mgFiber: 3gSugar: 24gVitamin A: 331IUVitamin C: 5mgCalcium: 79mgIron: 2mg
Keyword cinnamon rolls, cream cheese, raspberry, sweet rolls
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