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These Raspberry Lemon Brioche Rolls with Whipped Ricotta Cream are the perfect summery sweet roll. Buttery brioche dough, swirled with sweet summer raspberries and lemon sugar. Then generously topped with creamy vanilla whipped ricotta cheese. There’s nothing not to love about these raspberry swirl rolls, every bite is melt in your mouth delicious. These rolls are a great make-ahead breakfast or a special summertime afternoon snack. Just be sure to enjoy them warm, right out of the oven.
Happy Tuesday guys! This is one of those recipes that I’m overly excited to share. Normally I would save a recipe like this for a Friday, so that you’d have them just before the weekend. But then I thought about it, and well, I’m very much into the idea of these rolls as a Tuesday treat. I mean c’mon, we all need a Tuesday treat every once in a while!
That and, as I mentioned, I’m really excited about this recipe and didn’t want to wait any longer to share. Plus, these are easy enough to bake up on a weekday. And while they might be a “breakfast” food, these raspberry swirled rolls make for an extra special afternoon snack too.
Trust me, there’s really nothing better than a random sweet roll on a summer afternoon day. No special occasion needed.
The story.
Honestly, I’m not really sure what the story behind the rolls originally was, but I’ve never created any other recipe like them. Which is one of the many reasons I’m so excited to share them. Sure, we have a lot of cinnamon roll recipes here on HBH. And we definitely have some fruity layered cakes, but never have I made a sweet roll where the main flavor is fruit.
Typically, I’m all about cinnamon when it comes to my swirled rolls, but I tend to reserve those for the holidays. These are my summer swirl roll! When the concept first came to mind, I knew I had to jump at it…they just sounded so delicious. I meant to share the recipe before Father’s Day, but I didn’t want to break tradition. So instead, I shared my last-minute recipe for buckeye CRUNCH bars (which so many of you have already made and loved).
So here we are today! A random June Tuesday, with the best raspberry lemon brioche rolls.
Here are the details.
First, these are not your typical sweet rolls. I wanted them to be extra soft and hinted with lemon.
To make the dough, simply mix flour with a bit of instant yeast, a touch of cardamom, and a pinch of salt. Add warm milk, a touch of honey, eggs, salted butter, and some lemon zest. Then mix until smooth, let the dough rise until doubled in size, usually about an hour.
While the rolls rise, mix up the filling. It’s simply granulated sugar and lemon…yes, lemon sugar!
Once the dough has doubled in size, roll the dough out, spread with butter, then top with some of the lemon sugar. Add lots of fresh raspberries, then roll the dough up into a log, cut into rolls, and place them into a baking dish. Now you can either let the rolls rest, get puffy, and then bake. Or you can keep the rolls in the fridge overnight to rise and bake in the morning. Either option works, it just depends when you’d like to enjoy your rolls.
While the rolls bake…
Whip the ricotta into cream. This is very simple. Take ricotta cheese and whip it in the food processor until creamy, then add powdered sugar and a splash of vanilla.
Simple, simple…and so very creamy.
Note: If you don’t have a food processor, I would recommend topping with whipped cream or whipped cream cheese. Either would also be good!
And now you wait for the rolls. As the rolls bake, the kitchen will fill with the sweet smells of summer…buttery raspberries and lemon wafting throughout your kitchen.
Next, pull the rolls out of the oven and take in their beauty. I almost didn’t frost these because I love the raspberry swirl so much. But in the end, the ricotta cream was too good not to use.
Just before topping with cream, toss those remaining raspberries in with the leftover lemon sugar. Now spread the cream over the rolls and top with the lemon berries.
YUM.
And you see? Just like that Tuesday went from boring to fun…and so delicious. So what do you guys think? Can we do some baking this afternoon? Sounds like the perfect plan to me.
Looking for other summer brunch recipes? Here are some favorites:
Buttery Raspberry Crumble Bars
Berry and Cream Cheese Croissant French Toast Bake
Blackberry Lavender White Chocolate Scones
Baked Blackberry Ricotta French Toast
Lastly, if you make these raspberry lemon brioche rolls with whipped ricotta cream, be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
Raspberry Lemon Brioche Rolls with Whipped Ricotta Cream
Servings: 12
Calories Per Serving: 380 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Ingredients
- 3 1/2 - 4 cups all-purpose flour plus more for dusting
- 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon cardamom
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 tablespoon instant yeast
- 3/4 cup warm whole milk
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 3 large eggs, at room temperature
- 1/2 cup (1 stick) salted butter, melted
- 2-3 tablespoon lemon zest
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 6 tablespoons salted butter, at room temperature, plus more for greasing
- 4 cups fresh or frozen raspberries
Ricotta Cream
- 8 ounces whole milk ricotta cheese
- 1/2-1 cup powdered sugar
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Instructions
- 1. To make the dough. In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine 3 ½ cups flour, cardamom, cinnamon, salt, and yeast. Add the milk, honey, eggs, butter, and 1 tablespoon lemon zest. Using the dough hook, mix until the flour is completely incorporated, about 4-5 minutes. If the dough seems sticky, add the remaining ½ cup of flour. It's better to have a stickier dough rather than a dry dough, so add flour 1 tablespoon at a time.2. Cover the bowl and let sit at room temperature for 1 hour or until the dough has doubled in size.3. To make the filling. In a small bowl, combine the sugar and remaining 1-2 tablespoons lemon zest. Line a 9x13 inch baking dish with parchment. 4. Lightly dust your work surface with flour. Turn out the dough, punch it down, and roll it into a rectangle about 10 x 16 inches. Spread 6 tablespoons softened butter evenly over the dough. Sprinkle the 1/2 cup of the lemon sugar evenly over the butter and lightly push into the butter. Sprinkle over 2 1/2 cups raspberries. Starting with the long edge closest to you, carefully roll the dough into a log, keeping it fairly tight as you go. When you reach the edge, pinch along the edge to seal. Using a sharp knife, cut into 12-15 rolls. Place the rolls in the prepared baking dish. Cover and let rise 20-30 minutes or transfer to the fridge to rise overnight (see notes).5. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Bake the rolls for 20 to 25 minutes, or until golden brown.6. Meanwhile, make the cream. Whip the ricotta in a food processor until smooth and creamy. Add the powdered sugar and vanilla, pulse to combine. The cream can be kept in the fridge for up to 3 days. 7. Toss the remaining 1/2 cup raspberries with the remaining 1/4 cup lemon sugar. Spread the cream over the warm rolls. Sprinkle with berries. Serve and enjoy!
Notes
Overnight Rising: Cover the rolls and transfer to the fridge to rise overnight. In the morning, remove the rolls from the fridge and let come to room temp while the oven preheats. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Bake the rolls for 25 to 30 minutes, or until golden brown.
To Use Active Dry Yeast: Mix 1 tablespoon active dry yeast with the warm milk and honey. Let sit 5-10 minutes, until bubbly and foamy on top. Add the flour and follow the directions as listed for the remainder of the recipe.
To Make Gluten Free: Use an equal amount of your favorite gluten free flour blend in place of the all-purpose flour. I recommend Cup4Cup gluten free flour.
The dough rose in the bowl but not after being cut into rolls and put in the fridge :/ not sure what I did wrong. Maybe my fridge is too cold?
Hi Andrea,
Thanks for trying this recipe, so sorry you are having issues! I would pull them out of the fridge and let them rise in a warm spot in your kitchen. I hope this helps! xT
I made these this past summer (using a mix of berries) and they are wonderful. Definitely a nice switch from the traditional cinnamon roll. I now find myself with a bunch of mixed berries left over from a brunch and I am thinking about making a couple batches – my question is how do you think these will freeze? Do you have any tips or recommendations for freezing?
Hi there! I haven’t ever frozen these before so I can’t say for sure! So sorry! xT
My mom requested raspberry sweet rolls for her Mother’s Day breakfast, and after looking at several different recipes I decided to try this one. We were blown away by how good these were! The dough in particular was amazing. We both loved how light and fluffy it was, especially since most cinnamon or sweet rolls tend to have thick, tough dough. I think I’m going to continue to use this recipe for all other cinnamon and sweet rolls in the future. For reference I made these the morning of instead of letting them rise the night before and didn’t add any extra flour aside from what I had on my work surface. The amount of raspberries called for was just right and the ricotta cream was really tasty. Thanks for posting this recipe! Mother’s Day was a huge success thanks in part to it!
Hey Hope,
Happy Wednesday!! 🌸🌤️ I appreciate you making this recipe and sharing your review, so glad it turned out well for you! xT
Hello! If I make these Friday night, would they still be good to bring to brunch on Sunday? or even a day ahead?
Hi Lauren,
You bet, just bring them to room temp before baking:) Let me know if you have any other questions, I hope you love this recipe! xx
Love these rolls!!! They are delicious! I was moving too quickly and got distracted and even forgot to add the stick of butter into the bread dough… The rolls were slightly dryer than they have been previously, but still rose well and were perfect to eat!
Hey Gretchen,
Happy Wednesday!!🌈 🐇 I am so glad to hear that this recipe turned out well for you! Thanks for sharing your feedback and trying it out! xT
Made these for a Sunday morning breakfast and they were delicious. So light and fluffy, and full of flavor from the lemon and raspberry combination. The really liked the ricotta cream as well, wasn’t sure how I was going to feel about it at first. These rolls were also simple to make! Will be making these over and over!
Hi Rachel,
Happy Monday!! ☀️⛅️ I appreciate you making this recipe and sharing your comment, so glad to hear it turned out well for you! xT
I made this for a Sunday morning and they were absolutely delicious! Will definitely be making them again!!
Hey Brianna,
Happy Monday!! 🍋🫐 I truly appreciate you making this recipe and your comment, love to hear that it was a hit! xT
Hi! Can I use a stand mixer with a whisk attachment to whip the ricotta if I don’t have a food processor?
Hi there,
Sure, that should work well for you! Please let me know if you have any other questions! xx
I made these yesterday and they are so yummy! I included dark sweet cherries with the raspberries in mine.
Hey Michelle,
Wonderful!!🍀 I love to hear that this recipe turned out well for you, thanks so much for trying it out:)
Can you substitute the regular flour for any other kind of flour if there are people who have gluten allergies?
Hi Shannon,
Yes, you can use an equal amount of gluten free flour, I like Bob’s Red Mill. Please let me know if you give this recipe a try, I hope you love it! xx
Hello,
Could I make this with strawberries instead? Also, could I use a hand mixer with dough hooks? New to the baking world and love your recipes!!
Thank you!
Hey Anna,
Totally, strawberries would be great:) I’ve never seen dough hooks for a hand mixer, but if you have them then sure! Otherwise just mix with a wooden spoon and knead by hand! Please let me know if you have any other questions! xx
Okay, awesome! Thank you so much for always taking the time to reply and quickly too!
My life has been changed FOREVER! Blown away by how soft and flavorful the dough is. Don’t be afraid by how sticky the dough is (I used 3.75 cups of flour). It will totally roll out once it has risen! Lemon & raspberry are a fabulous combo for a filling, would absolutely recommend fresh raspberries if doing overnight method (I used frozen and ended up with a bit of a syrupy base in the bottom of my rolls – still delicious tho!). I used cream cheese instead of ricotta for the glaze and it was divine:) Thank you for another amazing recipe!
Hey Marissa,
Happy Sunday!! So glad to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks so much for making it!! Thanks so much for your kind message! ? xx
SO good! Remind me of hot cross buns just yummer?The ricotta icing makes it so nice! Definitely will make again. Thx for the recipe
Hey Kayla,
Happy Friday! I am delighted to hear that this recipe was enjoyed! Thanks a lot for making it. xTieghan
Just be careful if converting to metric by the button provided, the flour amount says 987g and it is double what you need!!!