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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.

overhead photo of Raspberry Lemon Brioche Rolls with Whipped Ricotta Cream in baking pan

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.

overhead photo of Raspberry Lemon Brioche Rolls in baking pan before baking

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.

overhead photo of Raspberry Lemon Brioche Rolls before adding cream

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.

overhead photo of Raspberry Lemon Brioche Rolls with Whipped Ricotta Cream

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!

overhead photo of Raspberry Lemon Brioche Rolls with Whipped Ricotta Cream on plates

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.

overhead close up photo of Raspberry Lemon Brioche Rolls with Whipped Ricotta Cream in baking dish

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.

side angle close up photo of Raspberry Lemon Brioche Roll on plate with Whipped Ricotta Cream

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

Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Rising time 1 hour 30 minutes
Total Time 2 hours 10 minutes
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

Ricotta Cream

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. 
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