Red Velvet Cake Mix Cinnamon Rolls are the ultimate breakfast food for saying “I love you”. Roll them into heart shapes and celebrate your sweetie any day of the year.
**This post was updated in 2020
It’s no secret that I kind of hate red velvet, and I’m definitely not a valentine’s day person. However, I am extremely sentimental, and on this particular day I was really missing my friend Courtney who loves red velvet. I decided to make a little treat in her honor.
I set out to make heart shaped cinnamon rolls which I had never seen before. How hard can it be right?
Whenever I attempt a project like this that requires testing new techniques, I get really excited. Problem solving is at the heart of all food styling.
Guess what I learned? Anything, even red velvet, tastes good when stuffed with cinnamon and sugar and smothered in gooey frosting.
Another lesson learned is that dough has a mind of it’s own! I’m using the term “heart shaped” loosely in this recipe. I texted the picture to Courtney to tell her I made these in her honor, and she replied, “that looks like a placenta”.
I love you too Courtney.
Cake Mix Cinnamon Rolls
The secret to this recipe is using a boxed cake mix as a base. No messing around with bottles of red food coloring! Trust me, if you’ve ever made red velvet from scratch you’ll know it’s virtually impossible not to dye your hands red.
Cake mix to the rescue!
If you’re looking for a cute, heart-shaped (placenta shaped?) treat to make for your sweetie this valentine’s day, or if you have a red velvet fanatic in your life, give these red velvet cinnamon rolls a try. They taste great, and at the very least, they’ll make for funny conversation.
If you give this recipe a try, I’d love to see it! Tag me @betsylife on Facebook or Instagram and I’ll share your creations!
More awesome red velvet recipes
Red Velvet Cake Mix Cinnamon Rolls
Red Velvet Cake Mix Cinnamon Rolls are the ultimate breakfast food for saying "I love you". Roll them into heart shapes and celebrate your sweetie any day of the year.
Ingredients
- 1 package red velvet cake mix regular size
- 2-1/2 to 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 1/4 oz packet active dry yeast
- 1-1/4 cups warm water 120° to 130°
- 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 tablespoon cocoa powder
- 1/4 cup butter melted
For the icing
- 2 ounces cream cheese softened
- 7 tablespoons butter softened
- 2 tablespoons milk
- 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar sifted
Instructions
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In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine cake mix, 1 cup flour and yeast. Add warm water; beat on medium speed 2 minutes.
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Slowly mix in additional 1 1/2 cups of flour. Add more flour if necessary to form a soft dough. Dough should pull away from the edges of the bowl (dough will be sticky).
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Turn onto a lightly floured surface; knead gently 6-8 times. Place in a greased bowl. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 2 hours.
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Meanwhile, in another bowl, mix brown sugar, cinnamon and cocoa powder
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Punch down dough. Turn onto a lightly floured surface; roll dough into an 18x10-in. rectangle. Brush with melted butter to within 1/4 in. of edges; sprinkle evenly with sugar mixture.
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Using a pizza cutter, cut dough into 1 inch strips. Roll dough from both ends towards the center, then pinch the bottom of each roll to form a heart shape. Place roll in a greased baking dish. Repeat with remaining dough.
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Cover with a kitchen towel; let rise in a warm place until almost doubled, about 1 hour.
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Preheat oven to 350°. Bake until puffed and light brown, 15-20 minutes. Cool slightly.
For the icing
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Beat together the cream cheese and butter with an electric mixer in a large bowl until creamy. Gradually mix in the confectioners' sugar until smooth and fluffy.
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Kate says
Hi I want to premake this item and have it sit in the refrigerator over night so I can just throw it into the oven in the morning . Will that be okay if it is made and put into the fridge over night ??
betsy says
ideally you would make the dough, refrigerate, bring to room temp the next day, then form the cinnamon rolls. If you want to make them all the way through forming the rolls, just be sure to bring them up to room temp before baking in order to preserve as much of the rise as possible
Juls says
I am a great fan of red velvet recipes as well! However, just from reading your ingredients I can’t find what makes this actually a red velvet recipe besides the looks given the red food coloring…the key of red velvet is usually the chemical reaction of cocoa and buttermilk or even vinegar, something slightly sour, which brings a specific taste and texture, which is all that defines red velvet. To me, this just looks like you added food coloring to a normal batter? So you said Courtney liked it, but how much of red velvet recipe is it really?
Jess says
Shot in the dark, but I’m going to guess it’s the red velvet cake mix…
Cat says
I tried to make this recipe yesterday, and your recipe was difficult to follow. I wanted to use my bread hook for the first time ever. We got to Step 4, and we didn’t understand why the bread hook wasn’t doing anything. I looked up some YouTube videos, and it looks like the bread hook comes *after* the dough has been mixed. So, we added the flour, and then switched out the whisk for the bread hook. Success!
Also, we were confused by why the recipe calls for 3-4 cups of flour. We went with 3, and it seemed to work okay.
betsy says
Thanks for the feedback. I wrote this recipe MANY years ago so it sounds like it’s time to revisit it and possibly do an update