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Sticky Carrot Cake Cinnamon Rolls + Birthday Giveaway!


  • Total Time: 1 hour 24 minutes
  • Yield: 6-8 servings 1x

Ingredients

Scale

Dough

  • 1 cup milk (I used almond, use what you love)
  • 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 3 teaspoons active dry yeast
  • 1 tablespoon honey
  • 3 ½ cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 large egg
  • 1 tablespoon vanilla bean paste
  • 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
  • 1 teaspoon ground ginger
  • 1 cup grated carrot

Filling

  • 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
  • ¾ cup packed light brown sugar
  • ¼ cup granulated sugar
  • 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
  • ¾ cup raisins
  • 1 cup grated carrot

Pan Goo and Glaze

  • 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
  • ½ cup packed light brown sugar
  • ¾ cup pecans
  • 1 cup confectioners’ sugar
  • 2 tablespoons milk (I used almond, use what you love)
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste

Instructions

  1. Make the dough. Heat the milk and butter in the microwave in 30 second increments in a large microwave safe bowl until very warm to the touch. Sprinkle in the yeast and drizzle in the honey. Stir to combine. Allow to sit 5-10 minutes until very foamy.
  2. Stir in 2 ½ cups flour, egg, vanilla, cinnamon, and ginger until combined. Add the grated carrot and remaining cup of flour. Knead the dough for about 8 minutes until it comes together. Oil the bowl well and form the dough into a ball. Cover with plastic and place in a warm spot for about two hours until at least doubled in size.
  3. When the dough has rested, press it into a large rectangle, about 18 inches long and 10 inches high. I found a rolling pin unnecessary; my hands did the trick. It’s such a nice dough! Spread with the softened butter, sprinkle with the sugars, cinnamon, raisins, and carrot.
  4. Line an 8 or 9 inch square pan with parchment, use all two tablespoons of butter to grease mostly the bottom. Sprinkle with the sugar and pecans. Cut the rolls into uniform pieces and fit into the pan. They’ll all fit – squeeze them in. cover with plastic and refrigerate overnight.
  5. In the morning, pull the pan out about 1 ½ hours before you want to bake and place in a warm spot. When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 350. Bake the rolls for 25 minutes, raise the temperature to 375 and bake for an additional 15-20 minutes until fully baked.
  6. Immediately invert the rolls onto a serving plate, peel off the parchment, and whisk together the confectioners’ sugar, milk, and vanilla. Drizzle over the rolls and serve! Rolls may be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for 3 days or frozen, wrapped in parchment and foil and placed in a zipper bag for up to 3 months. Thaw in the microwave about 1 minute.

Notes

Recipe adapted from How Sweet Eats

  • Prep Time: 40 minutes
  • Cook Time: 45 minutes