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Chocolate Cinnamon Rolls
5 from 12 votes

Chocolate Cinnamon Rolls

Chocolate Cinnamon Rolls combine the softness of cake mix dough with warm spices and a rich chocolate frosting. Using devil's food cake mix integrated with yeast and flour creates a unique dough with a tender texture. The filling blends cinnamon, nutmeg, brown sugar, and vanilla with melted butter, bringing a sweet and spiced contrast. The rolls are baked until golden and topped with a smooth chocolate frosting for a decadent finish. This recipe offers a different take on classic cinnamon rolls by incorporating chocolate cake mix, making it appealing for chocolate lovers seeking a soft, flavorful pastry.

Prep Time
20 mins
Cook Time
20 mins
Rise Time
1 hr 30 mins
Total Time
2 hrs 10 mins
Servings: 12
Calories: 644 kcal
Course: Breakfast, Bread
Cuisine: American

Ingredients

Rolls
  • 1¼ cup water between 110 and 115 degrees F
  • 2¼ teaspoons dry active yeast (1 packet)
  • 1 teaspoon granulated sugar
  • devil's food cake mix dry, 16.5-ounce box
  • 2 tablespoons vegetable oil or canola oil
  • 2¼ - 2½ cups all-purpose flour plus more for rolling
Filling
  • ¼ cup butter melted (unsalted or salted, depending on your preference)
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 cup light brown sugar packed
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
Frosting
  • 16 ounces chocolate frosting store bought or homemade, see Notes below

Instructions

Make the Rolls:
    Cup of Yum
  1. To a 2-cup glass measuring cup or medium bowl, add the water, yeast, sugar, and allow the yeast to bloom for 5 minutes.
  2. To the bowl of a stand mixer* (see Notes below) fitted with a dough hook attachment, add the Devil's food cake mix, 2 cups of the flour, the yeast mixture, the oil, and mix together for about 2 minutes. If the dough appears to be too soft and is not pulling away from the sides of the bowl, add an additional ¼ cup of flour and mix for an additional minute. Tip - The dough can dry out easily if you add too much flour, so I do not recommend adding any more than the 2½ cups the recipe calls for. If the dough is still slightly tacky after adding the extra ¼ cup, coat your hands with non-stick spray to better handle the dough and use a rubber spatula to scrape it out of the bowl. However, it should be pretty well combined.
  3. Remove the dough from the bowl and shape it into a ball in your hands; it helps if they're lightly sprayed with nonstick spray so it doesn't stick as much.
  4. Spray down the mixing bowl (the same one you used to mix up the dough is fine or another large mixing bowl) with non-stick spray and place the dough ball back in it. Cover with plastic wrap and proof (allow the dough to rise) for 1 hour.
  5. After 1 hour, punch the dough down, and reshape into along ball/cylinder shape and place on a lightly floured surface such as your countertop.
  6. Roll the dough out into a rectangle about ¼-inch thick.
Make the Filling:
  1. Melt butter and add in the vanilla. Use a pastry brush to brush the dough with the butter, leaving a border of about ½-inch on the edges of the 2 shorter sides.
  2. Sprinkle the brown sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg over the top of the butter.
  3. Begin rolling the dough up from one of the long sides as tightly as possible.
  4. Use your hands to gently press the ends of the dough back in towards the middle so they aren’t as tapered.
  5. Use a very sharp knife or unflavored waxed dental floss (the best method!) to cut the large cylinder log into 12 rolls, about 1- inch thick. If you want, you can cut off and discard the very end bits from each end of the log for more uniform rolls.
  6. Place them in a 9x13-inch baking pan sprayed very well with cooking spray or greased, cover with plastic wrap, and proof for an additional 30 minutes. While the rolls are proofing, preheat your oven to 375F.
  7. Remove the plastic wrap and bake for 20 to 22 minutes, or until cooked through. It can be a little tricky to tell when baking anything chocolate if it's done or not due to the dark color, but look closely and make sure the rolls appear set. However, I prefer to under bake rather than over bake to avoid them from becoming dry; I'd rather have them slightly under baked and a little gooey than over baked and drier, but to each their own.
Make the Frosting:
  1. Remove the pan from the oven and allow to cool for about 5 minutes before topping with chocolate frosting. Use either a 16-ounce tub of store bought chocolate frosting in a shelf stable tub. I also have this scratch chocolate buttercream frosting recipe that is excellent. Feel free to research Google and make another scratch chocolate frosting if you're so inclined.

Notes

  • Using a stand mixer with a dough hook helps develop the dough more evenly; if unavailable, mixing by hand with a wooden spoon is recommended.
  • Be cautious with flour additions to avoid drying the dough; slightly tacky dough is acceptable and easier to handle with lightly sprayed hands.

Nutrition Information

Serving 1 Calories 644kcal (32%) Carbohydrates 120g (40%) Protein 8g (16%) Fat 15g (23%) Saturated Fat 6g (30%) Polyunsaturated Fat 8g (47%) Cholesterol 10mg (3%) Sodium 424mg (18%) Fiber 3g (12%) Sugar 56g (112%)

Nutrition Facts

Serving: 12 Serving

Amount Per Serving

Calories 644

% Daily Value*

Serving 1
Calories 644kcal 32%
Carbohydrates 120g 40%
Protein 8g 16%
Fat 15g 23%
Saturated Fat 6g 30%
Polyunsaturated Fat 8g 47%
Cholesterol 10mg 3%
Sodium 424mg 18%
Fiber 3g 12%
Sugar 56g 112%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.