Chocolate Cinnamon Rolls

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Chocolate Cinnamon Rolls — This ultra chocolaty twist on classic cinnamon rolls is made with doctored up chocolate cake mix and oodles of chocolate frosting!! Soft, tender, fluffy, and EASY!! Calling all chocaholics, these are for YOU!!

Chocolate Cinnamon Rolls - This ultra chocolaty twist on classic cinnamon rolls is made with doctored up chocolate cake mix and oodles of chocolate frosting!! Soft, tender, fluffy, and EASY!! Calling all chocaholics, these are for YOU!!

Double Chocolate Cinnamon Rolls

These chocolate sweet rolls are soft, tender, and are for true chocolate lovers! I used a box of devil’s food cake chocolate cake mix as a shortcut. It really adds the perfect amount of chocolate flavor.

Combined with creamy chocolate frosting on top, you’re in for a real treat with these ultra chocolaty cinnamon rolls! 

Chocolate cinnamon rolls are a wonderful treat for holiday mornings, special brunches, or make them for a decadent weekend breakfast.

Chocolate Cinnamon Rolls - This ultra chocolaty twist on classic cinnamon rolls is made with doctored up chocolate cake mix and oodles of chocolate frosting!! Soft, tender, fluffy, and EASY!! Calling all chocaholics, these are for YOU!!

Ingredients in Chocolate Cinnamon Rolls 

For these easy peasy cinnamon rolls, you’ll need to have:

Note: Scroll down to the recipe card section of the post for the ingredients with amounts included and for more complete directions.

Chocolate Cinnamon Rolls - This ultra chocolaty twist on classic cinnamon rolls is made with doctored up chocolate cake mix and oodles of chocolate frosting!! Soft, tender, fluffy, and EASY!! Calling all chocaholics, these are for YOU!!

How to Make Chocolate Cinnamon Rolls

These chocolate rolls use box cake mix in the dough, but they also use yeast so plan accordingly and leave time for the dough to rise. Here’s an overview of how the cinnamon rolls are made:

Make the Dough

  1. Begin by combining the water, dry active yeast, and granulated sugar and waiting for about 5 minutes while the yeast blooms. (If nothing happens, and you don’t see any bubbles, frothing, or basically there’s no action, your yeast is dead. Start over with fresh yeast.)
  2. Add the bloomed yeast mixture to a stand mixer along with the cake mix, oil, flour, and beat with the dough hook for about 2 minutes. If the dough is very sticky and tacky and just isn’t coming together, add a bit of additional flour as I outlined in the recipe section below.

First Rise

  1. After the dough has come together, shape it into a ball, place it back into the mixing bowl, and allow it to rise (proof) for 1 hour. 
Chocolate Cinnamon Rolls - This ultra chocolaty twist on classic cinnamon rolls is made with doctored up chocolate cake mix and oodles of chocolate frosting!! Soft, tender, fluffy, and EASY!! Calling all chocaholics, these are for YOU!!

Roll and Shape the Dough

  1. Punch it down, and transfer it to a lightly floured counter top before rolling it out flat with a rolling pin.
  2. Brush it with a melted butter and vanilla extract mixture, sprinkle with brown sugar and nutmeg, before rolling it into a tight cylinder shape, or log as I like to call it.
  3. Slice the log into 12 even pieces, then place them in a greased 9×13-inch pan.

Second Rise and Then Bake

  1. Cover the pan with plastic wrap, and allow the rolls to rise for 30 minutes before baking them off.
  2. After baking, frost the soft cake mix cinnamon rolls with chocolate frosting and then get ready to dig in! 
Chocolate Cinnamon Rolls - This ultra chocolaty twist on classic cinnamon rolls is made with doctored up chocolate cake mix and oodles of chocolate frosting!! Soft, tender, fluffy, and EASY!! Calling all chocaholics, these are for YOU!!

Chocolate Frosting Recommendations

For these rolls, I used a 16-ounce tub of store bought chocolate frosting in a shelf-stable tub. No one will ever know, I promise!

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. However, for these chocolate cinnamon rolls, since I was already using a box of cake mix as a shortcut, I followed suit and used store-bought frosting to save time. Life is about shortcuts, especially if you’re making these for a holiday breakfast or special brunch.

You can add a pinch of cinnamon to whatever chocolate frosting for even more flavor!

Chocolate Cinnamon Rolls - This ultra chocolaty twist on classic cinnamon rolls is made with doctored up chocolate cake mix and oodles of chocolate frosting!! Soft, tender, fluffy, and EASY!! Calling all chocaholics, these are for YOU!!

Recipe FAQs

What Type of Yeast Should I Use? 

Do not use instant yeast with this recipe and instead use active dry yeast, no exceptions.

Can I Make Chocolate Cinnamon Rolls in Advance?

I haven’t tried preparing these cinnamon rolls made with cake mix in advance, such as the night before. If you do try it, I would refrigerate them at the point where they are in the pan and are going to have their 30 minute rise, in step 12 in the recipe. Cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate overnight, before baking them off the next morning.

Again, I haven’t personally tried to see how that will work, but that is my best educated guess as to where you’re stopping-to-refrigerate-overnight point would be.

What Type of Cake Mix Should I Use? 

Any chocolate cake mix can be used for this recipe, it doesn’t have to be devil’s food cake, that’s just what I used. There are so many varieties of chocolate cake mix including devil’s food cake, milk chocolate, dark chocolate, triple chocolate, and more. I am partial to Duncan Hines boxed cake mixes overall because that’s why my mom always used but use what you know you like.

Can I Omit the Cake Mix? 

If you live in an area where cake mix isn’t common, I am sorry that I don’t know what to suggest in place of it. My recommendation is to search online for the best looking 100% scratch chocolate cinnamon roll recipe and go with that.

Additionally, check below for my favorite cinnamon roll recipes, most of which are from scratch. These Overnight Cinnamon Rolls are some of my favorites because they taste better than a Cinnabon!

How do you know when chocolate cinnamon rolls are done?

It can be a little tricky to tell when baking anything that’s chocolate if it’s done or not due to the inherent dark color, but look closely and make sure the chocolate rolls appear set.

However, I prefer to under bake rather than over bake to avoid them from becoming dry. Whether it’s cookies or cinnamon rolls, I’d rather have my baked goods slightly under baked and a little gooey than over baked and drier, but to each their own.

Recipe Variations to Try

There are a few fun spin-offs of this chocolate rolls recipe that we love making!

  • For hot chocolate rolls: Add dehydrated marshmallow bits to the filling and on top of the frosting.
  • For Mexican chocolate cinnamon rolls: For those of you who are heat seekers and a little adventurous, you can add ¼ teaspoon of cayenne pepper powder to the filling mixture if you want things spicy. This is a spin on what is known as ‘Mexican chocolate’, which traditionally is just a blend of chocolate, vanilla, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Although in recent years it is more commonly associated with heat, hence the pinch of cayenne. 
  • For triple chocolate cinnamon rolls: Add a sprinkle of mini chocolate chips to the filling before rolling the dough into a log and slicing it.

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5 from 4 votes

Chocolate Cinnamon Rolls

By Averie Sunshine
This ultra chocolaty twist on classic cinnamon rolls is made with doctored up chocolate cake mix and oodles of chocolate frosting!! Soft, tender, fluffy, and EASY!! Calling all chocoholics, these are for YOU!!
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Rise Time: 1 hour 30 minutes
Total Time: 2 hours 10 minutes
Servings: 12
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Ingredients  

Rolls

  • 1¼ cup water, between 110 and 115 degrees F
  • 2¼ teaspoons dry active yeast, (1 packet)
  • 1 teaspoon granulated sugar
  • one 16.5-ounce box devil’s food cake mix, dry
  • 2 tablespoons vegetable 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:

  • To a 2-cup glass measuring cup or medium bowl, add the water, yeast, sugar, and allow the yeast to bloom for 5 minutes.
  • 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.
  • 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.
  • 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.
  • 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.
  • Roll the dough out into a rectangle about ¼-inch thick.

Make the Filling:

  • 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.
  • Sprinkle the brown sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg over the top of the butter.
  • Begin rolling the dough up from one of the long sides as tightly as possible.
  • Use your hands to gently press the ends of the dough back in towards the middle so they aren’t as tapered.
  • 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.
  • 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.
  • 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:

Notes

*If you have a stand mixer, this is the time to use it. If you don't and all you have is a handheld electric mixer, I do not recommend using a handheld mixer. It will likely not be powerful enough to effectively mix up the dough. Instead, I recommend using a wooden spoon and good old-fashioned elbow grease.

Nutrition

Serving: 1, Calories: 644kcal, Carbohydrates: 120g, Protein: 8g, Fat: 15g, Saturated Fat: 6g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 8g, Cholesterol: 10mg, Sodium: 424mg, Fiber: 3g, Sugar: 56g

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

More Easy Sweet Roll Recipes:

Overnight Cinnamon Rolls — These overnight cinnamon rolls are ultra soft and fluffy thanks to the buttermilk in the dough. They remind me of Cinnabon! Top them with homemade cream cheese frosting and enjoy!

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Overnight Eggnog Cinnamon Rolls – The SOFTEST and FLUFFIEST cinnamon rolls with an overnight MAKE-AHEAD option and eggnog frosting adds the perfect touch!! If you like Cinnabon rolls, you’ll LOVE THESE!! 

Overnight Eggnog Cinnamon Rolls - The SOFTEST and FLUFFIEST cinnamon rolls with an overnight MAKE-AHEAD option and eggnog frosting adds the perfect touch!! If you like Cinnabon rolls, you'll LOVE THESE!! 

One-Hour Homemade Cinnamon Rolls with Cream Cheese Frosting – It’s possible to make soft, light, fluffy cinnamon rolls from scratch in 1 hour!

One-Hour Homemade Cinnamon Rolls with Cream Cheese Frosting - It's possible to make soft, light, fluffy cinnamon rolls from scratch in 1 hour! Get the recipe at averiecooks.com

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The BEST Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls — The glaze soaks into the nooks and crannies and adds even more moisture and softness. Total gooey, cinnamon-and-sugary, juicy perfection.

a glazed pumpkin cinnamon roll on a white plate. a fork rests in the background.

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Birthday Cake Cinnamon Rolls — The softest, fluffiest, most tender cinnamon rolls stuffed with cinnamon-and-sugar and rainbow sprinkles! Topped with tangy cream cheese frosting and more sprinkles! The recipe is EASY to follow even if you’ve never made cinnamon rolls and there’s a MAKE AHEAD overnight option!

Birthday Cake Cinnamon Rolls - The softest, fluffiest, most tender cinnamon rolls stuffed with cinnamon-and-sugar and rainbow sprinkles! Topped with tangy cream cheese frosting and more sprinkles! The recipe is EASY to follow even if you've never made cinnamon rolls and there's a MAKE AHEAD overnight option!

About the Author

Welcome to AverieCooks! Here you’ll find fast and easy recipes that taste amazing and are geared for real life. Nothing fussy or complicated, just awesome tasting dishes everyone loves!

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Please note: I have only made the recipe as written, and cannot give advice or predict what will happen if you change something. If you have a question regarding changing, altering, or making substitutions to the recipe, please check out the FAQ page for more info.

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Comments

  1. Hi Averie,

    I had no idea that these kind of rolls existed. What a new concept!

    Right now on my kitchen counter is your chocolate pb banana bread from your 1st book. And on Fri I am mentally prepared to make your french almond cookie cake. That I have made at least 15 times since you posted it. It’s your best recipe.

    I hope you and your family are going to have a lovely holiday.

    Warm regards, iram

    1. Hi Iram, thanks for being one of my long standing readers. I cannot thank you enough for your loyalty over the years (I am guessing a decade now!).

      I am so glad you are still making things from my first cookbook like the chocolate PB banana bread as well as the French almond cookie cake. Wow. I just looked it up, 2013.

      Here we are almost 8 years later and to me honest, in my blogging career now, I would never make that recipe. It’s not mainstream enough, I don’t assume too many people would be into it, it’s got a fancier title, the photos aren’t that good – yet I am glad that back when I was still finding myself so to speak a decade ago, that I took chances like that and made things that were and still are unique in an attempt to differentiate myself and also because I was getting bored with yet another chocolate chip cookie! And that some of those older recipes still get made by people like you. I have people (very occasionally now) that still write to me and tell me they make things from like the 2009-13 era and that is always really, really nice for me to hear about.

      At any rate, have a wonderful holiday season and enjoy your family! Take good care.