Tik Tok Cinnamon Rolls with Heavy Cream
This viral Tik Tok Cinnamon Rolls with Heavy Cream recipe has all the cinnamon roll hacks to take Pillsbury Grands cinnamon rolls to the next level.
It combines heavy cream, simple homemade frosting, and a special baking technique sure to give you and yours the most moist, flavorful cinnamon rolls ever!
Tic Tok Cinnamon Roll Recipe
I make homemade cinnamon rolls all the time, usually served with a big bowl of chili, for my guys, so I was super curious to see how this viral cinnamon roll recipe would measure up.
Who knew this canned Tik Tok Cinnamon Rolls recipe drizzled with whipping cream and baked covered with foil could magically become a pan of cinnamon rolls you’ll refuse to share? They are to die for, and I’m not exaggerating one bit.
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I will make these effortless Tik Tok Cinnamon Rolls with Heavy Cream with the Best Cinnamon Roll Frosting for my family moving forward – they love them!
WHAT TO LOVE
- Baking these canned cinnamon rolls covered with foil is the hack that makes them tall and tender. Who knew?
- The ingredients needed are everyday items you probably already have on hand.
- From start to finish, you can have these cinnamon rolls ready in just over 30 minutes.
INGREDIENTS
Cinnamon Rolls
- Refrigerated Grands Cinnamon Rolls, including the containers of frosting included with each roll
- Whipping cream
- Butter
- Dark brown sugar
- Cinnamon
Frosting
- Cream cheese
- Butter
- Powdered sugar
- Kosher salt
TIK TOK CINNAMON ROLL HACK TIPS
- Whipping cream is absorbed into the rolls as they bake, making them extra light in texture.
- Baking these viral cinnamon rolls covered with foil allows them to steam as they bake, making them so tender.
- Don’t skip the pinch of salt in the frosting! The salt makes the sweetness of the frosting more mellow so you can enjoy the cinnamon rolls even more.
- Let the cinnamon rolls cool for 10 minutes before you frost them so the icing doesn’t melt away.
- A small off-set spatula for spreading the frosting over the warm cinnamon rolls works really well.
HOW TO MAKE TIK TOK CINNAMON ROLLS
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a 9×13-inch baking pan with nonstick baking spray.
Unroll both cans of canned cinnamon rolls and place them into the prepared pan in a single layer; reserve the containers of white icing to use later in this recipe to make the frosting.
Gently and slowly pour the whipping cream over and around the unbaked cinnamon rolls in the pan.
In a small bowl, combine the 1/3 cup melted butter, brown sugar, and ground cinnamon. Spread this mixture evenly over the unbaked cinnamon rolls in the pan.
Tightly cover the cinnamon roll pan with foil and place it onto the center oven rack.
Bake the cinnamon rolls for 30-35 minutes, covered, or until fully cooked throughout. Remove the pan of cinnamon rolls from the oven to a cooling rack; uncover to cool.
While the cinnamon rolls bake, make the frosting. In a medium mixing bowl, add the butter, cream cheese, and salt along with the contents of both containers of the white icing that came with the canned cinnamon rolls; stir to combine.
Add the powdered sugar and stir until the frosting is nice and smooth. If the frosting appears too thick to spread easily, add a few drops of milk to loosen it.
Once the cinnamon rolls have cooled for 10 minutes, gently spread the prepared frosting over the top; serve at once.
DO I HAVE TO PUT FROSTING ON THESE CINNAMON ROLLS?
These cinnamon rolls are so ooey-gooey when they come out of the oven. Nobody would notice one bit if they were served as-is.
However, once the cinnamon rolls cool, I think the frosting improves them since it helps keep them moist.
WHAT ABOUT USING A DIFFERENT TYPE OF CANNED CINNAMON ROLL?
Though I’ve only made this recipe using the big Grands-type canned cinnamon rolls, I think you could use nearly any canned cinnamon roll and succeed.
If you use a smaller type of canned cinnamon roll, you’ll want to decrease the baking time by a few minutes since they will cook more quickly.
Using the smaller types of canned cinnamon roll variety, you may have to use 3-4 cans to fill a 9×13 pan. Everything else would pretty much remain the same in the recipe.
HOW SHOULD I SERVE TIK TOK CINNAMON ROLLS?
Coffee! Cinnamon rolls with coffee are a must around here. Fresh fruit or fruit salad on the side would be lovely, as would some crispy bacon or glazed breakfast meatballs.
WHY DO THE ROLLS NEED TO BE COVERED WHEN BAKED?
This is the secret hack to making these Tik Tok Cinnamon Rolls with Heavy Cream is outstanding – don’t skip it! The foil keeps all the steam from baking inside the pan, making the rolls tall and tender.
Don’t worry if the rolls don’t look quite done at the end of the 30-minute baking time. The foil keeps the rolls from browning on top, but they will be cooked throughout at the end of 30 minutes.
HOW DO YOU TEST DONENESS
I use the fork test! Take two forks at the center of the pan of rolls. Gently pull apart some of the roll, looking at the interior.
If the interior looks like ‘bread’ in texture, they are fully baked. If the interior looks like ‘dough’ in texture, they need to bake a bit longer.
Doing this type of doneness test with baked goods is always good. Oven temperatures and times can vary; even the baking pan you use can affect how the cinnamon rolls bake.
Remember that these are a very ooey-gooey type of cinnamon roll. They are supposed to have a fairly soft texture when served.
Also, remember that the rolls will continue to bake a bit longer from residual heat once you remove them from the oven.
Once you’ve made them a couple of times, you’ll know exactly how long you need to bake them in your oven and kitchen setting.
WHY DO THE ROLLS NEED TO COOL A BIT BEFORE THEY ARE FROSTED?
The icing will melt if you frost the cinnamon rolls while they are still very hot from the oven. Letting the rolls cool for 10 minutes and then topping them with the frosting works better.
They look prettier when served, too.
BAKE TIK TOK CINNAMON ROLLS IN AN ALUMINUM PAN
This makes clean-up super easy since you can toss the pan away when the rolls are all gone. To help the cinnamon rolls bake evenly, place the aluminum pan on top of a baking sheet when you bake the rolls.
ASSEMBLE THE NIGHT BEFORE YOU BAKE
Place the rolls into the pan and add the cream and brown sugar topping just as the recipe directs; cover with foil and refrigerate overnight. The next morning, uncover the rolls and let them rest for 30 minutes. Preheat the oven and bake as directed.
IDEAS FOR TIK TOK CINNAMON ROLLS VARIATIONS
MAPLE CINNAMON ROLLS – Add a bit of maple extract (flavoring) to the frosting for a maple twist on these rolls. You could make the maple even more decadent by adding a sprinkle of crispy, chopped bacon over the top. Salty-sweet is always delicious!
PECAN CINNAMON ROLLS – Add a few chopped pecans (walnuts would be good, too) to the brown sugar mixture in Step 5. The chopped nuts will add a bit of crunchy texture to the rolls.
CHOCOLATE CINNAMON ROLLS – Sprinkle some mini chocolate chips over the cinnamon rolls as soon as they come out of the oven. The chips will melt into the rolls and you can then spread the frosting right over the top.
PUMPKIN SPICE CINNAMON ROLLS – If you’re a big pumpkin spice fan, add a bit of pumpkin spice (I’d say about 1/2 tsp.) to the heavy whipping cream just before you drizzle it over the unbaked cinnamon rolls in Step 3. If you don’t have pumpkin spice on hand, add 1/8 tsp. each of nutmeg, cloves, and cinnamon.
EXTRA DECADENT CINNAMON ROLLS – Double the amount of cream cheese, butter, and powdered sugar you add to the containers of icing that come with the cinnamon rolls. This makes twice as much frosting you’ll be spreading over the cinnamon rolls after they have cooled for 10 minutes. Look out!
REGULAR SIZE CINNAMON ROLLS – To make this recipe using regular size cinnamon rolls instead of Grands cinnamon rolls, you’ll need 2 cans (8 count each) of Pillsbury cinnamon rolls.
Place them into a 9×13 pan (5 rows of 3 works great but you’ll have a cinnamon roll left over. I cut it in half and snuck each half into the top row and the bottom row – you can’t tell once they are frosted.)
Pour the cream over the top, then add the brown sugar topping as directed in the recipe. Cover the pan with foil, then bake at 375 degrees F. for 18-20 minutes. Remove the foil and frost as the recipe directs.
MORE FAVORITE RECIPES
- JUMBO CINNAMON ROLLS – Sink your teeth into these big fat cinnamon rolls made with soft, pillowy dough swirled with a rich cinnamon-sugar filling, all topped with a luscious cream cheese frosting.
- EASY ORANGE BREAKFAST CRESCENTS – These crescent rolls are the perfect spin on Pillsbury orange Danish and can easily be made into orange cinnamon rolls. My family begs for these all of the time.
- CINNAMON ROLLS WAFFLES WITH TOFFEE AND BACON – You don’t need a fancy waffle iron to make this easy (but decadent) breakfast recipe!
- SPEEDY CINNAMON ROLLS WITH MAPLE FROSTING – Get warm, homemade cinnamon rolls on the table in just over an hour- start to finish! And, rest assured you will always be successful with this fool-proof recipe.
- MOM’S CINNAMON ROLLS – For as long as my friend can remember, her mom has been baking loads of deliciousness like these from-scratch cinnamon rolls.
- TikTok Oreo Mug Cake – This rich and chocolatey Oreo Mug Cake can be ready as a single-serve treat in minutes and has a special Oreo treat inside.
Tik Tok Cinnamon Rolls with Heavy Cream
Ingredients
For the Cinnamon Rolls
- 2 17.5 oz. cans of refrigerated Grands cinnamon rolls (5 large cinnamon rolls in each can)
- 1 cup heavy whipping cream
- 1/3 cup unsalted butter melted
- 1/2 cup dark brown sugar
- 3/4 tsp. cinnamon
For the Frosting
- 2 containers frosting, the ones included with the canned cinnamon rolls
- 2 oz. cream cheese softened
- 2 Tbs. unsalted butter softened
- tiny pinch of kosher salt
- 1/2 cup powdered sugar
- 2-3 tsp. milk, if needed, to make the frosting easier to spread
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a 9×13-inch baking pan with nonstick baking spray.
- Unroll both cans of cinnamon rolls and place them into the prepared pan in a single layer; reserve the containers of white icing to use later in this recipe to make the frosting.
- Gently and slowly pour the whipping cream over and around the unbaked cinnamon rolls in the pan.
- In a small bowl, combine the 1/3 cup melted butter, brown sugar, and ground cinnamon; spread this mixture evenly over the unbaked cinnamon rolls in the pan.
- Cover the cinnamon roll pan tightly with foil and place onto the center oven rack;. Bake the cinnamon rolls for 30-35 minutes or until fully cooked throughout. Remove the pan of cinnamon rolls from the oven to a cooling rack; uncover to cool.
- Meanwhile, in a medium mixing bowl, add the butter, cream cheese, and salt along with the contents of both containers of the white icing that came with the canned cinnamon rolls; stir to combine.
- Add the powdered sugar and stir again until the frosting is nice and smooth. **If the frosting appears to thick to spread easily, add a bit of milk to loosen it.
- Once the cinnamon rolls have cooled for 10 minutes, gently spread the prepared frosting over the top; serve at once.
Notes
- Whipping cream is absorbed into the rolls as they bake, making them extra light in texture.
- Baking these viral cinnamon rolls covered with foil allows them to steam as they bake and that’s what makes them so tender.
- Don’t skip the pinch of salt in the frosting! The salt makes the sweetness of the frosting more mellow so you can enjoy the cinnamon rolls even more.
- Be sure you let the cinnamon rolls cool for 10 minutes before you frost them so the icing doesn’t melt away.
I made these cinnamon rolls tonight with the Hillbilly Chili. I always cringe when my husband ask for the Pillsbury cinnamon rolls for breakfast. BUT OMGOODNESS!!! I mean these were off the chart DELICIOUS!!! Thank you, I’ll be making these more for sure. Have already shared the recipe.
Hi There –
I know exactly what you mean! I was totally shocked at how delicious this recipe initially turned out, too. Now we enjoy it frequently!
Thanks for letting me know,
Chef Alli
Should leftovers be refrigerated or are they ok covered on the counter?
Hi Michelle –
Great question and I’m so glad you asked. Yes, because of the heavy cream mixture that’s added before baking, any leftover cinnamon rolls should probably be refrigerated. However, I seriously doubt that you’ll have any leftovers! This recipe is so yummy!!!
Hope your family enjoys it as much as we do,
Chef Alli
I’ve made these a few times now and my husband absolutely loves them. I use one tube of Grands in a 9” cake pan, but use the ingredient amounts for two tubes. More sauce and icing- it’s a beautiful thing!
Hi Amber –
I completely agree – more sauce and icing IS a beautiful thing!! So glad you enjoy this recipe and customized it to your liking!
Your fan,
Chef Alli
My husband hates cream cheese. Do you think the Icing would work by increasing the butter and omitting the cream cheese?
Yes! That will work just fine and I do it all the time!
Enjoy,
Chef Alli
I only have a convection oven so would this recipe work? I’ve always been told not to cover stuff with foil in a convection oven.
Hi Ashley –
I have a convection oven and I make this recipe in that oven all the time with no problem. I’ve not ever heard that you shouldn’t use foil in a convection oven, but that doesn’t mean a thing. I’m not finding anything in my convection oven manual that says you cannot cover food with foil. Maybe the newer convection ovens are different? I’m not sure. The one I have is about a year old. Sorry I’m not more help!
Sincerely,
Chef Alli
I have a convection oven so will this recipe work? I’ve always been told not to cover stuff with foil in a convection oven.
Excellent recipe! I followed the directions in the comments for cooking 2 packs of the smaller cinnamon rolls. These were a hit on this Christmas morning!
Hi Amber –
Yay! This makes me so happy. I’m glad you were successful using the two cans of smaller cinnamon rolls – I’m going to add these directions to the actual post since it’s a popular option.
Sincerely,
Chef Alli
I have not made this yet-for Christmas morning, but wanted to thank you for directions AND answering the two questions above. I also had these questions. I feel very confident now making them without testing. Merry Christmas, Chief Alli. 🎄🎄🎄
Hi Toni –
When I got those two questions I wanted to smack myself! Why didn’t I think of those situations/questions?? I KNEW others had to be wondering the same thing! I am also going to add how to use this method when using frozen cinnamon rolls – that will be helpful, too, I think. Merry Christmas to you and yours!
Chef Alli
Can I prepare the night before and then put in the oven in the morning
Hi Linda – I just tested this and it worked perfectly. The night before, place the rolls into the pan and add the cream and brown sugar topping just as the recipe directs; cover with foil and refrigerate. The next morning, uncover the rolls and let them rest for 30 minutes. Next, preheat the oven and bake as directed. When you remove them from the oven, take two forks and pull a center roll apart a bit to see what it looks like. If the texture looks like “bread”, the rolls are done. If the texture looks like “dough” bake an additional 5-10 minutes. Frost as the recipe directs and enjoy! Thanks for asking this question. I’m going to add this info to the post! Sincerely, Chef Alli
From my previous comment, I meant *regular size.
Hi Bert – You have asked a GREAT question! I totally think it can be done but I need to test it before I advise. I’ll do that and then let you know. That info will be included in an updated post – if you are asking, that likely means others will want to know as well. Stay tuned! Chef Alli
Hi Bert –
To make this recipe using regular size cinnamon rolls instead of Grands cinnamon rolls, you’ll need 2 cans (8 count each) of Pillsbury cinnamon rolls. Place them into a 9×13 pan (5 rows of 3 works great but you’ll have a cinnamon roll left over. I cut it in half and snuck each half into the top row and the bottom row – you can’t tell once they are frosted.) Pour the cream over the top, then add the brown sugar topping as directed in the recipe. Cover the pan with foil, then bake at 375 degrees F. for 18-20 minutes. Remove the foil and frost as the recipe directs. I’ll add all these details to the recipe post, too. Thanks for asking this question! This version works great.
Sincerely,
Chef Alli
Can you use the real size Pillsbury cinnamon rolls? If so, how do you adjust the recipe? Thanks
So easy and so delicious!! They are tender and oh so sweet!! Yummy!
Hi Clyta –
Glad you tried this recipe! I have to say I was a bit skeptical to bake the cinnamon rolls COVERED, but WOW. That technique works for making delicate, tender cinnamon rolls!
Let’s keep cookin’,
Chef Alli
These look delicious. Curious if they are still good the next day?
Hi Sandi –
Well, ONE time I had a couple of these cinnamon rolls leftover! Lo and behold, once reheated for a few seconds in the microwave, they were still pretty darn good. I think you’ll be pleased.
Let me know if you give it a try,
Chef Alli
I just made these this morning and you would’ve thought these were homemade at a bakery! So yummy and so easy.
Hi Olivia –
I’m so glad you let me know you made these. Aren’t they just pretty fantastic? I love how easy they are, too.
Let’s keep cookin’,
Chef Alli