Lemon Curd Sticky Rolls with Cream Cheese Glaze

by Sabrina Snyder

Published on

84 Comments

4.86 from 14 votes
24 servings
Prep Time 3 hours
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 3 hours 30 minutes
Jump to FAQsJump to Recipe

This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy.

Lemon Curd Sticky Rolls have a soft, buttery dough filled with lemon curd, lemony butter-sugar, and are glazed with cream cheese frosting.

Turn a favorite Baked Goods recipe like Cinnamon Rolls into a fruity treat perfect for breakfast or dessert by pairing Lemon Curd with these lemony sticky rolls.

Lemon Curd Sticky Rolls with Cream Cheese frosting roll on plate

Lemon Curd Sticky Rolls with Cream Cheese Frosting are a fantastic brunch time treat. Okay, lets be honest, they are also a delicious lunch, main course, afternoon snack, or any time treat!

The Lemon Curd Sticky Rolls dough is a basic cinnamon roll dough but instead of slathering on the brown sugar and cinnamon, we add in lemon curd and a lemon butter mixture that elevated the rolls to a new height. Top it off with a lemon cream cheese glaze and you’re officially off the charts as the best friend ever for bringing these to a gathering.

If you want to make these Lemon Curd Sticky Rolls for brunch, you can do all the messy prep work the night before and have them ready to go. Prepare to the step where the rolls are in the greased pan, then wrap with cling wrap and a layer of foil and put it in the fridge. The next morning, take them out and let them rest at room  temperature for an hour right when you wake up. While you’re getting ready for the day, they will rise to perfection before you leisurely walk back to your kitchen to these beauties ready to go into your warmed oven. You won’t regret the efforts you put into this recipe!

If you love baked lemon treats, next try making Iced Lemon Muffins, Lemon Shortbread Bars, Blueberry Lemon Cheesecake, or Lemon Cupcakes.

Lemon Curd Sticky Rolls with Cream Cheese Glaze Collage

How to Make Lemon Curd Sticky Rolls with Cream Cheese Glaze

  • For the dough: Sprinkle the yeast over the warmed milk. Let it sit for five minutes (you want it to look foamy). On low speed in your stand mixer, mix the softened butter, eggs, sugar, vanilla, lemon zest, and 1 cup of the flour into the milk mixture. Add in the salt and nutmeg. Quickly add in the remaining flour to make a soft yet sticky dough. Switch to the dough hook and knead at low speed for about 5 minutes. You want the dough to be smooth, pliable, and stretchy. In a lightly greased bowl put the dough in. Cover with a light layer of oil. Cover with plastic wrap and a kitchen towel. Let the dough rise for 1 hour or until doubled.
  • Make the sticky lemon filling: Clean your stand mixer. Add the sugar and lemon and mix for 15-20 seconds just to combine the two and bruise the lemon zest. Add the butter and nutmeg and whip until thick and creamy. Slowly add the lemon juice and whip until fully combined.
  • Assemble the rolls: You will do this twice. Butter a 13×9-inch baking dish. On a floured surface, roll half of the dough into a 10 x 15 inch rectangle. Spread the with half the lemon curd. Then layer on half of the sticky lemon filling.  Roll the dough up tightly, moving from one end to the other and pulling tight as you go. Using a thread, wrap the thread around the dough in 1 inch to 1 ½ inch increments, loop and pull (just like the first step in tying a shoelace). Cut the long dough roll into 12 even rolls and place each in the prepared baking dish. Repeat with the second half of the dough. Cover the rolls with a towel and let them rise for 1 hour or until puffy and doubled.
Lemon Curd Sticky Rolls with Cream Cheese Frosting glazed in pan
  • Bake the rolls: Heat the oven to 350 F. Place the risen rolls in the oven and bake for 30-35 minutes, until lightly browned.
  • Make the glaze: While your rolls are baking, whip the lemon juice, lemon zest and cream cheese until light and fluffy. Add the powdered sugar and blend until smooth and creamy.
  • Glaze the Lemon Curd Sticky Rolls: Let the rolls rest for a good 10-15 minutes. Drizzle the glaze over the rolls. Add more zest if you would like.  Making it ahead? If you want to make these the day before, refrigerate the rolls before the final rise. Let them rise for an hour in the morning before baking.
Lemon Curd Sticky Rolls with Cream Cheese Frosting roll on plate with fork

Frequently Asked Questions

What other flavors can I use make with these Sticky Rolls?

Try this with orange marmalade, zest and juice. You can also use strawberry or lime.

How do I make Peanut Butter and Jelly Rolls?

Use grape jelly instead of curd and in the butter mixture. Then top with a peanut butter glaze by using two tablespoons of peanut butter in the glaze instead of lemon.

Can I use store bought lemon curd?

Yes! While fresh lemon curd is delicious, you will still have success with this recipe using a jarred lemon curd.

How do I make Lemon Blueberry Sticky Rolls?

Incorporate ½ c dried blueberries into the dough mixture right before adding the flour, for a sweet, chewy blueberry flavor to complement the lemon. These will resemble cinnamon raisin rolls.

How to Store Lemon Curd Sticky Rolls with Cream Cheese Glaze

  • Serve: Due to the dairy in the Cream Cheese Glaze, do not leave these at room temperature longer than 2 hours.
  • Store: Wrapped tightly in plastic wrap, store Lemon Curd Sticky Rolls in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Microwave for 10 seconds to soften before serving.
  • Freeze: It is not recommended to freeze the baked rolls, however you can freeze the prepared dough successfully to bake at your leisure. Once you’ve cut the rolls but before letting them rise, you can put them in the pan you’ll want to bake them in or to save space, freeze them on a sheet of wax paper or parchment paper and once they’re frozen toss them into a big ziploc bag. When you’re ready to eat them, take them out of the freezer and let them thaw out for 3 hours (defrosting and rising time) and cook like normal. Make a fresh batch of glaze for serving.
Lemon Curd Sticky Rolls with Cream Cheese Frosting on plate with fork

Pin this recipe now to remember it later

Pin Recipe
Dinner, then Dessert

Lemon Curd Sticky Rolls with Cream Cheese Frosting

Lemon Curd Sticky Rolls have a soft, buttery dough filled with lemon curd, lemony butter-sugar, and are glazed with cream cheese frosting.
Yield 24 servings
Prep Time 3 hours
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 3 hours 30 minutes
Course Brunch
Cuisine American
Author Sabrina Snyder
PrintRate

Ingredients
 

For the Dough:

  • 2 1/2 teaspoons active yeast , 1 envelope or ¼ ounce
  • 3/4 cup milk , warmed to about 100 degrees, warm but not hot on the inside of your wrist
  • 1/2 cup unsalted butter , (1 stick) softened at room temperature for an hour
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1/4 cup white sugar
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 1 lemon , zested
  • 4 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

For the Sticky Lemon Filling:

  • 3/4 cup sugar
  • 1 lemon , zested
  • 4 tablespoons unsalted butter , (½ stick) very soft
  • 1/8 teaspoon freshly-ground nutmeg
  • 1/4 cup lemon juice , from 2 lemons
  • 1/2 cup lemon curd

For the Lemon Cream Cheese Glaze:

  • 1 lemon , zested and juiced
  • 8 ounces cream cheese , softened
  • 2 cups powdered sugar
  • 1 tsp vanilla

Instructions

For the Dough:

  • Sprinkle the yeast over the warmed milk. Let it sit for five minutes (you want it to look foamy).
  • On low speed, mix the softened butter, eggs, sugar, vanilla, lemon zest, and 1 cup of the flour into the milk mixture.
  • Add in the salt and nutmeg.
  • Quickly add in the remaining flour to make a soft yet sticky dough.
  • Switch to the dough hook and knead at low speed for about 5 minutes. The dough should become smooth, pliable, and stretchy.
  • In a lightly greased bowl put the dough in. Coat with a light layer of oil.
  • Cover with plastic wrap and a kitchen towel.
  • Let the dough rise for 1 hour or until doubled.

For the Sticky Lemon Filling:

  • Clean your stand mixer.
  • Add the sugar and lemon and mix for 15-20 seconds just to combine the two and bruise the lemon zest.
  • Add the butter and nutmeg and whip until thick and creamy.
  • Slowly add the lemon juice and whip until fully combined.

Assemble the Rolls:

  • You will do this twice:
  • Butter a 13×9-inch baking dish.
  • On a floured surface, roll half of the dough into a 10 x 15 inch rectangle.
  • Spread the with half the lemon curd.
  • Then layer on half of the sticky lemon filling.
  • Roll the dough up tightly, moving from one end to the other and pulling tight as you go.
  • Using a thread, wrap the thread around the dough in 1 inch to 1 ½ inch increments, loop and pull (just like the first step in tying a shoelace).
  • Cut the long dough roll into 12 even rolls and place each in the prepared baking dish.
  • Repeat with the second half of the dough.
  • Cover the rolls with a towel and let them rise for 1 hour or until puffy and doubled.

Bake the Rolls:

  • Heat the oven to 350 degrees.
  • Place the risen rolls in the oven and bake for 30-35 minutes, until lightly browned.

Glaze:

  • While your rolls are baking, whip the lemon juice, lemon zest and cream cheese until light and fluffy.
  • Add the powdered sugar and blend until smooth and creamy.
  • Let the rolls rest for a good 10-15 minutes.
  • Drizzle the glaze over the rolls.
  • Add more zest if you would like.

Notes

Recipe adapted from thekitchn
Making it ahead? If you want to make these the day before, refrigerate the rolls before the final rise. Let them rise for an hour in the morning before baking.

Nutrition

Calories: 275kcal | Carbohydrates: 41g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 10g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Cholesterol: 39mg | Sodium: 103mg | Potassium: 86mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 22g | Vitamin A: 335IU | Vitamin C: 8.2mg | Calcium: 29mg | Iron: 1.3mg

Want to save this recipe? Create a free account to easily save your favorite recipes

Lemon Curd Sticky Rolls with Cream Cheese Glaze Collage
Lemon Curd Sticky Rolls are a delicious variation of a cinnamon roll with a soft, buttery dough filled with lemon curd and a lemony butter-sugar mixture, they are glazed with cream cheese frosting.
Lemon Curd Sticky Rolls are a delicious variation of a cinnamon roll with a soft, buttery dough filled with lemon curd and a lemony butter-sugar mixture, they are glazed with cream cheese frosting.
Lemon Curd Sticky Rolls are a delicious variation of a cinnamon roll with a soft, buttery dough filled with lemon curd and a lemony butter-sugar mixture, they are glazed with cream cheese frosting.
Lemon Curd Sticky Rolls are a delicious variation of a cinnamon roll with a soft, buttery dough filled with lemon curd and a lemony butter-sugar mixture, they are glazed with cream cheese frosting.
Lemon Curd Sticky Rolls are a delicious variation of a cinnamon roll with a soft, buttery dough filled with lemon curd and a lemony butter-sugar mixture, they are glazed with cream cheese frosting.
Lemon Curd Sticky Rolls are a delicious variation of a cinnamon roll with a soft, buttery dough filled with lemon curd and a lemony butter-sugar mixture, they are glazed with cream cheese frosting.
Lemon Curd Sticky Rolls are a delicious variation of a cinnamon roll with a soft, buttery dough filled with lemon curd and a lemony butter-sugar mixture, they are glazed with cream cheese frosting.
Lemon Curd Sticky Rolls are a delicious variation of a cinnamon roll with a soft, buttery dough filled with lemon curd and a lemony butter-sugar mixture, they are glazed with cream cheese frosting.
Lemon Curd Sticky Rolls are a delicious variation of a cinnamon roll with a soft, buttery dough filled with lemon curd and a lemony butter-sugar mixture, they are glazed with cream cheese frosting.
Lemon Curd Sticky Rolls are a delicious variation of a cinnamon roll with a soft, buttery dough filled with lemon curd and a lemony butter-sugar mixture, they are glazed with cream cheese frosting.
A delicious variation of a cinnamon roll, this lemon sticky roll will be an instant hit with your friends and family. Buttery dough filled with lemon curd and a lemony butter-sugar mixture, they are glazed with cream cheese frosting.

About the Author: Sabrina Snyder

Sabrina is a professionally trained Private Chef of over 10 years with ServSafe Manager certification in food safety. She creates all the recipes here on Dinner, then Dessert, fueled in no small part by her love for bacon.

Sabrina Snyder is a professionally trained personal and private chef of over 10 years who is the creator and developer of all the recipes on Dinner, then Dessert.

She is also the author of the cookbook Dinner, then Dessert – Satisfying Meals Using Only 3, 5 or 7 Ingredients, published by Harper Collins.

She started Dinner, then Dessert as a business in her office as a lunch service for her coworkers who admired her lunches before going to culinary school and becoming a full time personal chef and private chef.

As a personal chef Sabrina would cook for families one day a week and cook their entire week of dinners. All grocery shopping, cooking and cleaning was done along with instructions on reheating. As a private chef she cooked for private parties and cooked in family homes in the evenings for families on a nightly basis after working as a personal chef during the day.

Sabrina has been certified as a ServSafe Manager since 2007 and was a longstanding member of the USPCA Personal Chef Association including being on the board of the Washington DC Chapter of Chefs in the US Personal Chef Association when they won Chapter of the year.

As a member of the community of food website creators Sabrina Snyder has spoken at many conferences regarding her experiences as a food writer including the Indulge Food Conference, Everything Food Conference, Haven Food Conference and IACP Annual Food Professionals Conference.

Sabrina lives with her family in sunny California.

See more posts by Sabrina

Dinner, then Dessert, Inc. owns the copyright on all images and text and does not allow for its original recipes and pictures to be reproduced anywhere other than at this site unless authorization is given. If you enjoyed the recipe and would like to publish it on your own site, please re-write it in your own words, and link back to my site and recipe page. Read my disclosure and copyright policy. This post may contain affiliate links.

Categories

Leave a comment & rating

Have you checked the FAQ section above to see if your question has already been answered? View previous questions.

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Comments

  1. I made these rolls yesterday because I had some friends from the US visiting. Unfortunately, things didn’t work as planned but as I’m from Austria, I think I had a severe case of Austrian/foreign ingredients working against me. Things are different here and US recipes do not always work, especially when it comes to baking recipes (cooking recipes are more forgiving). I like a challenge though, so I just wanted to let you (and all other bakers from outside of the US) know what issues I had:

    1) My cream cheese frosting was super runny and I had to add 200g of sugar to make it work (but Austrian cream cheese brands are less dense than US brands, which I found out later)

    2) The sweet sticky filling looked like curdled milk and the lemon juice separated from the filling as soon as I stopped whisking (I think I put in the lemon juice too quickly)

    3) The sticky filling also melted as soon as I put the rolls in the oven, leaving me with slightly dry rolls cooking in butter rather than the fluffy rolls I was expecting from the pictures. (I usually make Swedish cinnamon rolls and the butter filling kinda oozes into the rolls, making them sticky and gooey from the inside – I was hoping for a similar effect) Maybe my lemons were aso too big and there was too much juice? I’d love some metric measurements instead of “juice of two lemons” because here, lemons come in all shapes and sizes, sometimes even in the same package, but that’s my European love for exact measurements speaking).

    My US guests liked the rolls though, so I think I was kinda successful, and I still like the idea of lemon rolls. I might have to tweak the recipe a bit and do some more research on the differences between Austrian and US ingredients before I start a second attempt.

    Anyway, thank you for posting this recipe, I appreciate the pictures and the step-by-step instructions. I love lemons and if I ever find out what went wrong, I will let you know.

    All the best
    Madita

    Reply

  2. I am not one to leave comment.
    YET this recipe deserves it..
    WONDERFUL RECIPE.. its a keeper.
    will make again and again.
    My hubby thanks you.
    m

    Reply

  5. If anyone is looking for a comment from someone who made this recipe … here it is!

    I made these lemon sweet rolls for a family BBQ and they were an absolute hit. I had people telling me they took two rolls because they were so lemony and delicious!

    I ended up doubling the recipe to accommodate 30+ people; due to this and the steps involved with rising, it did take me quite a bit of time. However, I started very early in the day and didn’t mind (especially once I got to the baking part and the smell of the rolls filled my house!)

    The steps were quite easy to follow. However, the *one* thing I’d caution anyone attempting this recipe is to heed Sabrina’s word regarding the lemon butter filling—make sure you add the lemon juice EXTREMELY SLOWLY! I didn’t add it slowly enough and ended up curdling the mixture. 🙁 I didn’t have enough time to make a new batch, so to make up for things as best as I could, I simply spread a fresh layer of butter on the rolled-out dough, spread a layer of lemon curd on top, and then sprinkled a mixture of grated lemon rind and sugar on top. Luckily, it did the trick and no one at my BBQ was the wiser of my mistake!

    100% would make again, either using the lemon theme, making traditional cinnamon rolls, or using some of the other suggestions. From one Sabrina to another, thank you so much for this recipe!

    Reply

  6. i read all of the comments and even though people rated them, no one seems to have tried them. they look good, but i want know if they worked for others.

    Reply

    1. Yes! Once you’ve cut the rolls but before letting them rise and don’t make the icing. You can put them in the pan you’ll want to bake them in or to save space, freeze them on a sheet of wax paper or parchment paper and once they’re frozen toss them into a big ziploc bag.

      When you’re ready to eat them, take them out of the freezer and let them thaw out for 3 hours (defrosting and rising time) and cook like normal.

      I’ve frozen them after baking, but they are sort of “eh” when you unfreeze the baked rolls, there is something magical about that just baked experience.

      Hope that helps!

      Reply

  9. Oh.my.goodness! These look absolutely divine, delicious, and dangerous (to my calorie intake). These are definitely going to be on my holiday menu so I can share my good, tasty, fortune. If I were to make them sooner, I’d eat every.single.one.all.by.myself. =/

    Reply

    1. Awesome! I hope you love them! I was glad I made them for my friends or I would’ve eaten a bunch of them too!

      Reply

  13. For tradition I make cinnamon rolls for the holidays! I am going to try this recipe next time it looks tastes out of this world!

    Reply

  15. These look so delicious and simple to make. I am going to try this recipe on the weekend. I am sure they will be a big hit.

    Reply

  17. Girl, you are o wrong for this. Everything about this looks amazing, I’m on a diet but i must try this.

    Reply

  18. Ok, my only question is why isn’t this in my mouth right now?! This looks like heaven on a plate!

    Reply

  19. My dad has the most amazing lemon tree, and I had thought I had made every lemon dessert imaginable. Here’s one I definitely need to try.

    Reply

    1. If it is anything like the lemon tree my mother in law had you have to get creative to use up all your lemons!

      Reply

    1. Thanks Candy! I had a hard time giving them to friends when I saw how amazing they looked and smelled!

      Reply

  22. These sound amazing. I have made cinnamon rolls before but these would be new for us. I think the family would love them.

    Reply

  23. My husband is a lemon flavor feign and I find it especially perfect during the warmer weather months. Your sticky rolls are stunning and totally look professionally made!

    Reply

  24. Lemon Curd and cheese glaze sounds like a really interesting flavor combination. I am definitely intrigued.

    Reply

  29. This is such an excellent recipe for Lemon Curd Stick Rolls. I am definitely ready to put these items on August’s grocery list and make a batch.

    Reply

  30. I’m coming to your house for tea or dessert! That looks so scrumptious – and the cream cheese icing puts it totally over the top.

    Reply

  32. Cream cheese icing and glaze are my everything. I’d love these for Sunday night dessert.

    Reply

  33. Everything you post makes me absolutely ravenous. You should open a restaurant! I would go there, no matter how far it was!

    Reply

    1. Haha, friends and clients tell me that a lot. I became a personal chef because no one was waiting for food, I got to take my time. I think I would melt down if I were in the weeds in a restaurant.

      Reply

  34. Those look so amazing. I can honestly say I’ve never seen a scratch sticky bun that looks this good.

    Reply

  37. Wow, these combine two of my favorite things- lemon and sweet rolls! I’ve tried orange ones in the past that I’ve loved so I have a feeling I’d enjoy these and can’t wait to try them!

    Reply

  38. I love ANYTHING with lemon, or any other citrus for that matter. I agree that you could easily swap out another fruit for the lemon–but why would you want to?? This looks positively decadent. Yum.

    Reply

  39. These look like little rolls of heaven! Amazing!! I love that they aren’t your typical cinnamon roll! Amazing 🙂

    Reply

    1. Thanks Kaitie! They definitely are not but oh man were they delicious. I think I would need to go back and forth on which kind I make, I love both kinds so much, haha.

      Reply

  40. Girl you make my mouth water with every post!! Looks amazing! Family is coming into town this weekend and I’m looking at Saturdays breakfast! Thanks for sharing!

    Reply

  41. So glad you intruppted your planned recipe to bring us these gems. I am drooling!

    Reply

  43. I’m drooling and wishing I had one right now with my morning cup of coffee! These sound amazing!

    Reply

    1. I wish I did too. The ones I made all went to my friends. I guess I have to make more. I think the next rolls I make are going to be peanut butter and jelly sticky rolls.

      Reply

  44. This looks delicious! I would love to make it!

    I don’t know if this only happens to me, but I get a pop up when I visit your site and it tries to redirect me. It tells me I’m the lucky 100 visitor for the day.

    Reply

    1. Hey Nikki, so as soon as I saw your comment I ran a scan of my site (that came up clean) and checked a malware scanner from a large blog security company (which also came up with no malware/spam detected). If you see it again you would make my day if you could screen capture it or the link or any data for me that you see. My security guys did mention that since they don’t see it it may be an issue on your computer.

      If anyone else sees this comment and has had a similar experience please let me know!

      Reply