Black Cake Cinnamon Rolls (A Caribbean Christmas Remix)

Got extra soaked fruits after making your Christmas black cake? Turn them into these soft and fluffy black cake cinnamon rolls, with soaked fruits worked right into the dough and a rich fruit filling rolled through the middle.

They’re topped with a simple vanilla butter frosting, but I keep mine on the lighter side. Between the soaked fruit and the filling, these rolls already have plenty of flavor without needing to be overly sweet.

A different way to use your black cake fruits

If you make Caribbean black cake for Christmas, you probably already know that soaking the fruits is a whole process of its own. And sometimes you end up with more than you need for your cake.

I’m always looking for different ways to use those leftover soaked fruits rather than leaving them sitting there until the next black cake comes around. I’ve used mine to make black cake ice cream, and these cinnamon rolls are another way to turn those fruits into something completely different.

For these rolls, I didn’t want to simply add some fruit to a regular cinnamon roll and call it a day. I worked a little of the soaked fruit into the dough itself, then used plenty more for the filling.

The result is a soft, fluffy roll with that rich black cake fruit running right through the dough and filling.

What you’ll need

• Black cake soaked fruits: These are the same rum- and wine-soaked fruits I use to make my Trinidad black cake. You’ll need a little for the dough and about 500 grams for the filling. The fruit mixture should be blended or processed until thick and spreadable, without a lot of loose soaking liquid.
• Flour: All-purpose flour forms the base of the dough. Measuring by weight is especially helpful when making bread, so I’ve included the gram measurement in the recipe card.
• Instant yeast: This helps the dough rise and gives the finished rolls their soft, fluffy texture. Since we’re using instant yeast, there’s no need to activate it separately before making the dough.
• Milk: Use room-temperature whole milk. Starting with room-temperature milk helps keep the dough from being too cold while it rises.
• Butter: Softened butter goes into the dough and is also spread over the rolled dough before adding the black cake fruit filling. Make sure it’s softened, not melted.
• Sugar: There’s a little granulated sugar in the dough and brown sugar in the filling. I intentionally keep both fairly light so the finished cinnamon rolls aren’t overly sweet.
• Heavy cream: A tablespoon poured over each roll before baking helps keep the rolls soft and tender as they bake.
• Vanilla butter frosting: I make a simple frosting with softened butter, powdered sugar, and vanilla. You can also use store-bought vanilla frosting if you want an easy shortcut.

How to make black cake cinnamon rolls

1. Make the dough

2. Let the dough rise

Lightly grease a clean bowl and add the dough. Cover and leave it in a warm place until it has doubled in size, about 2 hours.

I place mine in the oven with the oven turned off and only the oven light on. This gives the dough a slightly warmer place to rise without actually heating the oven.

Use the size of the dough as your guide rather than watching the clock exactly. Depending on how warm your kitchen is, yours may take a little more or less time.

3. Prepare the black cake filling

While the dough rises, combine the soaked black cake fruits with the brown sugar.

Your fruit mixture should be thick enough to spread over the dough. Because soaked fruit mixtures can vary depending on how much rum or wine they contain, avoid adding a lot of loose soaking liquid to the filling.

4. Roll and fill the dough

Once the dough has doubled, turn it out onto your lightly floured work surface and gently flatten it. Roll it into a rectangle. Don’t worry about getting a perfectly straight rectangle. Mine certainly isn’t winning any geometry competitions.

Spread the softened butter over the surface of the dough, then spread the black cake fruit mixture evenly over the butter.

Try to distribute the fruit fairly evenly, so you get some of that filling throughout each roll.

5. Cut first, then roll

Instead of rolling the whole rectangle into one large log and slicing it afterward, use a pizza cutter to divide the filled dough into 6 even strips.

I find this method much easier for this particular recipe. Black cake fruit filling is thicker and more textured than the usual cinnamon-sugar filling, so cutting the strips first gives you more control and helps keep the fruit in place.

Roll each strip up individually to form a cinnamon roll.

6. Give the rolls a second rise

Lightly grease an 8×8-inch baking pan and arrange the 6 rolls inside.

Cover and let them sit for about 15 minutes. They’ll puff up a little more during this second rise.

While they rest, preheat the oven to 350°F.

7. Add the cream and bake

Just before baking, pour 1 tablespoon of heavy cream over each cinnamon roll.

Bake at 350°F for 25 to 30 minutes. Check the rolls at 25 minutes and continue baking as needed. Mine needed the full 30 minutes.

Don’t rely only on how brown the tops look. With the moist black cake filling between the layers, make sure the dough toward the center of the pan is cooked through as well.

8. Cool and frost

Remove the cinnamon rolls from the oven and cover the pan. Let them cool, covered, for about 15 minutes.

While they’re still warm, spread the vanilla butter frosting over the tops. I don’t use all the frosting at once. Add as much or as little as you like.

I prefer a lighter layer because I don’t want the frosting to overpower the black cake filling or make the rolls too sweet.

Tips for Success

• Don’t keep adding flour because the dough feels soft. This is meant to be a soft dough. If it sticks to your hands when you’re removing it from the bowl, lightly oil your hands instead of adding more flour.
• Let the dough tell you when the first rise is finished. About 2 hours works for me, but what you’re really looking for is dough that has doubled in size. A warmer or cooler kitchen can change how long that takes.
• Watch the consistency of your soaked fruits. Black cake fruit mixtures vary depending on how they’re prepared and how much rum or wine is in them. You want a thick, spreadable mixture rather than lots of loose liquid running over the dough.
• Stick with six rolls in an 8×8 pan. I tested seven. They fit, technically, but they were too crowded, and the center took longer to cook. Six gives the rolls enough room to expand and bake more evenly.
• Check the center before taking them out. The tops can look ready before the dough in the middle of the pan is completely baked. Start checking at 25 minutes. Mine were ready at 30.

Storing and reheating

Once completely cooled, store leftover black cake cinnamon rolls in an airtight container or zip-top bag.

To reheat one cinnamon roll, use the air fryer on the reheat setting at 375°F for 3 minutes. You can also microwave it for about 15 seconds. I tested both methods, and both warmed the roll through nicely and softened the dough again.

If the roll is already frosted, the vanilla butter frosting will soften and melt a little as it reheats.

Don’t have soaked black cake fruits?

I created these cinnamon rolls as a way to use extra soaked fruits from making black cake, so I use the same fruit mixture I prepare for my Trinidad black cake.

If you don’t already have soaked fruits on hand, you can follow the fruit preparation in my black cake recipe and use some of that mixture for these rolls. I haven’t tested a smaller batch specifically for the cinnamon rolls, so I don’t recommend simply scaling down the fruit mixture and guessing at the amounts.

More Caribbean Christmas treats

• Dundee Cake
• Ponche de Crème Pound Cake
• Ponche de Creme Cheesecake

Final Thoughts

This is one of those recipes that comes straight out of “we not wasting that” energy.

You make black cake, you soak fruits, and somehow, there’s always a little extra left behind. Not enough for another cake, but too good to throw away.

This? This is what you do with it.

And if you try it… tell me honestly.

You going back to regular cinnamon rolls after this?

Recipe