Serve this fun pastel Easter themed breakfast this year! A shortcut is taken with these cinnamon rolls making them fun and easy.
Easter is a big food holiday. Last year my Easter Bunny Cinnamon Rolls (using Pillsbury refrigerated rolls) took OFF and became a quick crowd pleaser. This year I wanted another Easter themed breakfast treat for you guys and while this one has a few more steps, I promise it will be one of the easiest cinnamon roll recipes you ever make.
And apparently cinnamon rolls are my thing.
Some of my most popular ones include my Nutella Overnight Cinnamon Rolls and my Quick & Easy Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls. Both equally different and delicious.
The reason this recipe came to life was because I had a faint memory of how my Mom used to "extend" a cake mix with flour so that it would fit a big sheet pan to make a bigger cake. She called it her extender cake recipe. Not only did it work, but it was super yummy.
So I thought - I make my Cake Mix Cookies all the time (a kid favorite) I wonder if I could make cake mix cinnamon rolls too?
So I did a bit of research and made it happen.
Now listen, these aren't pure magic. They still require yeast and some rising time - but honestly in just a few steps they come together easily.
To make them shine for the Easter holiday I added pastel sprinkles to both the dough and on top of the frosting. All the pretty, muted colors for Easter - pink, blue, orange, green and purple.
And would you believe they only take 12 minutes to bake? The full recipe yields 14-16 rolls (depending on how tight you roll and cut them). So it will feed your Easter brunch crowd! Even better they can be made the night before if you'd like to cut out time in the morning.
And just when you thought the cake mix shortcut couldn't get any better, I have another one for you. An easy way to extend (there's that word again) the frosting!
How to Make Canned Store Bought Frosting Fluffy
Again, I wanted this recipe to be easy so I'm also sharing my technique to make store bought canned frosting taste well...not store bought!
Here's how you do it. Take one can of store bought cream cheese frosting and place it in a stand mixer with a whisk attachment or a bowl using a hand held mixer. Then whip that frosting on HIGH for one minute. You will, almost immediately, see that frosting get fluffy and double in size.
By whipping the frosting fast it allows air to incorporate into it - giving it a fluffy, airy texture.
These Cake Mix Easter Cinnamon Rolls are fluffy, yet slightly dense and loaded with cinnamon flavor. Each bite is soft and delicious. Not a dry roll in the house!
Use my frosting trick and these become even better. It's up to you if you'd like to add additional pastel sprinkles on top, but they do make them fun!
I'm looking forward to see how much you love these. Please leave a star rating below on the attached recipe card. I'd love to hear your thoughts!
