• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

Urban Bliss Life logo

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter
  • YouTube
  • contact
  • shop
  • cookbooks
  • cooking classes
  • resources
  • Home
  • Recipes
    • 30-Minute Meals
    • Air Fryer Recipes
    • Appetizer Recipes
    • Asian recipes
    • Bread Recipes
    • Breakfast Recipes
    • Cookie Recipes
    • Dairy-free Recipes
    • Dessert Recipes
    • Entertaining Recipes
    • Filipino Recipes
    • Gluten-Free Recipes
    • Healthy Recipes
    • Holiday Recipes
    • Instant Pot Recipes
    • 5 Ingredients
    • Kid-Friendly Recipes
    • Main Dish Recipes
    • Make-Ahead Recipes
    • Pasta Recipes
    • Salad Recipes
    • Side Dishes
    • Slow Cooker Recipes
    • Snack Recipes
    • Soup Recipes
    • Seafood Recipes
    • Vegan Recipes
    • Vegetarian Recipes
    • Cocktail Recipes
    • Dog Treats
  • Wine
    • Oregon Wine Guide
    • Washington Wine
    • California Wine
    • Food and Wine Pairing
    • Wine Country
    • Wine Tips & Wine Pairings
  • Travel
    • Europe
      • Greece
      • Ireland
      • Italy
      • Liechtenstein
      • The Netherlands
      • Switzerland
      • The UK (United Kingdom)
    • Canada
    • USA travel
      • California
      • Colorado
      • Hawaii
      • Idaho
      • Montana
      • Nevada
      • New Mexico
      • New York
      • Oregon Travel Ideas
      • Utah
      • Washington
      • New Orleans
    • Travel Gear
    • Japan
    • Travel Tips
    • Hotels
    • Family Travel
  • Restaurants
  • About
    • Work With Urban Bliss Life
    • Press
    • Contact
menu icon
go to homepage
search icon
Homepage link
  • Fall Recipes
  • All Recipes
  • Cookbooks
  • About
  • Work With Us
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • YouTube
  • ×

    Urban Bliss Life » All Recipes » Breakfast Recipes » Overnight Orange Cinnamon Rolls with Cardamom

    Published: October 3, 2020 / Updated: October 3, 2020 by Marlynn Jayme Schotland · This post may contain affiliate links.

    Overnight Orange Cinnamon Rolls with Cardamom

    259 shares
    Jump to Recipe Print Recipe
    orange cardamom cinnamon rolls
    orange cardamom cinnamon rolls
    orange cardamom cinnamon rolls
    close up and full pan of orange cinnamon rolls
    orange cinnamon rolls with title text

    These Overnight Orange Cinnamon Rolls with Cardamom are a decadent, delicious twist to classic cinnamon rolls.

    half baking pan of orange cinnamon rolls with icing.

    Making cinnamon rolls from scratch is easier than you might think. It does take some time - this is not a quick or speedy recipe by any means! - but it is easy to do. Just take your time with each step and carefully follow the instructions, and you'll have delicious cinnamon rolls that make your house smell amazing!

    One of the reasons I love this recipe is that you can make the dough and filling the night before and then bake it the next morning. This makes it a delicious make-ahead breakfast or brunch. Perfect for feeding the family for holidays like Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year's!

    Jump to:
    • 👩🏽‍🍳 Ingredients
    • ✅ Step-by-step instructions
    • 💡Baking Tips
    • ❓Recipe FAQs
    • 🥓 More breakfast and brunch recipes
    • Overnight Orange Cardamom Cinnamon Rolls

    👩🏽‍🍳 Ingredients

    closeup of freshly baked orange cinnamon rolls without icing.

    hint: scroll down if you want to get straight to the ingredients list and instructions in the recipe card. This information is meant to help you better understand the ingredients and learn about possible substitutions.

    All-purpose flour - I personally find that sifting the flour helps create fluffier baked goods, like these cinnamon rolls. But you can skip that step if you prefer. Just make sure you measure the flour correctly.

    Milk - you'll want to warm up the milk ahead of time. This helps activate the yeast.

    Yeast - Use active dry yeast in this recipe, and not instant. However, if all you have is instant yeast, do not mix it with the milk; it will lose its active ingredients if you do this. Instead, if you are using instant yeast, add it to the dry ingredients.

    Orange juice and zest - The bright citrus flavor of these rolls comes from orange juice AND orange zest in the dough. There is also some orange juice in the icing.

    Ground cardamom - this is a spice that is fairly strong, so you don't need much of it in most recipes. A little cardamom goes a long way! In this cinnamon roll recipe, the cardamom adds a really lovely herbal flavor to balance the sweetness of the citrus.

    Exact measurements of ingredients and instructions are in the printable recipe card toward the bottom of this post. Here are some helpful tips to guide you as you make this recipe.

    ✅ Step-by-step instructions

    Start by whisking together the warm milk, active dry yeast, and eggs in a bowl. Set aside.

    teaspoon of ground cardamom
    dry ingredients, orange zest, cardamom to make cinnamon rolls

    Next, mix together the dough ingredients and let rise (be sure to read the full, detailed directions in the recipe below!).

    dough in aqua Kitchenaid stand mixer
    orange oilive oil with cinnamon roll dough

    While the dough is rising, you can make the cinnamon sugar cardamom spice filling.

    filling on dough for orange cinnamon rolls
    formed and sugared orange cinnamon roll dough ready to bake

    Once the dough has finished rising, roll it out into a rectangle. Sprinkle the spice mix evenly over the dough, leaving about a quarter inch of space around the edges.

    Roll the dough up tightly into a long cylinder. Slice into about 2-inch rolls. Place into a lightly greased 8" round baking pan and cover with plastic wrap. Refrigerate overnight or up to 24 hours.

    When you're ready to bake the cinnamon rolls the next morning, set them out on the counter while you boil some water. Place an oven-proof bowl of the boiled water in the lower rack of your oven. Then place the baking pan of cinnamon rolls in the top rack and allow the rolls to rise for about 30 minutes, just until they're fluffy.

    Bake at 350°F for about 30 minutes.

    Make the icing. Once the rolls are done, pour the icing over them while they are still hot. Serve immediately!

    💡Baking Tips

    pouring icing over orange cinnamon rolls in a round baking dish.

    Use room temperature eggs. At least a couple of hours before you start making this cinnamon roll recipe, bring the eggs out to sit at room temperature. This will help the eggs incorporate easily and fully with the other ingredients.

    Note that there are two rises in this recipe. The first occurs after you've kneaded the dough; you let it rise to double its size, about two hours. The second rise occurs the following morning, when you allow the formed, unbaked rolls to rise in the oven with a bowl of boiling water in the rack underneath. After this second rise, you bake the orange cinnamon rolls.

    ❓Recipe FAQs

    Can you let cinnamon roll dough sit overnight?

    As long as it is refrigerated, the answer is yes! You can refrigerate the dough for up to 24 hours before baking. There are two methods for this.
    First, you can refrigerate the dough as a big round disc, right after you knead it, and before the first rise.
    Or, you can refrigerate the dough after it has risen and you've shaped the rolls. Just be sure to place the shaped rolls into a baking pan, then cover tightly with plastic wrap. The latter is what I prefer to do, and the method I use in this recipe. This way, all you have to do in the morning is preheat the oven, make the icing, and bake the rolls!

    Can I freeze unbaked cinnamon rolls?

    Yes! You can freeze unbaked rolls that are shaped and placed into an airtight, freezer safe container for up to one month. Simply thaw at room temperature before baking.
    You can also freeze baked cinnamon rolls for up to two months.

    full baking dish of iced orange cardamom cinnamon rolls.

    🥓 More breakfast and brunch recipes

    If you're looking for fast cinnamon rolls, try our Air Fryer Cinnamon Rolls recipe!

    For more yummy breakfast recipes, try one of these:

    • Air Fryer Crispy Bacon
    • Banana Chocolate Chip Waffles
    • Fluffy Apple Cinnamon Pancakes
    • Air Fryer Hash Browns

    Did you make this recipe? Don't forget to leave a 5-Star 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 rating in the recipe card, and if you really loved it, please leave a comment further down on the page. Thank you!

    half pan of orange cinnamon rolls with icing

    Overnight Orange Cardamom Cinnamon Rolls

    5 from 9 votes
    Prep Time: 15 mins
    Cook Time: 30 mins
    Rising Time #1 + Overnight Resting Time + Rising Time #2: 10 hrs 30 mins
    Recipe by Marlynn Schotland
    Orange and cardamom add a delicious twist to classic cinnamon rolls!
    Servings: 8 cinnamon rolls
    Calories: 860kcal
    PRINT PIN RATE

    Ingredients

    Dough

    • ½ cup milk almond, skim, 1% or 2% milk warmed up to about 110-115°F
    • 1 package active dry yeast or 2 ¼ teaspoons
    • 3 large eggs (at room temperature)
    • 4 cups plus up to ¼ cup more if needed all-purpose flour
    • ¾ cups cornstarch
    • ½ cup granulated sugar
    • 1 teaspoon sea salt
    • ⅛ teaspoon ground cardamom
    • Zest of 1 medium orange (about ½ tablespoon)
    • ¼ cup fresh squeezed orange juice (at room temperature)
    • 12 tablespoons unsalted butter, diced into small cubes and softened to room temperature

    Filling

    • 1½ cups packed brown sugar
    • 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
    • 1 teaspoon ground cardamom
    • ¼ teaspoon sea salt
    • 4 tablespoons unsalted butter at room temperature

    Icing (glaze)

    • 1½ cups powdered sugar
    • 4 ounces cream cheese, softened to room temperature
    • ¼ cup orange juice
    • ½ teaspoon vanilla extract

    Instructions

    Prep

    • Take the eggs out of the fridge a couple of hours prior and let them sit in a bowl on the counter to come to room temperature. Take the butter out and allow it to soften to room temperature.
    • Warm up the milk. Measure out the orange juice for the dough so it can warm up to room temperature.

    Make the Dough

    • In a large bowl, whisk together the warm milk, yeast, and room temperature eggs. Set aside.
    • In the bowl of a stand mixer, whisk together the flour, cornstarch, sugar, salt, cardamom and orange zest. Whisk until there are no large clumps of ingredients together. Attach the dough hook, then turn the mixer on low speed. Slowly add the warm milk mixture followed by the room temperature orange juice. Allow the ingredients to combine for one minute.
    • Increase the speed to low-medium and add the softened, cubed butter in pieces until it's fully incorporated and there are no large chunks of butter. At this point, the dough will be very wet. Continue mixing at low-medium speed for 10 minutes. If the dough is still fairly wet, add up to another ¼ cup of flour gradually, in 2 tablespoons increments. The dough should be soft, but not too wet or sticky to handle.
    • Transfer the dough to a lightly greased large bowl and cover with a clean kitchen towel or plastic wrap. Place in a warm location of the kitchen (I place mine in an un-heated oven) and allow the dough to double in size. This usually takes about 2 hours. While the dough is rising, prepare the filling.

    Make the Filling

    • Combine the brown sugar, cinnamon, cardamom and salt in a bowl. Grease two 8-inch cake pans thoroughly and set aside.

    Form the cinnamon rolls

    • Once the dough has sufficiently risen, place on a lightly floured sourface and roll the dough out into a large, thin rectangle. Spread the butter across the dough, leaving a small border around the edges. Then sprinkle the sugar mixture evenly over the buttered dough.
    • Carefully roll the dough into a long, tight cylinder. Cut into 12 to 16 even pieces that are each about 2-inches thick, then arrange the rolls cut side down in the prepared greased baking dish. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and store in the refrigerator overnight or up to 24 hours.

    Second Rise & Bake the Dough

    • In the morning, remove the rolls from the refrigerator and place in an oven that is turned off. Fill a shallow pan ⅔-full of boiling water and place it on the rack below the rolls. Close the oven door and let the rolls rise until they look slightly puffy; this takes about 30 minutes. Remove the rolls and the shallow pan of water from the oven. Preheat the oven to 350°F; once ready, return the rolls to the oven and bake for 30-35 minutes, or until the tops are golden brown.

    Make the Icing

    • While the rolls are baking, make the icing. In a bowl, whisk together the powdered sugar, cream cheese, orange juice, and vanilla extract until smooth. Once the rolls are done, remove from the oven and spread about ¼ of the icing evenly over the rolls. Allow the buns to cool for 5-10 minutes, then top with the remaining icing just before serving. (this helps create a thicker icing!).

    Notes

    Makes 12-16 cinnamon rolls, depending on the size of your rolls. 
    Tried this recipe?Please leave a star rating and comment! Then snap a pic of your dish and share it on social media. Tag @UrbanBlissLife and #UrbanBlissLife!

    Nutrition

    Calories: 860kcal | Carbohydrates: 138g | Protein: 10g | Fat: 30g | Saturated Fat: 18g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 8g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 138mg | Sodium: 455mg | Potassium: 234mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 77g | Vitamin A: 1038IU | Vitamin C: 8mg | Calcium: 106mg | Iron: 4mg

    Nutrition information is a general estimate. Actual nutrition details may vary depending on the exact foods & brands you use to make this recipe. It does not take into account any substitutions, toppings, or optional ingredients.

    « Alloro Vineyard
    Tailgating Food Ideas »
    259 shares

    Get recipes, travel tips, deals and more delivered to your inbox!

      Reader Interactions

      Comments

      1. Jessica says

        January 23, 2022 at 5:31 pm

        5 stars
        Delicious! I skipped putting them in the fridge overnight before their second rise and they turned out just fine! Will definitely be making again. Maybe next time I’ll have a little more patience 🙂

        Reply
        • Marlynn Jayme Schotland says

          January 23, 2022 at 7:03 pm

          So glad you loved it, Jessica! Thanks also for mentioning it worked for you without refrigerating overnight for the second rise. That's helpful info for others who are just as eager to dig in! ;)

      2. Emily says

        January 18, 2022 at 1:14 am

        It's nice to see cardamom added to a cinnamon bun recipe! Cinnamon buns originated in Scandinavia, & cardamom is always baked in the dough of them there. It just enhances the flavor that much more. Can't wait to try these with the orange addition!

        Reply
      3. Cate says

        October 03, 2020 at 12:14 pm

        These cinnamon rolls looks so tasty! Love the use of orange, sounds absolutely delicious and perfect for fall!

        Reply
        • Marlynn Jayme Schotland says

          October 06, 2020 at 11:25 am

          Thanks so much, Cate!

      4. Dannii says

        October 03, 2020 at 11:59 am

        5 stars
        I am obsessed with cinnamon rolls, but I have never made them myself. I love the orange twist on these. YUM!

        Reply
        • Marlynn Jayme Schotland says

          October 06, 2020 at 11:24 am

          Who can resist a big tray of cinnamon rolls? :) Thanks Dannii!

      5. Sally Humeniuk says

        October 03, 2020 at 11:21 am

        5 stars
        This is THE recipe I need this weekend! We love orange cinnamon rolls and the fact that you added cardamon?! You absolutely made my day with this one.

        Reply
        • Marlynn Jayme Schotland says

          October 06, 2020 at 11:23 am

          Yay! Thanks Sally!

      6. Pam Greer says

        October 03, 2020 at 10:55 am

        5 stars
        I have been searching for a breakfast recipe for Christmas and this one is perfect! I love that I can make it the night before!

        Reply
        • Marlynn Jayme Schotland says

          October 06, 2020 at 11:23 am

          We made this for Christmas last year and it's great for the holidays!

      Leave a Reply Cancel reply

      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.

      Primary Sidebar

      Marlynn Jayme Schotland 2021 profile pic

      Hi! Thanks for stopping by! I'm Marlynn - a cookbook author, writer, photographer, and mom of two teenagers + a lovable lab retriever. Here you'll find my fast, easy, and delicious recipes, wine pairings, and travel guides. I hold a WSET 2 with Distinction in wine, and am a member of Society of American Travel Writers (SATW) and the International Food, Wine, and Travel Writers Association (IFWTWA).

      More about me →

      Featured In

      Urban Bliss Life Press Featured In graphic

      Spring Recipes

      • Lucky Charms Cereal Bars
      • Grilled Salmon with Lemon and Herbs
      • Strawberry Crinkle Cookies
      • Cheese and Spinach Mini Frittata Recipe

      New Recipes

      • Crab Deviled Eggs
      • Taco Dip with Ground Beef
      • Ice Cream Parfait
      • Chocolate Coffee Cake

      New Travel Tips

      • Bells Up Winery
      • Wat Chalong Temple
      • Downtown Victoria Restaurants
      • Best Bangkok Temples
      • Twitter
      • Facebook
      • Pinterest
      • Instagram
      • YouTube

      Footer

      ↑ back to top

      logos of media outlets that have featured urban bliss life.

      Recipes

      • 30-Minute Meals
      • 5-Ingredients
      • Air Fryer
      • Asian
      • Dairy-Free
      • Pasta
      • Seafood

      About

      • About
      • FAQs
      • Privacy & Accessibility Policy
      • Terms & Conditions

      Contact

      • Contact
      • Work with me

      As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
      Copyright © 2022 Urban Bliss Life

      All rights reserved. You may not use any photos or recipes on this site for any personal or commercial use without my express written permission.