Orange Cardamom Cinnamon Buns are a light, fragrant twist on classic cinnamon rolls. They are perfect for a weekend brunch.
I’m a breakfast for dinner kind of girl. I really love those good old-fashioned diner breakfasts with the works- fried eggs, bacon, pancakes, hash browns, maybe even some french toast.
The maple syrup from the pancakes gets all over the bacon and grazes the eggs, while the salty hash browns are dipped in a bit of ketchup. That’s how I roll.
Well, that’s how I roll in the evening or maybe really early in the morning after a night of drinking. (Who am I kidding, that hasn’t happened since college).
Anyway. Breakfast for dinner. In my universe, breakfast for breakfast is usually going to be something light like a smoothie or some yogurt and muesli.
I can’t do heavy breakfasts in the morning and I definitely can’t do sweets. Just looking at a doughnut first thing in the day makes my stomach cramp up.
The same goes for cinnamon buns. For me, these orange cardamom cinnamon buns make the perfect dessert after a serious breakfast for dinner experience.
The orange zest and ground cardamom offer a delicate fragrant quality that you won’t find in a typical cinnamon bun. These are unique without straying too far from a classic recipe.
Baking With Yeast
This recipe uses instant yeast. Yeast is an ingredient many novice bakers fear, and I’d like to change that! So what is yeast, and how does it work? Can you substitute one variety for another? Check out my article What is Yeast to learn more!
Orange Cardamom Cinnamon Buns
Ingredients
Buns:
- 1/2 cup whole milk, warm (110-115 degrees)
- 2 1/4 teaspoons instant yeast
- 3 large eggs
- 20 ounces (4 cups) all purpose flour (+1/4 cup if needed)
- 3 1/4 ounces (3/4 cup) cornstarch
- 3 1/2 ounces (1/2 cup) granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- 1/8 teaspoon ground cardamom
- zest of 1 orange, approximately 1/2 tablespoon
- 1/4 cup fresh squeezed orange juice, approximately 1 orange
- 12 tablespoons unsalted butter, chopped and at room temperature
Filling:
- 10 1/2 ounces 1 1/2 cups packed brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
- 1 1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom
- 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
Glaze:
- 1 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar
- 4 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
- 1/4 cup fresh squeezed orange juice, approximately 1 orange
- 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Instructions
- In a large liquid measuring cup, whisk together the whole milk and instant yeast, followed by the eggs.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, whisk together the flour, cornstarch, sugar, salt, cardamom and orange zest. Break apart any clumps of zest if necessary. Attach the dough hook, turn the mixer on low speed and add the warm milk mixture followed by the orange juice. Allow the ingredients to combine for one minute. Increase the speed to medium and add the butter in pieces until it's all incorporated. The dough will be very wet. Allow it to continue mixing for 10 minutes. If the dough is still looking wet, add up to another 1/4 cup of flour in 2 tablespoon increments. The dough should be very soft and delicate but not too sticky to handle. Transfer the dough to a lightly greased large bowl and cover with a clean kitchen towel. Allow the dough to double in size, up to 2 hours. To speed things up, place the bowl inside the oven or microwave next to a small bowl of boiling water and close the door.
- While the dough is rising, prepare the filling. Combine the brown sugar, cinnamon, cardamom and salt in a bowl. Grease 2 8-inch cake pans thoroughly and set aside.
- Place the dough on a lightly floured countertop. Roll the dough into a large, thin rectangle. Using clean hands, spread the butter across the dough, leaving a small border around the edges, and then top evenly with the sugar mixture. Roll the dough into a tight cylinder. Cut into 12 or 16 even pieces and place in the reserved cake pans, cut side up. Cover and allow to double in size, approximately 1 hour.
- Prepare the glaze by whisking together the confectioners' sugar, cream cheese, orange juice and vanilla extract. Set aside.
- Bake the buns at 350 degrees F for 30-35 minutes, or until the tops are golden brown. Top each pan with 1/4 cup of the glaze and allow the buns to cool completely. Top with the remaining glaze before serving.
Please read my full post for additional recipe notes, tips, and serving suggestions!
Recipe Troubleshooting
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I am in LOVE! I made orange cardamon shortbread cookies last week, perfect flavors. But cinnamon rolls, whoa. My family will love these for Christmas Eve am.
Orange cardamom shortbread?!?!?! I die.
The flavours in these sound wonderful, so full of brightness and warming winter spice. Just lovely.
I can’t do sweets first thing in the morning either but now for dinner…that’s a whole other thing!
This sounds like an awesome combination! Your photos are always so lovely.
Oh my goodness gracious gooeyness. These look incredible, Jennifer!
Looks gorgeous.. thanks for sharing!!
They really look lovely and delicious. I also like the sounds of it already.
I have days when I have breakfast also for lunch and dinner, hahaha.
These look pillowy and comforting! Definitely perfect for breakfast for dinner, which is one of my favorites too!
I love cardamom and had some time at home on my hands, so I made these the other day; big hit with my family, but they weren’t as fluffy as I would have liked. Might have gotten some not-so-great yeast.
If I wanted to make these the night before and bake them in the morning what should I do?
Hi Cassie! I would refrigerate them midway through step 4, before allowing them to rise. So change step 4 to this:
4. Place the dough on a lightly floured countertop. Roll the dough into a large, thin rectangle. Using clean hands, spread the butter across the dough, leaving a small border around the edges, and then top evenly with the sugar mixture. Roll the dough into a tight cylinder. Cut into 12 or 16 even pieces and place in the reserved cake pans, cut side up. Cover and place in the refrigerator overnight.
Then, when you remove them, they’ll need to come to room temperature before they start to double in size, so add on approximately an additional 30-60 minutes to the final rise.
Thank you so much for the reply! Do you think they would keep in the fridge for two days? I’m making a double batch tonight and wanted some for Christmas Eve morning and Christmas morning!
No problem! I think that will be fine, just wrap them tightly with plastic wrap to keep any other smells in the fridge from absorbing into the dough.
I finally made these yesterday and wow. The orange and cardamom go together so beautifully and the dough itself was super easy to work with. These are the best cinnamon rolls I have made in a long time. Thanks for the recipe!
I am so glad you liked them! Thanks for letting me know; I love hearing positive reviews :)
I made these exactly as written and they came out perfectly! I will absolutely be making these again. Thank you for the recipe!