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Cinnamon Roll Casserole with Maple Custard and Cream Cheese Icing

Cinnamon Roll Casserole

This is the Sunday-morning bake that made me stop fussing with individual rolls. Quartered cinnamon rolls soak in a cinnamon-spiked maple custard, then bake until the tops go crackly-gold and the middle turns soft as bread pudding. The warm icing drizzled over the hot pan melts straight into every crevice. Assemble it the night before and slide it into the oven half asleep.
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Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 40 minutes
Total Time 55 minutes
Servings: 12 People
Course: Breakfast
Cuisine: American
Calories: 415
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

  • 2 tubes refrigerated cinnamon roll dough 12.4 oz each, icing packets reserved
  • 4 large eggs room temperature
  • 0.75 cup heavy cream whole milk works too
  • 1.5 tsp ground cinnamon
  • 2 tsp pure vanilla extract
  • 0.33 cup pure maple syrup plus more for serving
  • 3 tbsp unsalted butter melted, plus more for the pan
  • 0.25 cup brown sugar packed
  • 0.25 tsp salt
  • 2 packets cream cheese icing the packets included with the rolls

Equipment

  • 1 9x13 inch baking dish
  • 1 Large mixing bowl
  • 1 Whisk
  • 1 Small saucepan for melting butter

Method
 

  1. Preheat the oven to 350 F. Butter a 9x13 inch baking dish generously, working the butter into the corners.
  2. Open both tubes of cinnamon roll dough and set the icing packets aside at room temperature. Cut each roll into quarters, roughly one-inch pieces, and scatter them evenly across the buttered dish.
  3. In a large bowl, whisk the eggs, heavy cream, cinnamon, vanilla, brown sugar, and salt until the mixture is completely smooth and uniform in color with no streaks of white or yolk. This takes a solid 45 seconds of steady whisking.
  4. Whisk the melted butter into the custard until fully combined.
  5. Pour the custard evenly over the dough pieces. Gently toss the pieces with your hands or a spatula so every cut surface is coated, then settle them back into an even layer.
  6. Drizzle the maple syrup across the top of the casserole. Do not stir it in.
  7. Bake uncovered for 35 to 45 minutes, until the top is deep golden brown and visibly puffed and the center no longer jiggles when you nudge the pan. A knife inserted into the middle should come out clean of wet custard.
  8. While the casserole rests for 5 minutes, warm the icing packets in the microwave for 5 to 10 seconds until pourable.
  9. Drizzle the warm icing over the hot casserole so it melts down into the crevices. Cut into 12 portions and serve warm, with extra maple syrup at the table.

Notes

  • Make-ahead: cover the assembled pan and refrigerate up to 12 hours. Let it sit on the counter 20 minutes before baking and add 5 to 8 minutes to the bake time.
  • Whisk the custard until it is completely uniform in color. Under-whisked eggs leave rubbery streaks through the finished bake.
  • Do not raise the oven above 350 F. A hotter oven browns the top before the center sets, and that is the real cause of a soggy middle.
  • Serve alongside fresh berries or a fruit salad, breakfast sausage, and plenty of hot coffee.
  • Leftovers keep covered in the refrigerator for 3 days. Reheat individual portions 30 seconds in the microwave.
  • Day-old baked cinnamon rolls work beautifully here and actually absorb the custard better than fresh dough.