Red Velvet Cinnamon Rolls

1. Combine warm water and yeast for dough in the bowl of a stand mixer; beat until combined. Allow to sit and bloom, 5 to 10 minutes. Yeast should activate and mixture should have foam on top.

2. Add flour, cake mix, warm milk, and salt. Switch to the dough hook and mix on low until dough comes together and starts to pull away from the sides, about 5 minutes.

3. Grease a large bowl with a light coating of oil. Form dough into a ball and place in the greased bowl, turning to coat all sides. Cover with plastic wrap and a towel. Place the bowl over a pan of hot water and let sit until almost doubled in size, about 1 hour.

4. Mix butter, brown and white sugars, and cinnamon for filling together in a medium bowl until well combined.

5. Spray a large baking pan with baking spray.

6. Turn dough onto a floured surface and roll into a large rectangle. Spread filling over the dough, then roll up into a long log. Slice into 12 rolls and place on the prepared pan. Allow to rise until doubled in size, 30 to 45 minutes.

7. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).

8. Bake rolls in the preheated oven until golden, 20 to 25 minutes.

9. While the rolls are baking, combine cream cheese, powdered sugar, butter, milk, and vanilla for icing in a bowl. Beat with an electric mixer until smooth and pourable. Transfer icing to a plastic zip-top bag.

10. Remove cinnamon rolls from the oven. Snip a corner off of the zip-top bag and drizzle icing over the warm rolls. Serve immediately.

    

Cook's Note:

If you do not have a stand mixer, you can mix everything in a large bowl and knead the dough by hand on a well-floured surface.