Lemon-Curd-Filled Hawaiian Rolls with Glossy Lemon Glaze
Soft King's Hawaiian Sweet rolls are cored and filled with a lightly sweetened lemon-cream filling, then dipped in a lemon glaze that sets with a beautiful sheen. The result is bright, balanced, and elegant, without requiring homemade dough or complicated pastry techniques.
Servings: 12 Filled Rolls
Calories: 163kcal
Equipment
- ½ inch metal canoli tube
Ingredients
- 12 cound package King's Hawaiian Sweet Rolls
Lemon-Curd Filling
- 6 ounces (¾ block) cream cheese, room temperature
- ¼ cup plus 1 tablespoon (3 ounces) store-bought lemon curd, room temperature (See Tip 1)
- 3 Tablespoons (0.75 ounces) confectioners' sugar
- Pinch fine sea salt
Hard-Set Lemon Glaze
- 2 cups (8 ounces) confectioners’ sugar
- 1½ tablespoons (0.8 ounces) light corn syrup (See Tips 2 and 3)
- 2½ tablespoons fresh lemon juice (See Tip 4)
- Pinch of salt
- Yellow sanding sugar for decoration
Instructions
- Use a bread knife to cut the rolls into uniform sizes. (See Tip 5)
- Use a ½-inch metal cannelloni tube to cut a core in the side of each Hawaiian roll, being careful not to cut all the way through. If necessary, use small tweezers to remove any remaining plug.
Lemon-Curd Filling
- In a medium bowl, beat the cream cheese, lemon curd, confectioners' sugar, lemon zest, and salt until completely smooth and creamy.
- Transfer to a piping bag with a #12 round tip.
- Insert the piping tip into the side hole of the Hawaiian rolls and gently pipe in the filling until you see a slight expansion at the opening. Do not overfill.
Hard-Set Glaze
- Beat together the confectioners’ sugar, corn syrup, lemon juice, and salt until smooth and pourable.
- If needed, add ½ to 1 teaspoon of additional lemon juice to achieve a slow-ribbon consistency (the ribbon should disappear into the glaze within 5 seconds)
- Dip the tops of the filled rolls straight down into the glaze to a depth of about ¼ inch. Lift straight up; allow excess glaze to drip off. Place on a wire rack to set.
- Immediately, sprinkle the tops of the rolls with yellow sanding sugar (before the glaze sets). Allow to rest for 30 minutes or until the glaze is set.
- Yield: 12 Lemon-Curd Filled Rolls
Video
Notes
- I used Mrs. Darlington's Legendary Lemon Curd, purchased from World Market. This lemon curd had the best color and level of acidity among the available brands in my locale. The other brands had an unappealing brownish color.
- Karo Light Corn Syrup contains zero grams of high fructose corn syrup - says so on the label.
- Light corn syrup is a key ingredient in the glaze setting, so don't be tempted to skip it.
- Avoid using bottled lemon juice.
- One negative aspect of King's Hawaiian Rolls is that they tend to be uneven in size. To overcome this, I like to use a bread knife to cut the rolls into even sizes. This also eliminates the ragged look if the rolls are pulled apart.
Nutrition
Calories: 163kcal | Carbohydrates: 28g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 5g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Trans Fat: 0.01g | Cholesterol: 15mg | Sodium: 64mg | Potassium: 22mg | Fiber: 0.02g | Sugar: 27g | Vitamin A: 191IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 15mg | Iron: 0.03mg
