These guava cream cheese custard rolls are a quick, homey take on a cream cheese danish. Using ready-made Hawaiian sweet rolls speeds the process—you skip making a yeast dough without sacrificing texture or flavor.
My secret shortcut: King’s Hawaiian sweet rolls. Their soft, slightly sweet crumb makes them ideal single-serve bases for these danishes. They’re perfect for portion control and are soft enough to stay tender after baking the filling.
These little rolls are great for sandwiches, snacks, or as the base for a danish. To prepare them for filling, use a small, sharp paring knife to cut a cone-shaped piece from the top center of each roll, removing a little past halfway to form a small well for the custard. Reserve the cut-outs for breadcrumbs or bread pudding.
The filling is a creamy hybrid of cheesecake and custard—light cream cheese blended with milk, sugar, egg yolk, cornstarch, a touch of butter, and vanilla. Originally I tried a denser cheesecake-style filling, but the custard version keeps the rolls softer and more moist while still offering that rich cream-cheese flavor. You can use full-fat dairy for a richer result, but lower-fat ingredients work well too.
Combine the custard ingredients (except butter and vanilla) in a blender and blend briefly until smooth. Pour the mixture into a saucepan and cook over medium-high heat, stirring frequently until it thickens and begins to bubble. Remove from heat, whisk in butter and vanilla, then cool for a few minutes before filling the rolls.
Spoon about a tablespoon of the cooled cream cheese custard into each roll, then cover and chill while you make the topping.
The topping is a simple guava glaze made from thawed frozen guava juice concentrate thickened with a little cornstarch. You can vary the flavor—passion fruit, orange, or a mix like passion-guava would work—so long as the concentrate is fully thawed before you start.
Whisk cornstarch into half a can of guava concentrate in a small saucepan until smooth. Heat over medium-high, whisking constantly until the mixture thickens and bubbles; then cook briefly more to set the consistency. Cool the glaze to room temperature before topping the filled rolls.
Top each roll with about one teaspoon of the guava glaze. If you don’t have concentrate, guava jam or any fruit jam makes a fine substitute. Place the rolls in an airtight container and chill—the topping will firm up after a couple of hours, but the rolls are ready to enjoy immediately if you prefer.
Keep the rolls tightly covered in the refrigerator to preserve the bread’s softness. I recommend using rectangular plastic containers with lids rather than plastic wrap, which can smear the topping. These are excellent for breakfast buffets, snacks, or desserts—kids especially love them.
The removed centers can be used for breadcrumbs, a small bread pudding, or an apple brown betty—so nothing goes to waste.
Hope you enjoy these easy, flavorful guava cream cheese custard rolls.
- 3 dozen King’s Hawaiian Sweet Rolls
- Cream Cheese Custard:
- 4 oz. cream cheese
- 1-1/2 c. milk
- 6 T. sugar
- 1/8 tsp. salt
- 1 egg yolk
- 2 T. cornstarch
- 1-1/2 tsp. butter
- 1 tsp. vanilla extract
- Topping:
- 3/4 c. frozen guava juice concentrate, thawed
- 2-1/4 tsp. cornstarch
- Arrange rolls on large baking sheets. Use a small paring knife to cut a cone-shaped piece from the top center of each roll, going a little past halfway to form a well for the custard. Reserve cut-outs for another use.
- Place all custard ingredients except butter and vanilla into a blender. Blend 30–60 seconds until smooth. Pour into a saucepan and cook over medium-high heat, whisking frequently until the mixture thickens and begins to bubble. Reduce heat to medium and cook, whisking, for 2 more minutes. Avoid scorching. Remove from heat, whisk in butter until melted, then stir in vanilla. Cool about 5 minutes.
- Spoon 1 tablespoon of custard into each roll. Cover and refrigerate while preparing the topping.
- For the topping, pour thawed guava concentrate into a small saucepan. Whisk in cornstarch until smooth. Cook over medium-high heat, whisking frequently, until thick and bubbling. Cook 30–60 seconds more, then transfer to a shallow bowl and cool to room temperature.
- Top each filled roll with 1 teaspoon of the guava glaze. Place rolls in airtight containers and chill. The topping will firm in a couple of hours, but rolls can be eaten immediately. Keep tightly covered in the refrigerator to maintain softness. Reheat briefly in the microwave if you prefer them warmed.