Our recipe for King Cake is a non-traditional but easy take on the dessert that we like to call the Kiddie King Cake (and simple enough to make with little ones). You can have fun playing around with the King Cake fillings, too.
Prep Time20 minutesmins
Cook Time25 minutesmins
Total Time45 minutesmins
Course: Desserts
Cuisine: American
Calories: 176kcal
Author: LittleCooksReadingBooks.com
Ingredients
2rolls refrigerated crescent rollsin the can
4ounceshalf a block of cream cheese
½cupbrown sugarpacked
1tspground cinnamon
¼cupraisinssoaked in hot water for 15 minutes, drained
½cuppecan halves
1-1/2cupsconfectioners’ sugarpowdered sugar
4Tablespoonsmilk
1teaspoonvanilla extract
Purplegreen, and yellow colored sugar crystals
¼cupbuttersoftened
Instructions
TO MAKE FILLING:
Place cream cheese, brown sugar, ½ teaspoon cinnamon, and raisins in the bowl of a food processor or mixer. Process until combined.
Add in pecan halves and process until pecans are chopped. Set aside.
FOR THE CAKE:
Preheat oven to 350 F. Spray a baking sheet with non-stick spray.
Unroll first can of crescent roll dough and lay flat on surface. Do not separate dough. Instead, use fingers to pinch/press together the seams.
In a microwave, melt ¼ cup butter.
Add the remaining ½ teaspoons cinnamon to the melted butter.
Using a basting brush, spread half of the melted butter-cinnamon mixture onto the dough.
Place half of the filling in the middle of the dough and roll the dough to form a tube. Pinch together the seams. Position the rolled dough on the baking sheet and shape into a half-moon to form the top of the King Cake.
Repeat the above steps with the second can of crescent rolls and remaining melted butter and filling to form the bottom of the King Cake. Form into a half moon shape.
Place bottom half moon of rolled dough against the top half moon (to form one full circle). Pinch together the edges of the top of the cake and the bottom to form one complete circle.
Bake 20 to 25 minutes until golden brown, and then cool completely before icing.
TO MAKE THE ICING:
Whisk together the confectioners sugar, milk, and vanilla until smooth. You want the consistency thick, but still thin enough to drip down the sides of the cake. (If necessary, add more milk.)
Spoon the icing in a ring over the top of the baked and cooled King Cake.
Sprinkle wide strips of purple, then green, then gold, alternating until you’ve covered the icing on the cake.
FOR THE KING CAKE BABY:Before serving, cut the cake into slices and place the plastic baby either in or under one of the pieces. (Do not bake the plastic baby in the cake!)
Be sure to warn your guests so that they are aware of the baby and don’t accidentally bite down on it!
The person who gets the King Cake baby is said to have good for the year and is tasked to bring the King Cake to next year's Mardi Gras party.
Notes
You'll also need a King Cake baby mascot that is placed under or in a piece of the cake AFTER the cake is baked. DO NOT BAKE THE CAKE WITH THE BABY IN IT!