This easy king cake recipe is just perfect for Mardi Gras but isn’t the traditional form that you are used to from the French Quarter. Instead, I wanted to feature a cinnamon roll king cake because this recipe is really easy to put together and absolutely beautiful to present to guests. A Mardi Gras treat for everyone!
It’s all about presentation and flavor when it comes to Mardi Gras cakes, right? Well, what better way to show off your yellow, purple, and green than with this cinnamon roll king cake. SO MUCH FUN!
The kids will have a blast indulgingin the sweet flavors and you will save lots of time in the kitchen thanks to this quick recipe and premade cinnamon rolls. There are so many different ways to use those tubes and I think this is my favorite one!
By the way, do you have anyone that throws a Mardi Gras party? We have a wonderful family in town that hosts quite THE bash every year and this is the PERFECT hostess gift to bring to help celebrate with friends. I cannot WAIT to bring this New Orleans king cake over!!
Easy King Cake Recipe For Mardi Gras – Cinnamon Roll King Cake
If you want to really add up some flare, be sure to run to the dollar store to pick up some masquerade masks and colorful beads. Gold/Yellow is a BIG color! So is purple and green – stick to those three and you will be good to go. Those are the traditional colors of Mardi Gras.
Easy King Cake Recipe Ingredients:
You don’t need many ingredients to get this cinnamon roll wreath Mardi Gras dessert off the ground. In fact, you only need some frosting, color gels, and the cinnamon rolls. That’s it!
- 2 tubes, 17.5 oz each, jumbo cinnamon rolls
- 1 tub, 16 oz, white frosting (green, yellow and violet color gels)
- Wilton Leaf Green, Golden Yellow, and Violet color gels
Cinnamon Roll King Cake Directions:
Preheat oven to 350. Grease a bundt pan with nonstick cooking spray and set aside.
Press cinnamon rolls into pan. They will want to pop up so you’ll need to squeeze them together. Keep them pressed down and into the pan and as level as possible. You can easily flatten with your palms.
At this point, you will want to take your baby doll figurine(affiliate) and place it inside the cake. More on that in a bit.
Bake for 30-35 minutes or until golden brown. Let cool for 10 minutes before inverting pan on a flat surface and cooling completely before frosting.
To frost, divide frosting in three separate bowls and color each bowl a separate color with color gels. Place icing into a resealable bag but do not seal.
Place all 3 bags into the microwave and heat for 15 seconds. Remove from microwave, seal and knead each bag and snip the tip of the bag.
Drizzle the frosting onto the cake. You can re-heat the bags if they thicken after sitting. Let set for the icing to thicken and serve! This recipe serves 8-10 guests.
What About The King Cake Baby?
Have you heard about the easy King Cake baby before? I must admit that the first time I bit into a slice of my cinnamon roll wreath and pulled out a piece of the King Cake baby, I thought it was a mistake! I had no clue about this tradition.
But when everyone was cheering around me, I realized that it was a GOOD THING that I was the one that found the King Cake baby and not a bad! So, let me break down this fu little tradition for you. That way, you can include it in your Mardi Gras cake recipe as well.
Why is there a baby in the King Cake?
The baby inside the New Orleans King Cake symbolizes luck and prosperity to whoever finds it in his/her slice of cake. SO, when everyone is slicing open that cake and grabbing a piece, the FUN is in the anticipation. WHO HAS THE BABY???
But there’s a CATCH!! Whoever finds the baby ALSO HAS TOget next year’s cake. LOL! So, you get a whole year of good luck and something added to your to-do list. Not a bad trade-off, right?
Can you bake a plastic baby in a King Cake?
Yes – you can physically bake the plastic baby right into the actual cake. It’s ok! That’s part of the fun.
What flavor is a traditional King Cake?
Whatking-cake-flavoredtreats most often have in common are twoflavors— cinnamon and vanilla. Running a close third is cream cheese.
What is in the traditional King Cake?
Typically,king cakeis made of a rich, brioche dough and a wide array of fillings – like cinnamon, chocolate, and cream cheese. This recipe is much easier to make and doesn’t follow the traditional recipe.
The rainbow colors are found within the glaze of the cake and through sprinkles – gold, green, and purple.
When should you eat King Cake?
Hold onto this easy king cake recipe until January 6th in honor of the Epiphany, or Twelfth Night of Christmas! That’s the time of the year when you should eat this dessert. But guess what? You can have your cake and eat it, too and do it whenever you please!! DO YOU, SIS!
What do the colors mean on this easy King Cake recipe?
- purple representing justice
- green representing faith
- gold representing power
Do you celebrate Mardi Gras? Are you thinking about making this cinnamon roll cake with a twist? Would love to hear your thoughts about this easy king cake recipe!
Related:
- Strawberry Shortcake Trifle Recipe
- Things To Do In New Orleans
- Easy Mug Cake Recipe
- Easy Berry Cobbler Recipe
Cinnamon Roll King Cake Recipe
Yield: 10
Ingredients
- * 2 tubes, 17.5 oz each, jumbo cinnamon rolls
- * 1 tub, 16 oz, white frosting (green, yellow and violet color gels)
- * Used Wilton Leaf Green, Golden Yellow and Violet color gels
Instructions
- Press cinnamon rolls into pan. They will want to pop up so you'll need to squeeze them together. Keep them pressed down and into the pan and as level as possible. You can easily flatten with your palms.
- At this point, you will want to take your baby doll figurine (affiliate) and place it inside the cake. More on that in a bit.
- Bake for 30-35 minutes or until golden brown. Let cool for 10 minutes before inverting pan on a flat surface and cooling completely before frosting.
- To frost, divide frosting in three separate bowls and color each bowl a separate color with color gels. Place icing into a resealable bag but do not seal.
- Place all 3 bags into the microwave and heat for 15 seconds. Remove from microwave, seal and knead each bag and snip the tip of the bag.
- Drizzle the frosting onto the cake. You can re-heat the bags if they thicken after sitting.
- Let set for the icing to thicken and serve!
Serves 8-10
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 10Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving:Calories: 209Total Fat: 9gSaturated Fat: 3gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 5gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 152mgCarbohydrates: 33gFiber: 1gSugar: 28gProtein: 1g
