Description
This Shortcut Mardi Gras King Cake is a quick and festive twist on the traditional New Orleans dessert, made easily using canned cinnamon rolls. It’s a delightful, sweet treat perfect for celebrating Mardi Gras, featuring a creamy cream cheese frosting and colorful sugar crystals in the iconic purple, yellow, and green.
Ingredients
Scale
King Cake
- 2 (17.5-ounce) cans jumbo cinnamon rolls with icing (each tube has 5 rolls)
Frosting & Decoration
- 2 ounces cream cheese, softened
- Pre-packaged icing from cinnamon roll tubes
- Sugar crystals in purple, yellow, and green for decoration
Instructions
- Prepare Pan: Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C) and spray a Bundt or tube pan thoroughly with non-stick cooking spray to prevent sticking.
- Arrange Cinnamon Rolls: Open the cinnamon roll tubes and carefully remove the icing packets, setting them aside. Place and slightly press all the cinnamon rolls into the bottom of the prepared pan, fitting them snugly side by side.
- Bake: Place the pan in the preheated oven and bake the cinnamon rolls for 25 to 30 minutes, or until they are fully cooked through and no longer gooey in the center.
- Cool and Remove: Remove the pan from the oven and let the cinnamon roll cake cool slightly before carefully turning it out onto a serving platter to cool completely.
- Make Cream Cheese Frosting: In a small bowl, combine the two packets of icing with the softened 2 ounces of cream cheese, mixing until smooth and well incorporated.
- Frost and Decorate: Once the cake is fully cool, spread the cream cheese icing evenly over the surface. Decorate the top by sprinkling alternating stripes of purple, yellow, and green sugar crystals to recreate the festive Mardi Gras colors.
Notes
- Ensure the cake is completely cool before frosting to prevent the icing from melting.
- The sugar crystals are traditional Mardi Gras colors symbolizing justice (purple), power (gold), and faith (green).
- If you prefer, you can add a small plastic baby figurine inside the cake before baking as per tradition.
- Use a Bundt or tube pan to get the characteristic ring shape of a King Cake.
- For a less sweet version, reduce the amount of icing or sugar crystals.
