Name: Easy King Cake
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 25 min
Total time: 35 min
Ingredients: 2 - 8 ounce packages refrigerated crescent roll dough; 2 - 8 ounce packages cream cheese, softened; ½ cup brown sugar; 1 teaspoon vanilla extract; 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon; 1 cup chopped pecans; 2 cups powdered sugar; ¼ cup milk; 1 teaspoon lemon juice; Colored sugars in purple (green, yellow); Small plastic baby (bean, or coin)

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Don’t have time to let the dough rise? Use packaged crescent rolls to make this quick and easy king cake recipe!

Is it even Mardi Gras if you don’t make a King Cake Recipe? No! A King Cake is one of the ultimate Mardi Gras traditions that you definitely want to include in your Fat Tuesday celebration. That’s why we came up with this simple recipe that you can make quickly. But don’t worry, just because it is easy does not mean it is short on flavor! This cake has cream cheese, brown sugar, cinnamon, and pecans in the filling.

What is a King Cake?

Coated in the Mardi Gras colors of purple (justice), green (faith), and gold (power), the King’s Cake is a Mardi Gras tradition. It is round, to look like a crown, and usually made of sweet bread dough with a flavorful filling baked inside the dough. A bean, coin, or small plastic baby figure is hidden inside the cake. Depending on the culture, the person who finds the hidden item in the cake is made “king” of the celebration, must make the next king cake, or must host a party on Candlemas (February 2nd).

Why is there a baby inside?

Traditionally it was a bean that was hidden in the cake. The bean became a baby in the 1950s when a New Orlean’s bakery was approached by a salesman who had too many plastic babies on his hands and suggested the baby would be less likely to get lost in the cake than a small bean.

However, in the Spanish version, Rosca de Reyes or Three Kings Cake, the baby is said to represent when Jesus had to go into hiding from Herrod.

When do you eat King Cake?

The first king cake is traditionally served on January 6th, also known as Twelfth Night, the Epiphany, or Kings Day. January 6th is the day that we celebrate the wise men bringing gifts to Jesus. King Cakes are often served on Fridays throughout the carnival season in some cultures. And of course, a King Cake is a mandatory part of any Mardi Gras celebration which occurs on the Tuesday before Ash Wednesday.

How to Make King Cake with Crescent Rolls:

Instead of making sweet bread dough for your cake, you can use 2 packages of crescent rolls. Separate crescent roll triangles. Then arrange the triangles on a large, round baking stone or pizza pan with the points in the middle. This will create a large circle. Then like a traditional king cake, you will put the filling on the dough. Then you will wrap the triangle pieces around the filling. First, fold the pointed end up, then foul the wider edge over, and press gently to seal. You will find details pictures below.