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You are here: Home / Recipes and Cooking Tips / Easy King Cake Recipe

Easy King Cake Recipe

January 14, 2019 by Alea Milham 3 Comments

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Easy King Cake Recipe using crescent roll dough and a cream cheese filling
Quick and easy Mardi Gras king cake recipe using packaged crescent roll dough.

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

Quick and Easy King Cake Recipe made with packaged Crescent RollsPin it button

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.

Easy King Cake Recipe 

Let the good times roll with this crazy easy Mardi Gras King Cake Recipe using Crescent Rolls.

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

prep for mardi gras king cakePin it button

Instructions:

  1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
  2. Open crescent rolls and separate triangles. Arrange triangles on a large, round baking stone or pizza pan with the points in the middle.mardi gras king cake on panPin it button
  3. Press the crescent rolls together at their middle in a round circle, allowing the edges to remain loose.
  4. In a mixer, combine cream cheese, brown sugar, cinnamon, and vanilla until well blended. Then, mix in pecans.filling for mardi gras king cakePin it button
  5. Evenly spoon cream cheese mixture over the pressed area of the crescent rolls.baking king cake recipePin it button
  6. Fold points of crescent rolls over the cream cheese mixture, pressing the tips into the other side of the dough. Then, fold the wide edges of the dough over the cream cheese mixture, tucking the ends under the inside of the crescent ring. Lightly press to seal any open creases.king cake recipe for mardi gras bakingPin it button
  7. Bake for 25 minutes or until golden.
  8. Allow the king cake to cool slightly but not completely.
  9. In a medium bowl, whisk together powdered sugar, milk, and lemon juice until blended with no lumps remaining. Pour icing over king cake.icing for mardi gras king cakePin it button
  10. Immediately add colored sugars.Mardi Gras Recipe for King CakePin it button
  11. Before serving, slide a plastic baby favor or coin under the king cake. crescent roll king cake recipePin it button

The person who gets the token in their slice will make the king cake next year.

How to make a king cake with Crescent Rolls.Pin it button

This tradition is thought to have been brought to New Orleans from France in 1870.

Printable Recipe for Easy King Cake 

5.0 from 1 reviews
Mardi Gras Crescent Roll King Cake
 
Print
Prep time
10 mins
Cook time
25 mins
Total time
35 mins
 
Author: Alea
Recipe type: Dessert
Serves: 10-12
Ingredients
  • 2 (8 ounce) packages refrigerated crescent roll dough
  • 2 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese, softened
  • ½ cup brown sugar
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • ½ 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 favor or coin
Directions
  1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
  2. Open crescent rolls and separate triangles. Arrange triangles on a large, round baking stone or pizza pan with the points in the middle.
  3. Press the crescent rolls together at their middle in a round circle, allowing the edges to remain loose.
  4. In a mixer, combine cream cheese, brown sugar, cinnamon, and vanilla until well blended. Then, mix in pecans.
  5. Evenly spoon cream cheese mixture over the pressed area of the crescent rolls.
  6. Fold points of crescent rolls over the cream cheese mixture, pressing the tips into the other side of the dough. Then, fold the wider edges of the dough over the cream cheese mixture, tucking the ends under the inside of the crescent ring. Lightly press to seal any open creases.
  7. Bake for 25 minutes or until golden.
  8. Allow king cake to cool slightly but not completely.
  9. In a medium bowl, whisk together powdered sugar, milk, and lemon juice until blended with no lumps remaining. Pour icing over king cake. Immediately add colored sugars.
  10. Before serving, slide a plastic baby favor or coin under the king cake. The person who gets the token in their slice will make the next king cake.
3.5.3251

Easy King Cake Recipe using crescent roll dough and a cream cheese fillingPin it button

More Mardi Gras Recipes and Activities

Mardi Gras White Chocolate Covered Pretzels

King Cake Rice Krispie Treats

Festive Mardi Gras Punch

Mardi Gras Ice Ring Using King Cake Soda

Mardi Gras Activities for Kids

More Mardi Gras Recipes

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About Alea Milham

Alea Milham is the owner of Premeditated Leftovers and the author of Prep-Ahead Meals from Scatch. She shares her tips for saving money and time while reducing waste in her home. Her favorite hobby, gardening, is a frugal source of organic produce for her recipes. She believes it is possible to live fully and eat well while spending less.

Comments

  1. Carol says

    February 28, 2022 at 12:15 pm

    SO easy and delicious!

    Reply
  2. Elaina says

    February 26, 2022 at 5:56 am

    Can you freeze cake and after you take it out add glaze and colored sugar?

    Reply
  3. Martha Baker says

    January 23, 2021 at 10:35 am

    Easy King Cake to put together…thanks for the recipe!!

    Reply

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Welcome. I'm Alea!

On Premeditated Leftovers I share simple recipes made with whole foods, practical shopping tips, time saving techniques, and meal planning strategies. I also share tips for minimizing food waste, so more of the food that is purchased ends up on the table.

While volunteering as a budget counselor, I realized that food is the element of most people’s budgets where they have the greatest control. I set out to develop low-cost recipes from scratch to prove it’s possible to create delicious meals on a limited budget. Eating well while spending less is about more than just creating recipes using inexpensive ingredients; it’s about creatively combining ingredients so you don’t feel deprived and are inspired to stick to your budget.

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