Easy King Cake
This easy King Cake recipe is everything you need to celebrate Fat Tuesday in style! Save some of your Mardi Gras beads to decorate this tasty and festive cake.
Ingredients
Cake
- 3 cans crescent dough
- 8 oz cream cheese softened to room temperature
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 2/3 cup finely chopped pecans
- 1/2 cup raisins
- 3 tsp orange zest
- 2 tsp ground cinnamon
Frosting Topping
- 3 cups powdered sugar
- 3 tbsp unsalted butter melted
- 3 tbsp whole milk
- purple, green, and yellow sanding sugar
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- In a medium bowl, use a hand mixer to combine together the softened cream cheese, brown sugar, and cinnamon. Stir in the orange zest, chopped pecans, and raisins.
- Unroll the canned crescent rolls. On a floured surface, align the rolls' dough into a 20-by-7-inch rectangle, with the long edge facing you. Pinch the seams together, using a little water to seal.
- Spread the cream cheese mixture in an even layer over the dough, leaving 1-inch borders along the top and bottom long edges with no filling.
- Fold the bottom side halfway up over the filling, and then fold the top side down to meet the other side, making a roll. Pinch the sides together, again using a little water to seal tightly.
- Transfer the roll with the seam-side down to a parchment paper-lined baking sheet. Bring the ends together to form a ring, and tuck one end into the other. Pinch it closed, using a bit more water.
- Bake the cake in the preheated oven for 25 minutes, or until firm and golden brown. Toward the end of the cook time, monitor for doneness so it doesn't over-bake.
- Place the cake on a wire rack and let it cool completely. Then move the cake to your serving plate. Cut a small slit into the side of the cooled cake and insert the king cake baby, far enough so that it's hidden.
- In a small bowl, stir the confectioners' sugar, melted butter, and vanilla extract together to make the glaze. Stir in 3 tablespoons milk. Add very small amounts of additional milk, just until the glaze becomes pourable. Pour it evenly over your cooled cake.
- Sprinkle the cake with the colored sugar, alternating the colors as shown in the picture.
- Decorate your cake with beads and other festive goodies.
Notes
Be sure to warn your friends that the King Cake baby is somewhere inside the cake!
Nutrition
Calories: 502kcalCarbohydrates: 68gProtein: 4gFat: 26gSaturated Fat: 11gPolyunsaturated Fat: 6gMonounsaturated Fat: 7gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 29mgSodium: 511mgPotassium: 122mgFiber: 1gSugar: 45gVitamin A: 354IUVitamin C: 1mgCalcium: 42mgIron: 1mg
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