The Search for the Perfect King Cake Recipe!

[cooking.with.ann]

Have any of you found a king cake recipe, either using crescent rolls or cinnamon rolls, that makes a good king cake? I've got to make some for Saturday, and I'm hoping to find a recipe that someone else has already found to be a winner!

Ann

 

[dianevill]

What the heck is a king cake?

 

[GourmetGirl]

I personally haven't tried it, but have heard that Emeril's Quick King Cake is good...

 

[letscook04]

Never heard of it!

 

[gilliandanielle]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/King_cake

You learn something new every day!

 

[lisacb77]

I would love to see one using crescent or cinnamon rolls...not the original request but would like to make one for my ofc next week since I used to live in LA!

 

[Ginger428]

In 1 of our older cook books we have a recipe for something that looks like a braid.(not the ones in All The Best) It is 2 long filled tubes, I think maybe french bread loaves. You twist them around one another. well you could use this except have sweet filling & after it is twisted bring the ends together....not making much sense. I've gotta go look for it, its driving me crazy....

 

[pcchris]

King cakes, for those of you that need to know, are something that is used in a Mardi Gras celebration. They are some shape or design of bread, with the purple, gold and green coloration...and inside every king cake is a little plastic baby. Tradition speaks that the one who finds the baby, hosts the big party the next time. I'm sure it goes deeper than this, but this is the jist of it. My Girl Scouts hosted a Mardi Gras party last year, and that's what we went by. hope I'm giving you correct info.

 

[dianevill]

Thank you - I had no idea!!

 

[Chef Kearns]

I am not making a traditional King Cake at my Mardi Gras party on Saturday. It is kinda involved and I'm already making the Gumbo from the Soups, Stews, and Chilis cards. Instead I am making a large batch of the garlic pull-aparts in the Fluted pan. I will wrap the baby inside one of the chunks of biscuit. I haven't tried it yet. Someone else mentioned that their baby melted !! I keep meaning to try it first, but haven't found the time. Oh well!! If it melts we'll just have a big ole laugh!! Or I might toss the baby in the Gumbo!

 

[GourmetGirl]

I read online that you can always make a small slit in the bottom of one and slip the baby in that way... it works better with the king cake as you then frost it, so it normally covers the slit... just a suggestion...

 

[nikked]

Recipe from last yearHere's a recipe I used last year at a "Mardi Gras" themed party. Everybody seemed to love it. The first one uses cinnamon rolls, the second crescent rolls. I made the second one, and everyone loved it.

HTH!

 

[britishchef]

At work one of our customers once FedEx'd us a King Cake from new Orleans. It was yum, and my boss got the baby! That meant he was supposed to buy the cake the next year. He cheated and got Bread Co. bagels instead.

 

[BethCooks4U]

I've done these at shows held this time of year and they always go over very well! I do, however, always worry that someone will swallow, or worse, choke on the baby!

 

[straitfan]

When searching for a theme for my show on the 19th a few weeks ago, I ran across some posts about Mardi Gras and decided to go for it. We're making a King Cake! I needed a little education on it, and this is what I found. (I had no idea all of the symbolism!) "As part of the celebration of Mardi Gras, it is traditional to bake an oval cake in honor of the three kings - the King Cake. The shape of a King Cake symbolizes the unity of faiths. Each cake is decorated in the traditional Mardi Gras colors: purple represents justice, green represents faith and gold represents power. A small baby, symbolizing the baby Jesus, is baked into each cake."

 

[lisacb77]

Thanks Nicole! The cinnamon roll one sounds the closest to the real deal so I may do that!

 

[nikked]

You're welcome!

 

[chefann]

I've done these at shows held this time of year and they always go over very well! I do, however, always worry that someone will swallow, or worse, choke on the baby!

That's their own fault for not chewing their food completely!

 

[[email protected]]

How about the person who gets the baby gets to host the next Pampered Chef show? Love THAT idea!!

 

[mountainmama74]

I read online that you can always make a small slit in the bottom of one and slip the baby in that way... it works better with the king cake as you then frost it, so it normally covers the slit... just a suggestion...

This is how I always do it. I use a plastic baby, so I never wanted to risk baking it! LOL!

 

[lcucinella]

I have a great one using Crescent rolls. Being from New Orleans, I actually prefer this recipe to some of the store bought filled cakes...It also shows A TON of pampered chef products. If you want to email me I will forward you a copy.

Mardi Gras King Cake


1 pkg (8 oz) Cream Cheese, softened ( DO NOT USE FAT FREE, but you can use 1/3 less fat)
½ cup Powdered Sugar
½ tsp. Vanilla extract
2 cans (8 oz) Crescent Rolls
1 can Blueberry, cherry or Lemon pie filling ( I have even used a pecan caramel filling)

Glaze:
½ cup Powdered Sugar
1-2 tbsp. Water

Colored Sugar:
Yellow, Green and Purple (red and blue makes purple) food coloring
½ cup sugar for each color

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix softened cream cheese, sugar and vanilla extract until smooth. Separate crescent rolls and arrange like a ring. Spread cream cheese mixture over crescent rolls. Scoop pie filling with large scoop (it will only use about ½ the can) onto the cream cheese mixture. Close the ring and bake until brown.
Mix together powdered sugar and water to make glaze.
Place sugar in 3 different sandwich bags then squeeze 3 drops of food coloring in each bag to make the 3 different colors.
Once king cake is cooled for about 15 minutes drizzle glaze then sprinkle with the 3 different colored sugars.


Easy Cinnamon King Cake
2 cans (9.5 oz) refrigerated Cinnamon Rolls (generic brand)
1 block (8 0z) Cream Cheese
½ cup Powdered Sugar
3 Colored sugars

Separate and unroll cinnamon rolls. Take 3 and braid or twist. Once all are twisted put together to make a ring. Mix cream cheese and powdered sugar and pipe into twist. Bake until brown. Glaze and sprinkle sugars.