Description
This Shortcut Mardi Gras King Cake is an easy and festive twist on the traditional New Orleans dessert. Using store-bought jumbo cinnamon rolls and a creamy homemade icing blend, this cake comes together quickly and is perfect for celebrating Mardi Gras with vibrant purple, green, and yellow sugar decorations. Its soft, cinnamon-spiced layers paired with the rich cream cheese icing deliver a deliciously sweet and colorful treat.
Ingredients
Scale
Main Ingredients
- 2 (17.5-ounce) cans jumbo cinnamon rolls with icing (each tube contains 5 rolls)
- 2 ounces cream cheese, softened
- Sugar crystals in purple, yellow, and green, for decorating
Instructions
- Preheat Oven: Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C) and spray a Bundt or tube pan with non-stick cooking spray to ensure the cake doesn’t stick during baking.
- Prepare Cinnamon Rolls: Open the cinnamon roll tubes and carefully remove the included icing packets for later use. Arrange the rolls snugly in the bottom of the prepared pan, slightly squeezing them in if necessary to fill the space evenly.
- Bake the Cake: Place the pan in the preheated oven and bake the cinnamon rolls for 25 to 30 minutes, or until the rolls are cooked through and no longer gooey in the center.
- Cool the Cake: Remove the cake from the oven and carefully invert it onto a platter. Allow it to cool completely before icing to prevent the frosting from melting.
- Prepare the Icing: While the cake cools, combine the two icing packets from the cinnamon roll cans with 2 ounces of softened cream cheese in a bowl. Mix until smooth and creamy.
- Frost and Decorate: Once the cake is completely cool, spread the cream cheese icing mixture evenly over the cake surface. Decorate the top with alternating stripes or patterns of purple, yellow, and green sugar crystals to celebrate Mardi Gras colors.
Notes
- You can substitute cream cheese icing with plain cream cheese mixed with powdered sugar if you want a different texture.
- If you like, hide a small plastic baby figurine inside the cake for a traditional Mardi Gras surprise.
- Make sure the cake is fully cooled before icing to avoid melting the frosting and losing decorations.
- Use Bundt pans or tube pans of similar size to ensure even cooking of the cinnamon rolls.
- For extra flavor, sprinkle a pinch of cinnamon or nutmeg into the icing before spreading.
