Easy Cinnamon Roll Monkey Bread King Cake -

Mardi Gras isn’t complete without a sweet and colorful King Cake. If you live in the French Quarter or celebrate Mardi Gras in any way then you have likely heard of this cake. There are many variations of the cake from danish like to more like bread. Most are flavored vanilla, cinnamon, chocolate, or some a cream cheese combo. Make your own, savory King Cake for your family this year to celebrate.

What is a Mardi Gras King Cake?

Typically, the cake is shaped in a circle without a center. Kind of like a crown that you could put on your head, figuratively speaking that is. The cake is usually make of brioche dough and a wide array of fillings such a cream cheese, cinnamon, and chocolate. The magic comes from the glaze and sprinkles which are usually yellow (gold), green, and purple. Gold represents power, green is associated with faith, and purple illustrates justice.

Why is there a baby inside?

Each cake is baked with a tiny plastic baby figurine hidden inside. Yes I said baby! Don’t worry, you won’t accidentally eat it without knowing because it isn’t so little. Some believe that it was placed inside to symbolize baby Jesus. The person who is served the slice with the baby inside will receive luck and prosperity for the coming year. The same person is also responsible for providing the cake the next year or hosting the next Mardi Gras party.

Monkey Bread King Cake Recipe

This recipe is adapted from Julie’s Eats and Treats and so simple to make. I have actually used this recipe several times already for our back to school breakfast. Check out Back To School Breakfast With Target Dollar Spot and 12 Back to School Traditions That Your Kids Will Love for more ideas to celebrate the first day of school with your kiddos.

Prep time : 15 minutes

Cook time : 30 minutes

Total time : 45 minutes

Ingredients

Dough

1/2 cup of granulated Sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons of cinnamon
2 cans of cinnamon rolls with icing (original, non-flakey kind)
1/3 cup of brown sugar
1/2 cup of butter melted
1 teaspoon of vanilla

Icing (also can use icing that comes with rolls)

1 cup of powdered sugar
3-4 tablespoons of milk
1 tablespoon of softened butter
1/2 teaspoon of vanilla

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Grease a bundt pan with non-stick cooking spray.
Place cinnamon and sugar together in a gallon resealable bag.
Cut each cinnamon roll into 6 pieces. Roll and place them in bag with cinnamon and sugar mixture. Shake the bag to coat each piece.
Arrange half of cinnamon roll pieces in bundt pan.
Stir together brown sugar, butter, and vanilla. Pour half of mixture over rolls.
Add in the plastic baby.
Place the rest of the rolls on top and cover with the remaining butter mixture.
Bake in pre-heated oven for 35-40 minutes or until golden brown and cooked through.
Immediately flip out onto serving platter.
Allow to cool slightly before drizzling icing over rolls.
Cover icing with yellow, green, and purple sprinkles.