30-Minute King Cake

February 16, 2021 Erica Hann

PREP TIME
5 minutes

COOK TIME
25 minutes

YIELD
6 to 8 Slices

Ingredients

1 can of refrigerated cinnamon rolls with icing
Splash of milk (or non-dairy alternative)
Food coloring (See Note 1)
1 dried bean or plastic baby (See Note 2)

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Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees, or per package directions.
Grease a small (6-inch) angel food cake pan (See Note 3). Remove the icing from the cinnamon roll package and set aside.
Take the first cinnamon roll from the package twist so that there is some of the cinnamon topping on both sides of the bun. Place the roll in the pan so that it is standing up on its side (perpendicular from how it would be if you were just baking the cinnamon rolls according to the package directions.
Repeat step 3 for all of the rolls in the package. Arrange the rolls so that they are just touching.
Bake for about 20 to 25 minutes, until golden brown on the outside. A toothpick inserted into the roll should come out cleanly and easily. Note that this is longer than the package will instruct you to bake the rolls. This is because we have placed them all close together, more time is required for the heat to get to the middle.
When the cake is done, let it cool for 5 to 10 minutes in the pan then move to a wire rack and cool completely.
While the cake is cooling, mix the icing. In a small dish, add the icing and just a splash of milk (or non-dairy alternative) to thin the icing out and create more of a glaze. When it has reached the consistency you are looking for, divide into three ramekins or small dishes.
Add yellow, green, and purple (red + blue) food coloring, one color per small dish of icing. Just one or two drops of food coloring will do since you’re working with a very small amount of glaze.
When the cake is cool, take your dried bean (or plastic baby) and insert it stealthily into the cake. Drizzle the glaze over the cake in an alternating yellow, green, and purple pattern. If needed, hide the location of the bean (or baby) with glaze.
Don’t forget to tell eaters about the secret charm within the cake! The charm is a sign of good luck, and the eater who finds it in their cake is deemed to be the “king” (or “queen”) for the evening.

Notes:

The traditional colors of New Orleans Mardi Gras are purple, green, and gold (See the official New Orleans Mardi Gras website for the history of the colors). I chose to use food coloring for my glaze, but another popular choice is sugar sprinkles. This second option also seems to be a little more common. I used food coloring because that’s what I had on hand!
The history of the dried bean or plastic baby is a long and complicated one. I am not in any way qualified to get into this one, so I’ll just share my experience.

When we were kids, our school would throw a Mardi Gras party on Fat Tuesday, the last day before the fasting of lent began. We all got dressed up in costumes, just like on Halloween, and ended the evening with a slice of colorful king cake. I always wanted to get the bean that was hidden in the cake because it meant that I would be granted with good luck and crowned the queen for the night! My mom really hoped no one in our family got the bean though. Not because she didn’t want us to have good luck, but because the family that got the bean got to (a.k.a. had to) organize next year’s Mardi Gras party. As a single working mom of three, she didn’t have the time for that!

Last year, we actually had the chance to visit New Orleans during the Mardi Gras season. The Mardi Gras season begins on January 6th, the 12th nigh after Christmas when the three wise men visited baby Jesus (hence the baby in the cake). The season ends on Mardi Gras (a.k.a. Fat Tuesday). We learned a little more about the New Orleans festivities while we were there, but there is a deep and varied culture surrounding so much of the season in New Orleans. Definitely take the time to read up on the history of Mardi Gras, and if you ever get the chance, it’s worth the experience!
I keep a small angel food cake pan in with my cast iron camp ovens to make baking a little easier. The hole in the center of the pan helps with even and quicker baking, and the bottom pushes out, making baked-goods removal super easy. My pan happens to be fluted, but a straight-sided pan should work just as well.

Ingredients

1 can of refrigerated cinnamon rolls with icing

Splash of milk (or non-dairy alternative)

Food coloring (See Note 1)

1 dried bean or plastic baby (See Note 2)

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees, or per package directions.

Grease a small (6-inch) angel food cake pan (See Note 3). Remove the icing from the cinnamon roll package and set aside.

Repeat step 3 for all of the rolls in the package. Arrange the rolls so that they are just touching.

When the cake is done, let it cool for 5 to 10 minutes in the pan then move to a wire rack and cool completely.

While the cake is cooling, mix the icing. In a small dish, add the icing and just a splash of milk (or non-dairy alternative) to thin the icing out and create more of a glaze. When it has reached the consistency you are looking for, divide into three ramekins or small dishes.

Add yellow, green, and purple (red + blue) food coloring, one color per small dish of icing. Just one or two drops of food coloring will do since you’re working with a very small amount of glaze.

When the cake is cool, take your dried bean (or plastic baby) and insert it stealthily into the cake. Drizzle the glaze over the cake in an alternating yellow, green, and purple pattern. If needed, hide the location of the bean (or baby) with glaze.

Don’t forget to tell eaters about the secret charm within the cake! The charm is a sign of good luck, and the eater who finds it in their cake is deemed to be the “king” (or “queen”) for the evening.

Notes: