Well Mardi Gras season is upon us. Having family roots from Mobile, I enjoy King Cake. Since I did not alway live in the deep south, I have not always been able to get fresh cakes – the store-bought grocery ones are usually pretty stale, and the thought of paying $40+ to have one shipped does not sit well – so that leaves me with making my own.
The problem here lies with the fact that I don’t have several hours that I can devote to this. So I have made my own alternative – Busy Momma’s King Cake. Traditional King Cake is layers of pastry with a cinnamon filling. My solution begins with a tube of flaky crescent rolls.
But before I share the recipe, this evening after dinner I overheard Gary say the following words to his father, who then sent him to me. Thankfully I had my camera ready!
If tomorrow is Fat Tuesday, than today is Skinny Monday
Just for the record, no Gary is not malnourished or underweight. He is just able to suck in his tummy until his ribs show.
Busy Momma’s King Cake
2 tubes of flaky crescent rolls
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1/4 teaspoon orange cookie emulsion
milk for glaze
purple, green and gold sugar
In a small bowl combine brown sugar and cinnamon. On a floured cutting board unroll crescent rolls into rectangles with 4 rolls each. Sprinkle the sugar mixture onto the dough. Fold into thirds length-wise. Join the pieces to form a ring on a lightly greased baking sheet and bake at 375 for about 15 minutes. Allow to cool. Combine powered sugar, flavoring and just a little bit of milk until it form a thick glaze and all lumps are removed. Spoon the glaze onto the cake and add colored sugars.
Tips
*Moisten the seams with water to help them adhere
*Next year I will only use one tube (the cake was very thin in ratio to the diameter of the cake)
*You can substitute any flavoring you have on hand. I used the orange because it is white and would not change the color of the glaze (not to mention it is yummy)
Until next time…
Updated on 7/15/2013: here is a printable recipe card Busy Mom King Cake
