Description
This Lazy King Cake is the ultimate shortcut version of the classic Mardi Gras dessert—soft, sweet, and topped with colorful sugar—without the long rise times or complicated shaping. Made with refrigerated dough and a creamy cinnamon filling, it delivers all the festive flavor with minimal effort.
Ingredients
Scale
For the King Cake
- 2 cans refrigerated crescent roll dough (or biscuit dough)
- 8 oz cream cheese, softened
- ½ cup powdered sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1 tbsp granulated sugar
For the Glaze
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 2–3 tbsp milk
- ½ tsp vanilla extract
For Decorating
- Purple, green, and gold sanding sugar
- 1 small plastic baby (optional, traditional)
Instructions
1. Preheat & Prep
- Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C).
- Lightly grease a round cake pan or baking dish.
2. Make the Filling
- In a bowl, mix cream cheese, powdered sugar, vanilla, cinnamon, and granulated sugar until smooth.
3. Assemble
- Unroll crescent dough and separate into triangles.
- Spread a spoonful of filling on each triangle.
- Roll up loosely and arrange in a circle, slightly overlapping, to form a ring.
- If using biscuit dough, flatten slightly, fill, fold, and arrange in a circle.
4. Bake
- Bake 22–25 minutes, until golden and cooked through.
- Cool slightly before glazing.
5. Glaze & Decorate
- Whisk glaze ingredients until smooth.
- Drizzle over warm cake.
- Sprinkle with purple, green, and gold sugars.
- Hide the plastic baby underneath or insert carefully after baking.
Notes
- Crescent dough makes this extra flaky; biscuit dough yields a more bread-like texture.
- Add a pinch of nutmeg for traditional flavor.
- For almond lovers, replace vanilla with almond extract.
- Prep Time: PT10M
- Cook Time: PT25M
- Category: Desserts
- Method: Baked
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 slice
- Calories: 320 kcal
- Sugar: 26g
- Sodium: 360mg
- Fat: 16g
- Saturated Fat: 9g
- Unsaturated Fat: 7g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 40g
- Fiber: 1g
- Protein: 5g
- Cholesterol: 55mg