New Orleans King Cake (The easy way)

I understand. Everyone's all wrapped up in thoughts of Valentines Day. But... don't get so wrapped up in Valentines Day that you forget what happens 2 days later. (After President's Day, that is. Jeez. Mardi Gras just can't catch a break this year. It's gotta compete with Valentines Day AND President's Day). Anyway, Fat Tuesday.

Awwww hells yes. Fat Tuesday is on Feb 16th this year. And since you'll be looking for something sweet and delicious to load up on before Lent starts the next day (I wonder how many people give up sugar/sweets/chocolate, etc for Lent?), I present you with the easiest King Cake Recipe ever. And delicious!

I actually made this King Cake for the Super Bowl. And it was declared very authentic despite the lazy woman method I employed to make it. Before we get into the recipe, let's talk a little about King Cakes.

For me, the single best thing about a King Cake is the plastic baby inside. I stopped at a cake decorating store here in town and found a package of 8 little naked plastic babies for $1.89. Awesome, right? When I got home and started to prepare the King Cake, I started thinking about whether or not these little naked plastic babies were 1. heatproof and 2. non-toxic. Now, to me... as much as I love the idea of biting into a piece of cake that is studded with a little naked plastic baby, the idea of that little naked baby melting and creating a pool of toxic chemicals that will eventually give me cancer one day was not something I was excited about.

In the end, I opted to prop the little naked plastic baby up on the top of the cake. Which, honestly... looked a little funny. But, also made me happy to look over and see the little baby hovering over the edge of the cake. Plus, this way.. the baby stayed nice and clean and fresh.

Top the cake off with some icing, some green, purple, and yellow colored sugars and some mini mardi gras beads and you've got yourself the perfect (and easy!) King Cake.

Laissez le Bon temp rouler!!

Easy Mini King Cake (for kids)

Found on Anna's Blog, Cookie Madness

So, basically you take a tube of canned biscuits, roll them out and together and then douse it with melted butter and sprinkle with cinnamon, and sugar. Roll into a tube and shape into a circle. Easy, right?

And it is easy, but my biscuits were not attaching to each other to make a complete piece of dough and once it started cooking, they kind of broke apart and formed huge gashes and crevices in the ring. At first, I freaked out, but I let it keep baking and in the end, it turned out just fine. Sure, it kinda ended up being 4 pieces shaped into a squareish circle, but once you slapped some icing and sugar on it, it looked fine. So, don't despair if your biscuits go a little rogue on you in the baking process. It'll all turn out.

Next year, I might make this in a Monkey Bread type of way, using a bundt pan. I think that would work great!

To see Anna's exact recipe, click on her blog link above. I'm giving the recipe the way I made it (just a few minor adjustments).

1 (16 oz) can of biscuits

1/4 cup melted butter
1/4 cup brown sugar
2 tbsp sugar
1 tablespoon cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
pinch of salt
Yellow, Purple, Green Sugars
1 plastic baby

Icing:
1/2 cup confectioners sugar
Milk or Heavy Cream

Preheat your oven to 325.

Lay the biscuits out 4x2 on a piece of parchment paper and press and roll them out to form one piece of dough. (I didnt use water, but I think some water might have helped the dough stick together better). With a pastry brush or a big spoon, spread the melted butter over the dough.

In a small bowl, mix your white and brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt. Then spread this mixture evenly over the buttered dough.

Roll the dough into a log and shape the log into a circle, careful to make sure the ends are pinched together well on a sheet pan that has been lined with a silpat or a piece of parchment paper.

Bake in the oven till the biscuits are puffed up and done (about 30 minutes or so).

Once cooled a little bit, mix your confectioners sugar with just enough milk to make an icing consistency. And spread over the top of the cake. Then add your decorative sugars.