Simple King Cake

Simple King Cake
4.5 (2 ratings)
Chef David Guas grew up in New Orleans, and today the James Beard Award finalist is at the helm of Bayou Bakery, Coffee Bar & Eatery in Arlington, Virginia. Here is his recipe for a simple king cake, which only requires a few ingredients.
Prep Time
20
minutes
Cook Time
40
minutes
Servings
6
Simple King Cake
Total time: 1 hour
Ingredients
  • 1 can pillsbury cinnamon rolls with icing
  • 1.5 cup granulated sugar
  • 1 package food coloring (purple, green and yellow)
  • 3 8-ounce mason jars
Directions
  1. Preheat the oven according to package instructions.
  2. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and remove the rolls from the packaging.
  3. Gently press down each roll so that they overlap by an inch, creating an oval cake.
  4. Place the cake in the oven and bake per package directions.
  5. While baking, take three 8 ounce Mason jars with lids and fill halfway with granulated sugar, about .5 cup in each jar.
  6. Put 3-4 drops of green food coloring in one jar and repeat with purple and yellow food coloring in the other two jars.
  7. Reseal and shake until color is evenly distributed.
  8. Chef’s note: This is a fun activity for kids and parents to do together.
  9. Remove the cake from the oven and cool for 20 minutes.
  10. Use the provided icing and spread on top of the cake.
  11. Take the tri-colored sugars, beginning with purple, and sprinkle on 4 quadrants of the cake.
  12. Fill in gaps with green and gold, alternating until complete.