• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
Southern Discourse

Southern Discourse

Food, Faith & Southern Hospitality!

  • Recipes
    • Appetizers & Snacks
    • Beverages
    • Bread
    • Breakfast & Brunch
    • Casseroles
    • Desserts
    • Main Dishes
    • Salads
    • Sandwiches
    • Sauces & Dressings
    • Side Dishes
    • Soups
    • All Recipes
    • Recipe Collections
  • Hospitality
    • Spring
    • Summer
    • Fall
    • Winter
    • Everyday
  • Shop
  • About
  • Subscribe
Home › Recipes
Rate & Comment

Easy Cinnamon Roll King Cakes

Stacey Pirtle

by Stacey Updated: Feb 13, 2023

Jump to Recipe

This post may contain affiliate links.

This quick & easy Cinnamon Roll King Cake recipe celebrates traditional New Orleans flavor and eliminates the need to make a yeast bread from scratch. You’ll be enjoying soft and delicious Mardi Gras King Cakes with cream cheese frosting and sugar toppings in just 35 minutes!

a sliced louisiana cinnamon king cake bun


Why You’ll Love This Recipe

  • Traditional King Cake requires making a bread dough that you have to knead and wait to rise before you can even start making the “cake.” This quick & easy short cut recipe eliminates all of that work with yeast and such and let’s you enjoy a delicious King Cake in just about 35 minutes!
  • These Easy Cinnamon Roll King Cakes are way more delicious than any of the store bought King Cakes I’ve ever had (plus, if you find yourself living away from Louisiana or the gulf coast of Mississippi or Alabama, your local bakery may not carry any…)
  • This recipe can be used to make 6 inch cakes/buns that are perfect for slicing and sharing or 3 inch cakes/buns that are ideal for parties and feeding a crowd!

RELATED RECIPES: Easy Louisiana Biscuit Beignets, Homemade Cinnamon Roll Coffee Creamer

easy king cake recipe with cinnamon rolls, cream cheese icing and colored sugar toppings

What is King Cake & Why is It Tradition?

Over 750,000 king cakes are said to be baked & enjoyed every year during the Mardi Gras season.  That, my friend, is a lot of cake! So what makes King Cake different from other cakes.

First of all, authentic King Cake really isn’t cake. It’s more of lightly sweetened, cinnamon braided brioche bread, topped with icing and colored sugars. Think more bread-like cinnamon roll than cake. Lots of modern king cake versions also include fillings, like chocolate, fruit or cheesecake.

Secondly, eating King Cake is steeped in important tradition. The first king cake of the carnival season is usually served on Epiphany  and continues to be served until Lenten begins.  It is aptly named after the 3 wise men (also called the 3 kings) who visited Jesus after his birth.  A tiny plastic baby, bean, or a coin is placed inside or underneath the cake as a symbol of the wise men’s visit. 

The baby represents the infant Christ, while the bean or the coin represent the gifts the kings’ presented the Christ child.  The person who finds the hidden goody in his piece of cake is named “king for the day” and must host the next gathering with the next king cake!

RELATED POST: Let’s Talk King Cake & Other Fat Tuesday Traditions

a slice of cinnamon roll king cake where the baby might be hidden according to King Cake tradition

Ingredients for Easy Cinnamon Roll King Cakes

  • canned jumbo cinnamon rolls (must be the rolled kind)
  • cream cheese
  • whipping cream
  • purple, green, yellow (or gold) sanding sugars or sprinkles
how to make cinnamon roll king cakes for parties, parades or Mardi gras celebrations

How To Make Braided Cinnamon Roll King Cakes

Unroll. After opening the cans of cinnamon rolls, remove the rolls and unroll the strips of dough.

Twist. Take two strips of dough and twist together by laying one strip over the other and repeating until the 2 strips are completely twisted together, being careful not to stretch the dough. Start and finish as close to the ends of the strips as possible. Holding the ends of the twisted dough, give the strips one final twist to tighten it all up.

Wrap. Turn one end of the dough inward to create a center and wrap the rest of the twist around the center to create a spiral bun. Tuck the end underneath the bun to hide it. Then bake!

pro tip for making king cakes for a party
cinnamon roll king cake buns with traditional cinnamon bread flavors before icing

King Cake Cream Cheese Icing & Sugar Toppings

Empty the icing provided with the cinnamon rolls into a mixing bowl. Add softened cream cheese and whipping cream. Use a mixer to whip icing until fluffy. Spoon it over the king cakes and top with purple, yellow and green sanding sugars or sprinkles.

Purple, green and yellow are the 3 colors of Mardi Gras. Purple= justice, Green= faith, Gold/yellow= power.

Cream Cheese Icing & Sugar Toppings for Cinnamon Roll King Cakes

Storing & Freezing King Cakes

You can store leftover king cakes in an air tight container for 1 day. You can also make them 1 day ahead of your celebration. However, I think these king cakes are at their best when they eaten the day they’re made.

If you need to freeze your king cakes, it’s best to freeze them before they’ve been iced and sugared, freezing the icing separately. Allow the cakes to thaw on the counter and the icing to thaw in the refrigerator.

a sliced louisiana cinnamon king cake bun

Other Mardi Gras Must-Haves

Whether you are local and looking for one of your favorite dishes to whip up or far away and missing a bit of home, here are 17 must-have recipes to put a little Louisiana on your table any day of the year!

17 must have mardi gras recipes

IF YOU MAKE THIS RECIPE, BE SURE TO LET ME KNOW!

RATE IT, LEAVE A COMMENT OR SNAP A PHOTO.

Tag me on Instagram at #southerndiscourse
easy new orleans cinnamon roll king cakes for mardi gras

Easy Cinnamon Roll King Cakes

This quick & easy Cinnamon Roll King Cake recipe celebrates traditional New Orleans flavor and eliminates the need to make a yeast bread from scratch. You'll be enjoying soft and delicious Mardi Gras King Cakes with cream cheese frosting and sugar toppings in just 35 minutes!
Print Pin Rate
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Keyword: Louisiana, mardi gras
Servings: 7 (6 inch) cakes
Author: Stacey | SouthernDiscourse.com

Ingredients

  • 3 cans jumbo cinnamon rolls (5 rolls in each can)
  • 4 ounces cream cheese
  • 2 tablespoons whipping cream
Get Recipe Ingredients

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 325° Fahrenheit. Grease 2 baking sheets or use a silicon baking mat to line the baking sheets.
  • After opening the cans of cinnamon rolls, remove the rolls and unroll them, creating 5 strips of dough.
  • Take two strips of dough and twist together by laying one strip over the other and repeating until the 2 strips are completely twisted together, being careful not to stretch the dough. Start and finish as close to the ends of the strips as possible. Holding the ends of the twisted dough, give the strips one final twist to tighten it all up.
  • Turn one end of the dough inward to create a center and wrap the rest of the twist around the center to create a spiral bun. Tuck the end underneath the bun to hide it. Place buns on baking sheets and bake for 25-30 minutes or until they are no longer gooey in the middle. Remove from oven and allow to cool.
  • Empty the icing provided with the cinnamon rolls into a mixing bowl. Add softened cream cheese and whipping cream. Use a mixer to whip icing until fluffy. Spoon it over the king cakes and top with purple, yellow and green sanding sugars or sprinkles.

Notes

To make (15) 3 inch individual-sized cakes for a party, simply use one strip of dough instead of two strips to create your braided bun.  Cut the single strip in half, twist the 2 halves together, and follow the rest of the instructions to create the bun.  Bake at 350 for 25 minutes. Then ice and top with sugars.
easy new orleans cinnamon roll king cakes for mardi gras
Did you make my Easy Cinnamon Roll King Cakes?Show me how it went! Share on Instagram, tag @southerndiscourse, and use the hashtag #SouthernDiscourse!
Tag on Insta Leave a Rating
This quick & easy Cinnamon Roll King Cake recipe celebrates traditional New Orleans flavor and eliminates the need to make a yeast bread from scratch.  You'll be enjoying soft and delicious Mardi Gras King Cakes with cream cheese frosting and sugar toppings in just 35 minutes!

Share this!

  • Facebook
  • Email

Filed Under: Desserts, Recipes Tagged With: Louisiana, Mardi Gras

Meet Stacey

Southern Discourse is a place where you can find southern family dishes, along with special recipes & table settings. Bringing connection & friendship back to the table by wrapping everything in the faith & grace from which true hospitality springs! Read More

  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Facebook
  • Mail

Join Southern Discourse

Subscribe today to never miss a post!

Reader Interactions

Rate & Comment Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




Primary Sidebar

Meet Stacey

Southern Discourse is a place where you can find southern family dishes, along with special recipes & table settings. Bringing connection & friendship back to the table by wrapping everything in the faith & grace from which true hospitality springs! Read More

  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Facebook
  • Mail

Join Southern Discourse

Never miss a new post!

Reader Favorites

  • A finished skillet of Dirty Rice.Louisiana Dirty Rice
  • traditional chicken and dressing for a southern holiday mealSouthern Chicken and Dressing
  • Whipped Feta Dip with honeyWhipped Feta with Honey Dip
  • A forkful of sweet potato casserole to show the fluffy texture of the potatoes.Sweet Potato Casserole with Pecan Topping
  • pecan pie bars turn traditional pie into an easy dessertBest Ever Pecan Pie Bars
  • Spicy Italian Sub Crescent Ring TitleSpicy Italian Crescent Ring

Recipes by Category

  • Appetizers
  • Beverages
  • Bread
  • Breakfast & Brunch
  • Casseroles
  • Desserts
  • Main Dishes
  • Salads
  • Sandwiches
  • Sauces & Dessings
  • Side Dishes
  • Soups
Southern Discourse
  • About
  • Contact
  • Subscribe
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Facebook
  • Mail

Join Southern Discourse

Subscribe today to never miss a post!

© 2025 · Southern Discourse · Privacy · Cookies

Rate This Recipe

Your vote:




A rating is required
A name is required
An email is required