MARDI GRAS KING CAKE
INGREDIENTS
1 8oz pkg cream cheese,
softened
1 egg, separated
1/2 tsp each vanilla &
almond extract
1/3 cup powdered sugar
2 pkgs ready-to-bake
crecent roll dough
1/2 cup canned pie filling,
your choice
1/4 cup each crushed
pecans and raisins
1 tsp cinnamon

King Cakes are a large part of Mardi Gras traditions throughout the South. The cake’s origins date back to the Feast of the Epiphany (the Twelfth Night after Christmas) which celebrates the three King’s visit to the Christ child. During the modern Mardi Gras season, tradition calls for the hiding of a tiny plastic baby inside the cake. The person who get the “lucky” piece of cake with the baby inside is to throw the next party or make the next King Cake.

The cake is decorated in the traditional Mardi Gras colors: green, representing faith; gold, symbolizing power; and purple denoting justice.

Preheat oven to 350. Combine cream cheese, powdered sugar, egg yolk and extracts. Mix until smooth. Unroll crecent rolls and place on cookie sheet, with points towards center, overlapping as needed. Spread cream cheese mixture over dough, stopping 3/4” from edges of dough. Mix pie filling, cinnamon, pecans and raisins. Spread this over cream cheese mixture. Fold outside edges over

towards center, then center over that making sure to close any gaps to prevent filling from escaping. Brush with beaten egg white. Bake for 20- 25 min. Cool and glaze with a mixture of 1/2 cup powdered sugar and 1-2 teaspoons milk, adjusting as needed for desired thickness. Sprinkle with colored sugar-purple, green and bright yellow (gold) for Mardi Gras. Colored sugars are easily made by adding food coloring to granulated sugar and shaking it up in a zip-lock bag.