Celebrate Mardi Gras with this simple King Cake Monkey Bread! This shortcut monkey bread uses Rhodes frozen dinner rolls and is filled with cream cheese, cinnamon-sugar and a sticky -praline sauce.
Happy Tuesday! Today I'm sharing a delicious Rhodes bread recipe to celebrate Mardi Gras! Mardi Gras or Fat Tuesday is an annual celebration held on the Tuesday before Ash Wednesday (the first day of Lent). Mardi Gras is viewed as the last day to indulge before the ritual fasting of the Lenten season.
Mardi Gras is all about music, parades, picnics, floats and excitement. Everyone wears purple, green, and gold costumes, beads and masks in celebration. King Cakes are traditionally served for the first time on Kings Day. This delicious festive cake is enjoyed throughout the Carnival season and is a must for every Mardi Gras celebration.
A traditional King Cake is a braided cinnamon-laced brioche-like cake topped with an icing and Purple, Green and Gold sugars. The sugars symbolize justice, faith and power! King Cakes are baked with a variety of fillings, cream cheese, fruit, cinnamon-sugar and even cinnamon-praline.
A traditional King Cake is a braided cinnamon-laced brioche-like cake topped with an icing and Purple, Green and Gold sugars. The sugars symbolize justice, faith and power! King Cakes are baked with a variety of fillings, cream cheese, fruit, cinnamon-sugar and even cinnamon-praline.
Every King Cake contains a small trinket - often a small figurine in the shape of a baby hidden inside the baked cake. Whomever finds the baby in their slice of cake is crowned "King of the Day" and responsible for hosting next years Mardi Gras celebration (this keeps the tradition going). My favorite King Cake is filled with a lemon cream-cheese filling that I made several years back using Rhodes Frozen Bread Dough.
If you would like to get this recipe, head over to the Rhodes Kids Baking Blog where I'm guest posting today, and sharing the full recipe with step by step instructions on how to make this Festive Mardi Gras treat.
Click Here for the full step-by-step instructions.
Mardi Gras - King Cake Monkey Bread
20 - 22 Rhodes Frozen Dinner Rolls, thawed but still cold
6 - ounces cream cheese, cubed
1 1/2 - teaspoons cinnamon
3/4 - cup sugar
Praline Sauce
1/4 - cup butter
1/4 cup - brown sugar
1/4 - cup sugar
1/2 - cup evaporated milk
Simple Icing
1 1/2 - cups confectioners� sugar
1/2 - teaspoon softened butter
3 - tablespoon milk (more if needed)
green, purple & gold sprinkles
little plastic king cake baby
Arrange dinner rolls on a large baking sheet that has been sprayed with baking spray or line with waxed paper (sprayed with non stick spray).
Place the rolls on the counter until they are thawed but still cold. Cut the cream cheese block into 1/2 inch cubes and set aside.
Roll each dinner roll out flat into a 2 1/2 to 3 inch circle. We just pressed the dough out using our fingers.
Add one cube of cream cheese on the flattened roll and gather the ends to the center, pinching the dough closed. Roll the dough into a ball.
Using a knife or pizza cutter, cut each dough ball in half and roll into two smaller balls; set aside on baking tray.
Continue rolling, stuffing and cutting into smaller dough balls with the remaining dinner rolls. Once all the dough balls are complete set aside and make the praline sauce.
In a small pot over medium heat add the butter, sugars and evaporated milk. Bring the mixture to a boil and then turn off the heat. Stir the mixture and set aside to cool while you assemble the monkey bread.
Combine the cinnamon and sugar together in a large zip lock bag. Add a few dough balls at a time and shake to cover with rolls with the cinnamon sugar mixture.
Arrange and layer the dough balls in a large Bundt or angel food cake pan that has been sprayed with baking spray. Pour the praline sauce evenly over the rolls.
Cover the pan with a piece of plastic wrap that has been sprayed with baking spray. Let the rolls rise until double in size (about 1 1/2 hours).
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Remove the plastic wrap and bake the monkey bread for 35 - 45 minutes or until the rolls are golden brown and cooked through ( baking time may vary so check the bread often).
Remove from oven and let the monkey bread cool in the pan for 5-7 minutes before inverting onto a plate.
To make the simple icing, in a small bowl whisk the confectioners� sugar, butter and milk until smooth. Drizzle over warm monkey bread and quickly add the green, purple & yellow sprinkles over the glaze.
Hide the king baby inside the baked monkey bread before serving. Whoever gets the baby in his or her slice of bread is traditionally the king (or queen) of the party and has good luck.
Let your guests know before serving that a trinket or baby is hidden inside the bread.
Prep time: 30 minutes (does not include thawing or rising time)
Bake time: 35-45 minutes
Servings: 10-12
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