Happy Easter: Easy King Cake

Happy Easter! When I think about Easter, I think about faith, family, food, gratitude, and celebration. In Louisiana, celebrating the Easter season is just that . . . a celebration for a season. There's the Christmas season, which is followed by Epiphany, Mardi Gras, and Lent. Lots of celebrating!

One of the foods I associate with this season of celebrating is King Cake. Traditionally, King Cake is a sweet bread that is similar to a coffee cake or cinnamon roll. It can be filled with various fillings, like cream cheese, strawberry, blueberry, pecan praline, or left plain. It is covered with a white icing and purple, green, and gold colored sugars. The sugars are said to represent justice (purple), faith (green), and power (gold). The three colors are also said to represent the three wise men who searched and found Christ. There is usually a small, plastic baby in the cake to represent baby Jesus. The person who finds the baby is suppose to bring a King Cake to the next gathering. 

I have a recipe for a made-from-scratch King Cake from my friend Claudette. Claudette's recipe makes a sweet, delicious yeast bread. You are welcome to make your dough and icing from scratch, but my recipe is an easy, short-cut recipe for King Cake.

RDtipoftheday's Easy King Cake
Ingredients
1 tube cinnamon rolls
Icing (from cinnamon roll package)
Purple, green, and gold sanding sugar

Instructions
Unroll cinnamon rolls into long strips of dough. Braid 3 pieces of dough together and attach ends to form an oval. Cook according to package directions. (My package said 350*F for 12-16 minutes. My dough was done around 12 minutes, so keep an eye on the dough). 

Ice the cake with your icing. 

Sprinkle on the sanding sugar alternating purple, green, and gold. Work quickly before the icing is set. 

How easy was that?!? This is a great recipe for your kids or new bakers. It is simple, quick, and delicious. I hope you enjoy this recipe, and Happy Easter!

Follow me, RDtipoftheday, on Pinterest, Instagram, and Twitter, for more information about healthy eating, encouragement, recipes, and nutrition facts. You can also subscribe to this blog, RDtipoftheday.blogspot.com, through BlogLovin.