If your vision of Mardi Gras is stumbling down Bourbon Street in New Orleans among a hoard of strangers stepping in very questionable puddles, you are only partially correct.
In reality, there’s so much more to the the Carnival celebration, which begins after the Christian feasts of the Epiphany and culminated on the day before Ash Wednesday. Parades, historic crews, distinct multicultural traditions, and, of course… King Cake.
Either way, King Cake should be a staple of any Marti Gras party. The classic recipe is is pretty involved — with a finicky dough that requires rolling out, rolling up, and multiple rises. If it’s done right, it’s a basically a giant soft, yeasty cinnamon roll with a sticky-sweet glaze that is so worth the labor.
Here’s the recipe. In just a few simple steps, you’ll be gorging in under 45 minutes:
King Cake Monkey Bread
4 (17.5 oz) tubes refrigerated cinnamon roll dough (with icing), cut into quarters.1 stick butter, melted¼ cup dark brown sugar1 cup chopped pecans, toasted¼ tsp. saltNon-stick sprayPurple, green, and gold sprinkles (or shredded coconut flakes dyed with food coloring)
Preheat the oven to 350°F.
In a large bowl, stir together melted butter, dark brown sugar, toasted pecans and a pinch of salt.
Cut the cinnamon rolls into quarters.
Toss the chunks of dough into the mixture, stir to coat, and transfer to a greased bundt pan.
Bake in the oven for 30 minutes or until deeply golden brown. Let cool for 10 minutes and then flip over onto a plate or serving tray.
Pour glaze over (yes, the one that comes in the tube with the rolls) and decorate with purple, green and gold sprinkles. Can’t find the right color sprinkles? Try shredded coconut flakes dyed with food coloring. Bonus = extra flavor!
Serves 8-10
source: people.com
