It's KING CAKE Season!

Down here in Louisiana we live for the time of year when both crawfish and King Cake come in season.  And that just happens to be about the same time...well, King Cake actually comes first.  Right after New Year's, one begins to see bakeries and grocery stores alike with this colorful confection.  (Read This for the History of the King Cake:  http://www.neworleansshowcase.com/hisofkincak.html#.UtcWT_aKB0k).  Randazzo's, down in New Orleans specializes in the MOST DELICIOUS King Cakes to be found (https://www.randazzokingcake.com/).  You can even order these King Cakes online!  Anyway, when I saw an "easy" recipe for a King Cake the other day, I saved it, planning on baking one soon!

Well, "soon" came sooner than I thought it would.  I decided that I wasn't going to cook dinner last night but that instead we would go out to eat.  You know, no having to clean the kitchen and all.  We came back home afterwards and settled down to watch a little television when Robby said, "Hey...When are we going to make that King Cake?"  I looked at the clock; it was 8 O'clock.  I knew we were about to make a pretty big mess but hey... what the heck!  We proceeded to make our King Cake.

I had already gotten most of the ingredients, with the exception of the purple, green and yellow sugar.  Robby said that wasn't a problem since he could just use food coloring.  It was a "go" on the purple and green but sadly no yellow.  He wanted to use orange but I said, "No Way; we will just use the purple and green."  Anyway, we made the cake and I'm going to share the recipe with you because it was pretty delicious!

INGREDIENTS:
 3 Cans of Cinnamon Rolls
1 8 oz. package of cream cheese
1 cup confectioners sugar
2 T. flour
1 tsp. vanilla extract
a few drops of milk

 The first thing you need to do is take your cinnamon roll dough out of the refrigerator and let it warm up a little.  This will make it easier to roll out.

                              Put all 3 cans together on a floured surface and begin kneading.

                                  Next, use a rolling pin and roll into a rectangular shape.

Then, you will make your filling by mixing the cream cheese, confectioners sugar, vanilla extract and milk together until creamy.

                                               Spread the filling on the rolled out dough.

When you roll the dough around the filling, make sure you don't roll too many rounds or the outside will brown and the inside will not fully cook.  After rolling it up (making sure the ends are tucked in good so the filling doesn't leak out), form the dough into the shape of a ring and place on a sprayed pan.Bake the cake in a preheated 375 degree oven for 25-35 minutes (It will most likely take the entire 35 minutes but check to make sure it is not getting too brown.).

                                        Use the cinnamon roll icing to ice your King Cake.

     You will want to ice your cake while still hot.  I place mine on a rack with a pan beneath it.

Finally, sprinkle your colored sugar on top!  I know...no yellow this time but I plan on getting some for the next one.

I was so anxious to taste this cake to see if it resembled the flavor of a bought King Cake at all and I was pleasantly surprised...It was YUMMY!  Now, If you love King Cake like I do, go and try this recipe.  I assure you, you won't be disappointed.  And if you have never tried a King Cake...well, this is a MUST for you!  OH...but BEWARE!  These things are addictive; every time you pass by one, you have to sneak a pinch.

(Original recipe http://www.foodhomeandgarden.com/2011/02/easy-king-cake-recipe.html)