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Easy Mini King Cake Recipe with Crescent Rolls

Bake up some of these easy Mini King Cakes to celebrate Mardi Gras! Transform buttery crescent rolls and pecans into a Fat Tuesday treat, laced with cinnamon sugar and topped with a simple buttery glaze, decorated with traditional King cake colored sugars.

Prep Time
15 mins
Cook Time
15 mins
Total Time
27 mins
Servings: 12 -14 Mini King Cakes
Calories: 146 kcal
Cuisine: American

Ingredients

Mini King Cakes
  • 1 tube refrigerated crescent rolls I used Organic crescent rolls
  • 6 teaspoons sugar ⅛ cup
  • ½ tablespoon cinnamon
  • 4 tablespoons pecans finely chopped (optional)
  • 1-2 tablespoons melted butter optional
Glaze
  • 1 cup powdered sugar
  • 3 tablespoons water I used half and half
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract or almond extract
  • Purple, Green and Yellow decorating sugars

Instructions

    Cup of Yum
  1. Preheat your oven to 375 degrees F. Grease a mini muffin pan so your cakes don’t stick. Ellen's original recipe calls to make 14 mini King cakes, but my muffin pans only have 12 spots, so I split up the last few pieces and made 12 mini king cakes. Or cut smaller, making more, use mini muffin liners and use a regular muffin tin.
  2. Mix the sugar and cinnamon together in a small bowl. Watch out for clumps!
  3. Open crescent rolls (I used organic) and unroll them, putting them on a cutting board. Dust with a bit of flour first so that they don’t stick. 
  4. Separate crescent rolls into pieces where you see the vertical perforations in the dough. Then, press seams at the diagonal perforations to create 4 rectangles. I used a floured rolling pin and rolled out each rectangle slightly.
  5. Optional step | If desired, brush with a little melted butter, this helps keep the cinnamon sugar inside when transferring to the pan.
  6. Spread the cinnamon sugar on top, plus the pecans if you’re using them. Roll the rectangles as you would cinnamon buns, starting at the long sides. Cut into 24-28 pieces. Use a sharp knife or a bench scraper.
  7. Place two or three pieces in each muffin tin and bake until golden brown. About 10-12 minutes. Let them cool before adding your frosting glaze!
  8. Remove Mardi gras King cakes to wire rack, cool. Or drizzle a little glaze on while they are hot, then add more when ready to decorate and cooled.
  9. To make the glaze, combine butter, powdered sugar, water or milk, and vanilla or almond extract. Mix and glaze your Mini King Cakes, then add the decorative sugars before the glaze hardens. Repeat until all of your treats are decorated!

Notes

  • Omit the pecans if you have an allergy or if you don’t like nuts.
  • Add a teaspoon of lemon juice to the glaze mixture.
  • Swap a couple tablespoons of brown sugar for some of the granulated sugar.
  • Change up the colors and serve my Mini King Cake recipe for any holiday. Red and green for Christmas, pink and red for Valentine’s Day, or green and yellow for St. Patrick’s Day comes to mind!
  • Make these cakes even more indulgent by adding a few tablespoons of cream cheese filling. You could even use a plant-based option.
  • Brush crescent rolls with a little melted butter before adding cinnamon sugar.
  • If you want to hide a plastic baby Jesus, I suggest tucking it in the bottom of one of the individual King cakes after baking.
  • To store, place in an airtight container on your counter or in the pantry. My Mini King Cake recipe will keep for up to 5 days. They are always best fresh, but a-few-days-old pastries are tasty too.
  • To freeze, skip the glazing and sugaring step for now. Place in an airtight container and store in the freezer for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator before adding the frosting and decorative sugar.
  • When glazing, make sure to stop periodically to add the sugar. It won’t stick if the glaze has hardened!

Nutrition Information

Serving 1serving Calories 146kcal (7%) Carbohydrates 20g (7%) Protein 1g (2%) Fat 7g (11%) Saturated Fat 3g (15%) Polyunsaturated Fat 2g Monounsaturated Fat 2g Trans Fat 0.04g Cholesterol 3mg (1%) Sodium 156mg (7%) Potassium 16mg (0%) Fiber 0.5g (2%) Sugar 14g (28%) Vitamin A 32IU (1%) Vitamin C 0.05mg (0%) Calcium 6mg (1%) Iron 0.4mg (2%)

Nutrition Facts

Serving: 12-14 Mini King Cakes

Amount Per Serving

Calories 146

% Daily Value*

Serving 1serving
Calories 146kcal 7%
Carbohydrates 20g 7%
Protein 1g 2%
Fat 7g 11%
Saturated Fat 3g 15%
Polyunsaturated Fat 2g 12%
Monounsaturated Fat 2g 10%
Trans Fat 0.04g 2%
Cholesterol 3mg 1%
Sodium 156mg 7%
Potassium 16mg 0%
Fiber 0.5g 2%
Sugar 14g 28%
Vitamin A 32IU 1%
Vitamin C 0.05mg 0%
Calcium 6mg 1%
Iron 0.4mg 2%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.