Mardi Gras: King Cake Style Cinnamon Roll Ring

MARDI GRAS! It’s Fat Tuesday, and, to celebrate, we’ll be having breakfast for dinner….not just any breakfast…but, possibly the sweetest and tastiest breakfast-for-dinner imaginable…Cinnamon Rolls!  Since we wanted to continue with our King Cake making tradition, we decided to form our rolls into a Cinnamon Roll Ring that we could top off in King Cake Style. Of course, the recipe’s bound to be great year round.

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[King Cake Style] Cinnamon Roll Ring

An amazing cinnamon roll in a ring you can eat all the time or bling up for Mardi Gras with sugars and a hidden treat.

Author: Roseanne Carrara, The Lunchbox Season

Ingredients

Dough

• 1/2 c milk
• 1/2 c unsalted butter
• 1/2 c warm water
• 2 1/4 tsp [1 envelope] INSTANT yeast
• 1/3 c sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 tsp salt
• 4 c all purpose flour

Filling

• 3/4 c dark brown sugar
• 3 tbs your best cinnamon
• [we've also added dashes of cardamom ginger, or orange zest occasionally]
• 1/2-2/3 c finely chopped nuts OPTIONAL
• pinch salt

Preparation

• 1-2 tbs melted butter on hand for the preparation

Icing

• 125 g [4 oz 1/2 package] light cream cheese, room temperature
• 1/2 c unsalted butter room temperature
• 1 tbs whipping cream
• 1 tbs corn syrup or honey
• 1 c sifted icing sugar
• 1 tsp pure vanilla organic lemon, or rum extract

King Cake Styling

• 2-3 tbs coloured icing sugars
• gold-wrapped chocolate coins

Instructions

Dough

• Melt the butter and the milk in a small saucepan or in the microwave and cool slightly.
• In the bowl of a mixer, with a paddle attachment, mix water, yeast, sugar, and eggs at low speed until combined.
• Add the salt, 1 c flour, and half of the melted butter/milk combo until just comined.
• Add 1 c flour and the rest of the melted buter/milk combo until just combined.
• Switch to the dough hook.
• Slowly incorporate 2 cups flour and knead on low speed for a minute or two until the dough is smooth and forms into a ball.
• Place the ball of dough into a large buttered bowl and cover with plastic wrap.
• Leave in a dark warm spot for 90 minutes or until doubled.

Filling Preparation

• While the dough is rising, whisk together the filling ingredients until well combined.

Ring Preparation

• Pat risen dough down gently and turn onto a lightly floured surface.
• Use a rolling pin to create a large rectangle, about 12 inches tall by 16 inches long/wide.
• Use a pastry brush to cover the surface (except about .25 in around the edges) with a bit of melted butter.
• Sprinkle the filling out over the dough, leaving about a .5 in border on all of the edges.
• Roll the dough to form a 16 in long cylinder.
• Moisten the top with a bit of water to seal.
• On a parchment-lined baking tray, form the cylinder into a large ring.
• Join the edges of the ring with a bit more water, or just use this as your first "slice."
• Using a sharp knife, in .5- to 1-inch measures, make slices down through the ring, leaving the lower .5 inch of the cylinder in tact.
• [See images below]
• Make sure that you create an even number of sliced pieces.
• Gently twist and stagger the connected slices to the left and right in a flower burst pattern.
• You can use your knife to free any bits of the bottom that you need to maneuver to and fro.
• Cover shaped ring with plastic wrap and place in a dark, warm spot for 90 minutes until doubled once again.

Icing Preparation

• In a mixer, blend butter and cream cheese until silky smooth
• Incorporate cream, syrup, and extract.
• Slowly incorporate icing sugar by the heaping tablespoon until smooth.
• [You may choose to add more icing sugar than called for in the recipe, but keep it thick!]
• Cover and Refrigerate.

Baking & Decorating

• Heat oven to 350.
• Bake the ring for 25-30 minutes.
• Remove the ring on the parchment to a wire rack.
• Cool for 15 minutes.
• Spread thick icing over top of ring as desired.
• It may melt a bit and become slightly runny. This is okay!
• Shake coloured sugars in a spoon in 2-3 in wide bands around the ring.
• Before serving, tuck a chocolate covered coin below each person's slice of ring.

Notes

ENJOY!

If you liked this post, you’re sure to love our King Cake 2 Ways and our Carrot “King Cake”: