
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.
[King Cake Style] Cinnamon Roll Ring
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”:
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