Holly Clegg’s Easy King Cake Recipe & Giveaway

We are so thrilled to be featuring an amazing recipe from the one-and-only, local superstar chef Holly Clegg! Not only that, but she is giving away one of her fabulous cookbooks to one, lucky Red Stick Mom! She is such an inspiration when it comes to cooking healthy meals that don’t compromise taste. We know you will enjoy making this recipe with your family!

Don’t you love to shake off those winter blahs with the fun-filled festivities of Mardi Gras?! Although wildly popular in the South, the carnival season is now celebrated across the country. King cake season is one of my favorite Southern traditions, and here in Baton Rouge we really have some delicious options. However, now you can make this quick king cake recipe in the comfort of your own home, without worrying about complicated yeast dough – using crescent rolls – I get bombarded with recipe requests every time I make it! Double the fun by letting the kids dive in and help. The icing uses food coloring to represent the classic colors of the season – purple (justice), green (faith), and yellow (power).  Don’t save this fun treat for just Mardi Gras though. Play with different color icing for other holidays – green makes the perfect St. Patrick’s Day dessert. The madness of Mardi Gras is about having a good time, so start the music, toss the beads, and enjoy the food that has garnered a reputation all over the country. As they say in New Orleans, “Throw me a party, mister!

King Cake GC

King Cake with Cream Cheese Cinnamon Filling from Holly Clegg’s trim&TERRIFIC Gulf Coast Favorites

When I shared this recipe, the kids absolutely loved helping to make the cake. The only thing easier is ordering it from your bakery but this version is so much better for you!

Makes 16 servings

2 (8-ounce) cans reduced-fat crescent rolls

4 ounces reduced-fat cream cheese

2 tablespoons confectioners’ sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 tablespoons butter

1/3 cup light brown sugar

1 tablespoon ground cinnamon

Mardi Gras Icing (recipe below)

1.  Preheat oven to 350ºF. Separate crescent rolls at perforations into 16 slices. On 10-inch round pizza pan coated with nonstick cooking spray, place slices around pan with points in center. About half way down from the points, press seams together.

2.  In mixing bowl, beat cream cheese, confectioners’ sugar, and vanilla until creamy.  Spread cream cheese mixture on dough in center where seams of dough have been pressed together.

3.  In another small bowl, combine butter, brown sugar, and cinnamon with fork until crumbly.  Sprinkle over cream cheese. Fold dough points over cream cheese area and then fold bottom of triangle over points forming a circular roll like a king cake.

4.  Bake 20–25 minutes or until golden brown.  Cool slightly, drizzle with colored Mardi Gras Icing (recipe below).

Mardi Gras Icing

This is a simple icing to highlight the different colors.

1 cup confectioners’ sugar

1 to 2 tablespoons skim milk

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Yellow, green, red, and blue food coloring

1.  In small bowl, mix together confectioners’ sugar, milk, and vanilla. Divide mixture into three bowls.
2.  In first bowl, add a few drops yellow food coloring. In second bowl, add a few drops green food coloring. In third bowl, add equal amount of red and blue food coloring (will create purple color).
3.  Drizzle each color over baked cake.

Terrific Tidbit: Think of this as a year round holiday treat: for the icing–use red food coloring for Valentine’s Day, pastel colors for Easter, and red and green colors for Christmas.

Nutritional information per serving: Calories 184, Calories from fat (%) 36, Fat (g) 7, Saturated Fat (g) 3, Cholesterol (mg) 9, Sodium (mg) 275, Carbohydrate (g) 26, Dietary Fiber (g) 0, Sugars (g) 16, Protein (g) 3, Diabetic Exchanges: 1 1/2 carbohydrate, 1 1/2 fat

To win TWO, fabulous Holly Clegg cookbooks, head on over to our Giveaways page!

Holly Clegg 7760 (3)head shotWith over 1 million cookbooks sold, Holly Clegg, healthy cookbook author is the expert in  “Eating Healthy for Life.” Clegg’s trim&TERRIFIC® cookbook series provides a practical approach to an overall healthier lifestyle.  Her series also includes “Eating Well” cookbooks that focus on recipes to help ease symptoms for cancer, diabetes and arthritis.  Holly has appeared on Fox & Friends, NBC Weekend Today, QVC, The 700 Club, USA Today and The Huffington Post.  She also has a phone application, Mobile Rush-Hour Recipes which brings her signature recipes to your fingertips.

Angela
Angela is a stay-at-home, homeschooling mom to 4 children. She and her husband, Josh, were born and raised in Louisiana and love raising their kids around family and friends. They love exploring the outdoors, traveling, and playing sports. Angela loves to encourage other homeschooling moms and loves to advocate for getting kids off screens and outside.

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