Whip up these Mini King Cakes in just 30 minutes and bring a little Mardi Gras magic to your kitchen! Buttery crescent rolls, a warm cinnamon-sugar filling (with optional pecans!), and a sweet, buttery glaze make these bite-sized treats irresistible. Finish them off with festive sprinkles, and you’ve got the perfect Fat Tuesday dessert—no trip to New Orleans required!
I love cake, I love cinnamon in baking (hello, Cinnabon Cinnamon Rolls), and I love any excuse to celebrate! Mini King Cake Cupcakes if you will are the perfect way to bring a little Mardi Gras fun to your kitchen—quick, easy, and absolutely delicious.
Mardi Gras, or “Fat Tuesday,” is all about enjoying good food, and these bite-sized King Cakes fit right in. But if you’re up for the full experience—baby and all—be sure to try my Traditional King Cake for an authentic taste of New Orleans!
Easy King Cake Bites
Freaky Friday is a blog hop created by Michaela at An Affair from the Heart, where bloggers are secretly assigned another blog to recreate, photograph, and share a recipe in their own words on a selected Friday.
Meet Ellen from Family Around the Table
Take a minute to get to know Ellen and her blog, Family Around the Table. She’s my kind of person—someone who creates easy and delicious recipes for everyone. Her passion for baking is evident in everything she does (be still my baking heart!), and as a mom of two teenage boys, I totally get her love of family and her desire to gather friends around the table.
Beyond her blog, Ellen is a freelance writer, recipe developer, and former Tampa Bay Times correspondent. She and her husband also have wine & spirits experience, which is just one more reason I love her. Check out her Frozen Strawberry Margarita and Irish Buck Cocktail—perfect for St. Patrick’s Day or any occasion! I loved browsing her site and finally landed on these Mini King Cake Bites.
Mini King Cake Cupcakes
These Mini King Cakes are buttery, flaky, and filled with warm cinnamon-sugar goodness. For extra flavor, try adding a pinch of nutmeg to the filling or grate a teaspoon of lemon zest into the glaze. Baked in cupcake tins, they hold their perfect shape, making them easy to serve. Mix it up by using chopped pecans, cream cheese, or fruit filling—just grab a bowl, stir it together, and customize them your way!
Check out my previous Freaky Friday recipes: White Chocolate Peppermint Cookies, Toasted Ravioli, Old Fashioned Lemon Squares, Creamy Bow Tie Pasta Recipe, Cranberry Bourbon Sour, Mint Fudge Brownies, and Oatmeal Rolled Sugar Cookies.
What is Mardis Gras and Why Do We Celebrate it?
Mardis Gras literally translated is French for Fat Tuesday, it is always the Tuesday before Ash Wednesday, which marks the close of the pre-Lenten season. It’s called Fat Tuesday from the tradition of using all the fats in the home before Lent in preparation for fasting.
Mardis gras is a huge deal in New Orleans, I have never been, but I have to say, I love making this Creole Instant Pot Jambalaya and Slow Cooker Red Beans and Rice and maybe someday I will make it down to that beautiful area!
What is the meaning behind King Cake?
The history behind the name “King Cake” is said to come from the three kings who brought gifts to the Christ child. Which is also why there is usually a small plastic baby figure baked and hidden inside each King Cake.
Each cake is decorated in the traditional colors of Mardi Gras – purple representing justice, green representing faith, and gold representing power. I did not bake in a plastic baby in my easy mini king cake bites, I didn’t want anyone breaking a tooth in this bite size King cakes!
Why You Will Love this Easy King Cake Recipe Crescent Rolls
- It’s easy to put together: Because I use crescent roll dough instead of brioche, this recipe is simple and comes together in under 30-minutes. It’s a great recipe to try with your kids!
- There are minimal ingredients: All you need is the crescent dough, cinnamon, sugar, pecans (optional if you have an allergy), vanilla extract, and decorating sugar. You probably have most in your pantry already.
- These taste great, like mini cinnamon rolls and they will bring a smile to everyones face!
Mini King Cake Ingredients
- Refrigerated Crescent Rolls: I used an organic tube of crescent rolls, but you can use Pillsbury crescent rolls if that is what you would typically use.
- Cinnamon Sugar: You can purchase pre-made cinnamon sugar, but I will show you how to quickly make some and save you some money!
- Pecans: These are optional, if you use them be sure to chop them fine since these rolls are so tiny! I used my Ninja smoother blender, works great for nuts.
- Glaze Ingredients: A quick buttery powdered sugar glaze, you’ll use butter, powdered sugar, vanilla extract or almond and a little milk or water. Try using my bourbon vanilla extract.
- Colored Sugars: Traditional colors are purple, gold and green.
Get the full recipe in the recipe card below.
How to make Mini King Cakes
Preheat your oven to 375 degrees F. and 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 have 12 spots, so I split up the last few pieces and made 12 mini king cakes.
Truth? I was lazy and didn’t want to dirty another pan, if you have a pan that holds 24, go for it!
You can make them in a regular muffin tin and place mini muffin liners in the pan, king cake cupcakes if you will.
Step 1
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.
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.
Step 2
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.
Place two or three pieces in each muffin tin and bake until golden brown. Let them cool before adding your frosting glaze!
Step 3
Remove bites to a wire rack, cool. Or drizzle a little glaze on while they are hot, then add more when ready to decorate and cooled.
To make the glaze, combine butter, powdered sugar, water or milk, and vanilla or almond extract. Mix and glaze your mini cakes, then add the decorative sugars before the glaze hardens. Repeat until all of your treats are decorated!
Place a sheet of parchment paper underneath the wire rack while drizzling the glaze on, makes for quick clean up.
Variations
- 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.
- 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.
- Brush the crescent rolls with 1 tablespoon melted butter, then place on cinnamon sugar for a more buttery mini King cake.
Storage & Decorating Tips
Frequently Asked Questions
This festive dessert is traditionally made with brioche and many fillings. Filling options include cinnamon and sugar, chocolate, and cream cheese. My Mini King Cake recipe features a light frosting and purple, green, and yellow-colored sugar — the colors of Mardi Gras!
Traditional recipes are made with cinnamon, just like my Mini King Cakes! People have been making them with cinnamon dough for decades. These days, other fillings have become popular as well. Cream cheese, lemon, praline, and strawberry are just a few.
The classic purple, green, and gold colors on a King Cake each have a meaning—purple for justice, green for faith, and gold for power. These colors date back to 1872, when they were chosen by the Rex, King of Carnival, and have been a Mardi Gras tradition ever since!
Try our other Mardi Gras Recipes
More Popular Recipes from The Fresh Cooky
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Equipment
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
- 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.
- Mix the sugar and cinnamon together in a small bowl. Watch out for clumps!
- 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.
- 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.
- Optional step | If desired, brush with a little melted butter, this helps keep the cinnamon sugar inside when transferring to the pan.
- 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.
- 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!
- 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.
- 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
Variations
- 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.
TFC Pro Tips
- 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
Take a look at all of our 2022 Freaky Friday Winter Edition Recipes:
- An Affair from the Heart – Homemade German Chocolate Cake
- Aunt Bee’s Recipes – Cafe Rio Sweet Pork
- Devour Dinner – Sweetie Pie’s Mac and Cheese
- Family Around the Table – Easy Garlic Knots
- Feast + West – Guinness Chocolate Cake with Irish Buttercream
- Fresh April Flours – Homemade Buttermilk Biscuits
- The Fresh Cooky – Easy Mini King Cake Recipe with Crescent Rolls
- Hostess at Heart – Chocolate Chip Peanut Butter Blondies
- House of Nash Eats – Pizza Casserole
- Kathryn’s Kitchen Blog – Cheesy Garlic Bread
- Lemoine Family Kitchen – Breakfast Chorizo Enchilada Bake
- Life, Love & Good Food – Cheddar Cheese Popcorn
- The Speckled Palate – Hot Spinach Artichoke Dip
- Sue Bee Homemaker – Cornbread Tamale Pie
Tasia ~ two sugar bugs
These mini king cakes look positively delicious! I rarely ever buy canned crescent rolls, but you may have convinced me to give it a try. So fun!
Thank you Tasia! I am the same as you, would rather make homemade, but in this case, they just made it even easier!
Brandi Burgess
This is literally a genius idea! I loveeeeee using crescent rolls for all kinds of things! Can’t wait to try it!
Thank you Brandi! Hope you have fun with it!
Rebecca
How is this recipe. I can’t wait to give this recipe a try.
I hope you love it Rebecca!
Susannah
Making king cake with crescent rolls is absolutely brilliant! I pinned this and can’t wait to make it.
YAY! Love it!
Erin
What a BRILLIANT idea to make simple king cakes for Mardi Gras! We can’t find authentic (or simply put, GOOD) king cakes here in our city, and I’m saving these for my family to make next week for Fat Tuesday. Well done!
Your kids will love these! I know you will have so much fun together!
Kathryn
This is such a fun and delicious dessert! I can eat this year-round and they resemble little cinnamon rolls! 🙂 Such a treat!
Exactly! Change up or omit the sprinkles and it’s just a fun little quite sweet bite!
Sue Ringsdorf
This is definitely my kind of king cake recipe! Easy, quick, and so delicious too! I love using crescent rolls, and this recipe is 10/10! Thanks for sharing, Kathleen!
Ellen
All the recipes you considered are delicious but this one is perfect for the season! Thank you for all the kind words. I’m so glad you enjoyed this recipe. It’s one of our favorites!
It was so fun to make, I’ve never used crescent rolls in this way and they are just easy, tasty and fun!!
Jennifer
I have been a fan of King Cake since my first trip to NOLA and I can’t get enough of it. These are super easy and help me to keep my portions down LOL. Hope I get one with a baby!
Haha! I hope you do too Jennifer!
Lynn @ Fresh April Flours
This is so fun!! I love this idea and I love that you chose this from Ellen’s site. I think I need to make these instead of my usual larger king cake this year!
So fun, certainly better for portion control right?!
Amy Nash
These are such a fun and easy adaptation! I’m not even much of a sprinkles person, but gosh I love the crunch from the colored sanding sugar on top of these!
I feel the same way Amy! Thanks so much!
susan | thewimpyvegetarian
Did you say under 30 minutes??!! I’m in!! I love baking too, but just don’t always have the time. These are so festive, they make me happy just to look at them. Great recipe!
Yes, and more than half of that is in the oven!! So glad you loved them!
Julie Menghini
What a brilliant idea! I love any reason to celebrate and will be making this again for Mardi Gras!
Yippee! Thanks so much Julie!
Sheila
I’m with you, Kathleen, I like any reason to celebrate! These king cakes are so fun and so tasty — just perfect!
Angela
What a fantastic idea to make mini king cakes! Love that this uses crescent rolls- so easy and delicious!
Us mom’s need as many shortcuts some days as possible!!
Michaela Kenkel
The insides of these mini king cakes have my heart going pitter-pat!! They look SO GOOD! What a fun way to get king cakes in a hurry! Love it!
Haha, they are fun, mini desserts are the best!