Houstonist Cooks: King Cake

No Mardi Gras season is complete without at least one whole piece of king cake in your belly. The Acadian Bakers have the best king cake in town, but they're almost sold out. If you don't get to score one of those, you could do-it-yourself with this quick and easy family recipe Houstonist picked up during a trip to Louisiana for Mardi Gras.

Enjoy and add a baby at your own risk.

King Cake
2 (8 ounce) refrigerated crescent rolls
1 (8 ounce) cream cheese, softened
1/3 cup powdered sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup pie filling of choice

Glaze
1 1/4 cup confectioner’s sugar
3 tablespoons milk
Stir milk into sugar. Add food coloring if desired.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Separate crescent roll pieces into triangles arranging in a circle with points in center on a 15 inch round baking stone. Press dough together leaving center open.

Mix cream cheese, vanilla & sugar. Top crescent rolls with cream cheese mixture followed by pie filling. [Note: Fresh fruit is actually better than pie filling. Try using fresh pears with walnuts, apples with pecans or fresh strawberries and coconut.]

Fold dough by bringing outside to the center. The center points should meet in the middle and the cover mixture. Bake for 25 minutes. Let cool and drizzle with glaze. Add some sprinkles for extra flair.

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Recipe from Carlisa Bargas

Photo: flickr user CTB4.