Get ready to let the good times roll with these easy-to-make, adorable King Cakes on a Stick! This fun twist on the traditional Mardi Gras King Cake features sweet cinnamon-sugar dough wrapped around skewers, drizzled with icing, and sprinkled with vibrant purple, green, and yellow sanding sugar.
Perfect for parties, parades, and festive celebrations, these handheld King Cakes bring all the flavor in a fun, mess-free form.
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The Colors of Mardi Gras
The iconic Mardi Gras colors-purple, green, and gold-aren't just for decoration; they carry historical meaning. Purple symbolizes justice; green represents faith, and gold or yellow signifies power.
These colors were chosen in 1872 by the Rex Organization, a prominent Mardi Gras krewe, and have been part of the celebration ever since!
Ingredients for the King Cakes on a Stick - Here's What You'll Need
- The King Cakes: I used refrigerated store-bought cinnamon rolls enhanced with additional sugar and cinnamon.
- The Sticks: I used wooden skewers with the points removed and cut to 9 ½ inches.
- The Icing: Confectioners' sugar, light corn syrup, milk, and vanilla extract produced the perfect icing for these adorable treats.
- The Mardi Gras Colors: To decorate the king cakes on a stick for Mardi Gras, I used purple, green, and yellow sanding sugar.
The Experiments
In developing this recipe, I experimented quite a bit with each component: the dough, the sticks, the icing, and the Mardi Gras decorations.
- The Dough: I wanted this to be an easy recipe, so I turned to the store-bought variety rather than making my own cinnamon roll dough. I first tried the Grands Cinnamon Rolls (5-count), but there was too much dough when wrapped around the stick. The 8-count cinnamon rolls come in two varieties: those that unroll and those that are a solid disk. With the solid disk, I rolled it into a cylinder and then used my fondant rolling pin to roll the cylinder into a 10-inch strip. This worked, but it wasn't the easiest option. The easiest option was the cinnamon roll dough that could be unrolled into strips.
- The Sticks: I had two options for the sticks: chopsticks or wooden skewers. The chopsticks worked fine but were a bit expensive, at least compared to the wooden skewers. The wooden skewers had two problems. First, the pointed end could prove dangerous. Second, they were too long. I solved the pointed-end problem discussed below in "Preparing the Sticks."
- The Length of the Sticks: The next issue was finding the perfect length once I decided to use the wooden skewers. I tried the following variations: 9 inches, 9 ¼ inches, 9 ½ inches, 9 ¾ inches, and 10 inches. The winner was 9 ½ inches.
- The Icing: Traditional king cakes, or at least the ones I've made in the past, were topped with cream cheese frosting. While decadent and delicious, the cream cheese frosting stayed soft. I knew that I wanted to package the king cakes on a stick. Because of this, I wanted an icing that formed an outer shell but stayed soft in the center. The perfect icing for this was a simple icing made from confectioners' sugar, corn syrup, milk, and vanilla extract.
- The Mardi Gras Decorations: I wanted to use the Mardi Gras colors to decorate the King Cakes on a Stick. I tried purple, green, and yellow sanding sugar; purple, green, and yellow jimmies; and purple, green, and yellow glitter. The winner - purple, green, and yellow sanding sugar.
Wow - that's a lot of experimenting, but well worth it!
Preparing the Sticks
Once I decided to use the wooden skewers, I needed a way to remove the pointed ends easily.
I first tried cutting the skewers with heavy-duty scissors and a box cutter, neither of which worked very well. Then, I realized that the perfect tool was my hand-held yard pruners or clippers. I tried this, and it worked like a charm!
However, I bought a new pair of pruners because the sticks would be used for food. I used a ruler to mark where to cut, and the pruners cut right through the wood! I used some sandpaper to smooth out the rough edges. Finally, I washed the cut skewers in the dishwasher before use.
Making the King Cakes on a Stick - Step-by-Step
- I wanted to enhance the taste of the store-bought cinnamon rolls by adding some extra cinnamon sugar. So, I started by whisking granulated sugar and cinnamon together in a small bowl.
- Then, I separated the cinnamon rolls. I unrolled one of the rolls into an 11- to 12-inch strip. Then, I sprinkled the strip with ½ to ¾ of a teaspoon of cinnamon sugar. I pressed the cinnamon sugar into the dough with the back of the spoon.
- I tightly wrapped the dough around the stick in a spiral fashion, starting at about a 45° angle and about 6 inches from the end of the stick. I pressed the dough together to cover the end of the stick completely. I also pressed the dough, where I started wrapping it to ensure that it stayed in place.
- I alternated the placement of the wrapped sticks on a parchment-lined half-sheet pan. I baked the king cakes on a stick in a preheated 375°F oven for 15 minutes.
- I made the icing while the king cakes on a stick were baking. I added confectioners' sugar, corn syrup, milk, and vanilla extract to a bowl. I beat the ingredients together until the icing was smooth and creamy.
- After 15 minutes, the king cakes on a stick were golden brown and perfectly cooked. I removed them from the oven and placed the pan on a wire cooling rack.
- While they were still warm, I transferred the king cakes on a stick to a wire rack set inside an aluminum foil-lined half-sheet baking pan. I used a small spatula to drizzle the icing over the cakes.
- I decorated the iced king cakes on a stick with purple, green, and yellow sanding sugar.
King Cakes on a Stick were as delicious as they were adorable. They are the ultimate fun-sized Mardi Gras treat, bringing all the festive flavors and colors in a handheld, shareable form!
Whether you're hosting a Fat Tuesday party, attending a parade, or simply craving a sweet treat, these mini King Cakes are easy, delicious, and sure to impress. Laizzez les Bon Temps Rouler. Yum!
Perfect for Sharing
What if you want to share these amazing treats? No problem - you can easily package the king cakes on a stick because the icing forms an outer shell.
I covered each king cake on a stick with a 9-inch treat. I secured the treat bag at the base of the king cake with purple curling ribbon. Then, I added green and yellow curling ribbons to complete the Mardi Gras colors.
I made a little label tied with the purple ribbon for an added touch.
Frequently Asked Questions
The icing on the cinnamon rolls does not harden like the icing in my recipe below. Also, there isn't enough of it to thoroughly cover the King Cake on a Stick.
This is a matter of taste. I thought that the cinnamon rolls lacked flavor without the addition of extra sugar/cinnamon.
Yes! Bake them a day in advance. You can also ice and decorate the King Cakes on a Stick a day in advance. Just make sure they are stored in an airtight container.
Make sure to slightly overlap each strip as you wrap it and press the edges firmly against the previous layer. A quick egg wash or water can also help them stick.
While traditional King Cakes include a small plastic baby hidden inside, these mini versions aren't ideal for hiding surprises. Instead, place a baby figurine next to the platter for decoration!
Other King Cake Recipes
If you're a fan of king cake, try these amazing recipes.
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Recipe
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Quick and Easy King Cakes on a Stick
Equipment
- 8 Wooden skewers, cut to 9 ½ inches with the point removed (See Note 1)
- 2 half sheet pans
- Parchment paper or nonstick aluminum foil
- Wire cooling rack to fit inside half-sheet pan
- Electric Mixer
Ingredients
King Cakes
- 13 ounce Pillsbury Flaky Cinnamon Rolls - Cinnabon, 8-count (See Notes 2 and 3)
- 1 ½ Tablespoons granulated sugar
- ¾ teaspoon ground cinnamon
Icing
- 2 cups (8 ounces) confectioners' sugar
- 1 ½ Tablespoons (0.8 ounces) light corn syrup (See Note 4)
- 2 Tablespoons (1 ounce) milk (See Note 5)
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- Purple, green, and yellow sanding sugar for decoration
Instructions
King Cakes on a Stick
- Preheat oven to 375°F. Line a half-sheet pan with parchment paper or nonstick aluminum foil. Stir together the granulated sugar and cinnamon. Set aside.
- Unroll one of the cinnamon rolls. Sprinkle with half a teaspoon of the sugar/cinnamon mixture on the strip and press into the dough with a knife or spoon. Starting with the thick end of the cinnamon roll closest to the center, tightly wrap around a chopstick in a spiral fashion, starting at about a 45° angle and about 6 inches from the end of the larger end of the chopstick. Press the dough together to cover the end of the chopstick completely. Place on the prepared half-sheet pan. (See Note 6)
- Repeat with the remaining cinnamon rolls.
- Bake in the preheated 375°F oven for 15 minutes or until golden brown.
- Remove from oven and transfer the king cakes on a stick to a wire rack set inside a half-sheet pan covered with aluminum foil. Allow to cool for five minutes.
Icing (See Note 7)
- Add the confectioners' sugar, corn syrup, milk, and vanilla extract to a medium-sized bowl. Beat with an electric mixer until smooth, one to two minutes. Cover with a damp paper towel until ready to use.
- Carefully spoon the icing on top of one of the king cakes on a stick, allowing the icing to drip down the sides. Sprinkle with sanding sugar before the icing hardens. (See Tip 8).
- Repeat with the remaining king cakes on a stick.
- If desired, package in clear cellophane bags tied with purple, green, and yellow ribbons once the icing hardens.
- Yield: 8 King Cakes on a Stick
Video
Tips/Notes
- Hand-held pruning clippers work well to cut the skewers. I used a new pair since the skewers were going to be used with food. I also washed the cut skewers in the dishwasher before using them. You can also use chopsticks as the sticks.
- The first time I tried making the king cake on a stick, I used Grands 5-Count Cinnamon rolls. While this worked all right, the resulting king cake on a stick was too doughy. The 8-count cinnamon rolls worked much better.
- If not using the Cinnabon rolled type, roll the dough into a 6-inch cylinder between palms. Then, with a fondant rolling pin, roll into a 10-inch strip, about 1 ½ to 2 inches wide.
- Karo light corn syrup does not contain high-fructose sugar-it even says so on the label. Corn syrup is important for this icing because it helps the icing harden.
- Add more or less milk to achieve the desired consistency.
- Wrapping the dough around the skewer is a bit messy. Try to keep your fingers from the exposed skewer so as not to mess it up.
- This is my go-to recipe for icing that I want to harden to facilitate packaging.
- Because the icing hardens pretty quickly, it's best to sprinkle the king cake on a stick with the sprinkles as soon as the icing is added. Otherwise, the sprinkles won't stick.
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