Monkey Bread King Cake

So for Mardi Gras this year, I thought it would be nice to make something for my Baking Masterclass class. The most famous dish is of course king cake.

A king cake is a yeasted cake, a brioche bread dough. With our class a little under 60 minutes, there is no way for us to make this from scratch. So, though my philosophy is generally to make everything from scratch in my classes, I am not opposed to using some cooking cheats like refrigerated or frozen dough or marinar sauce from a bottle. But search as I could, I could not find pre-made brioche dough. If pizza dough can be refrigerated, why can’t brioche a fellow yeast dough? Am I the only one who feels like that?

Anyway, after a lot of online research and a few recipe fails, I finally came to monkey bread. Now monkey bread has been on my today list for a while so I was really excited about the possibility.

I was thrilled that the recipe worked well. And the kiddos had a blast making them. And because I had made samples the night before to make sure that all the ingredients would make enough mini cakes, each student got to take home one mini monkey bread king cake.

So of note, I have not eaten anything with cinnamon since I was a child. And since I had surgery late last year, I made a vow to myself that I was going to re-taste and experiment with old and new foods. And to my pleasant surprise, I loved cinnamon. I did re-taste cherry flavor again a week ago and I hate it. I guess you win some and you lose some. Now, how does one make this delish treat?

First step is to butter the pans well. Make sure to get into the nooks and crannies as well as the center. I used 4” wide mini Bundt pans. Set aside.

Into a galloon sized zip bag, add the granulated sugar,

And the cinnamon. Close the bag and shake to mix well and then set aside.

Open the biscuit container and cut each biscuit into 10 triangular pieces, top left.

Place all the cut up dough into the sugar and cinnamon mixture. Close the bag and shake well (you may have to separate a few pieces that attach to each other), top right.

Then take the cinnamon covered dough and place into the mini pan so that the short flat edge is lying flat against the outer edge of the pan, bottom left.

After the first layer of dough, add a second layer. If there is any left over cinnamon sugar, sprinkle on top and then set aside, bottom right.

All 4 pans done and ready for the final step before baking.

Once melted, spoon 3 tablespoon into each pan. Then bake.

Once out of the oven, let in the pan for about 5 minutes, top left.

Use a knife or offset spatula to separate the monkey bread from the pan, top right.

Turn the pans upside down onto parchment paper and tap the bottom of the pans to release the monkey bread, bottom left.

Allow the monkey bread to cool. In the meantime, make glaze by mixing powdered sugar with a little milk and vanilla bean.

Before you drizzle the glaze, hide the baby inside then drizzle the glaze over the top.

Then quickly sprinkle gold sugar sparkles, top left.

And purple sugar sparkles, top right.

And last but not least the green sugar sparkles, bottom left.

All done, bottom right.

Monkey Bread King Cake

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Ingredients

  

• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 can 16.3 oz refrigerated Flaky Layers Original Biscuits (8 Count per can)
• 1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar
• 1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons butter
• 1 cup Powdered sugar
• 1/2 vanilla bean I put the rest of the seeds and the skin into my sugar jar to make into vanilla sugar
• 2 tablespoon Milk or water or cream for glaze
• Gold, purple and green sanding sugar or glitter for decorating
• 4 Plastic baby

Instructions

 

• Heat oven to 350°F. Generously grease 4 mini bundt pans 4” wide with butter.
• In large 1-gallon plastic food storage bag, mix granulated sugar and cinnamon.
• Separate dough into 8 biscuits; cut each into biscuit into 10 triangular pieces.
• Place the biscuits into the cinnamon sugar bag and shake the bag to coat. You may have to separate a few that stick together.
• Arrange the biscuits in the pan, making two layers. Sprinkle any remaining sugar over biscuits, optional.
• In a small pot, combine the brown sugar and butter and cook until the sugar has dissolved. Pour 3 tablespoon of the sugar and butter mixture to each pan.
• Bake 20 to 25 minutes or until golden brown and no longer doughy in center.
• Loosen edges of pan with metal spatula. Cool in pan 5 minutes.
• Turn upside down onto parchment paper lined baking pan; replacing any biscuit pieces and caramel from pan.
• While the monkey bread is cooling, make the glaze by combining powdered sugar. Measurements are roughly 1 cup powdered sugar to about 2 teaspoon liquid of choice and ½ vanilla bean, optional.
• Then hide the baby in the monkey bread and spoon the glaze over the top of the monkey bread.
• Working quickly, sprinkle the gold, green and purple sugar or glitter on top.
• To serve, pull apart to enjoy.