Today is the last day of Mardi Gras, known as Fat Tuesday. During this grand party of the French Quarter in New Orleans, eating a king cake has become the tradition to celebrate Mardi Gras and the coming of lent.

A king cake is a sweet roll in the shape of an oval or circle doused with colored sugary goodness. The cake represents the coming of the Three Wise Men in the Bible on the Twelfth Night and honors them with a homage to their jeweled crowns. The colors have a deep meaning. Green represents faith, purple represents justice, and gold represents power. Hidden within the cake is a token, and according to Mardi Gras lore whoever finds the token is king or queen for the day. Modern tradition says whoever finds the token is responsible for bringing the king cake to the party next year. Either way, chew carefully when eating a king cake.

But, if you’re like us, we forgot today was Fat Tuesday and missed our chance of ordering any of the stunning king cakes available around Charlotte. So instead of fretting, we have a quick solution to making a king cake just in time for the festivities today. —Justin Burke-Samson

Last-Minute King Cake

Ingredients

• 8 ounces cream cheese
• 1 cup dark brown sugar
• Pinch of salt
• 1/2 cup pecans, chopped
• 2 cans refrigerated crescent roll dough
• Egg wash (1 beaten egg whisked with 2 tablespoons milk)
• Purple, green, and gold colored sugar
• 1 token (dried bean, whole almond, or ceramic baby figurine)
• 1-2 cups powdered sugar

Directions

1. Using a food processor, pulse cream cheese, brown sugar, and salt until evenly combined. Place cream cheese mixture into a bowl and fold in chopped pecans. Set aside.
2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a large baking sheet with cooking spray or cover with parchment paper
3. Unroll crescent roll dough, separating the dough into triangles. Position the triangles on the baking sheet next to each other with the points toward the center, overlapping the long sides by about 1/4 inch. You are forming a large circle with the triangles.
4. Once all triangles are laid out, press the center of the triangle edges together (not the center of the circle). You are sealing these to support the filling. This is very important, leave the edges of the top of the circle and the center of the circle unsealed. You will eventually fold both the outer and inner edges up and over the filling.
5. Spread the cream cheese filling evenly in a ring in the center of the sealed dough. Place the token somewhere in the filling.
6. Fold the outer edge of each triangle toward the center just to the edge of the filling to cover. Continue in the circle until the filling is enclosed, sealing the edges over the filling.
7. Take the pointed ends of the triangles and lift up and over the cake toward the outer rim of the pan, tucking under the points if too long. Lightly press the seams together.
8. Brush the cake with the egg wash.
9. Bake 30 to 35 minutes or until golden brown, then let cool on a wire rack until room temperature.
10. Meanwhile, make the icing. In a medium bowl, whisk the powdered sugar with a few tablespoons of water until a loose, thick consistency forms. Add more powdered sugar if the mixture is too runny.
11. Once the cake is completely cooled, drizzle the top of the cake with icing, letting the icing run down the sides. Wait until the icing is no longer running and decorate the cake in six alternating sections with the colored sugar: two sections gold, two sections green, and two sections purple.
12. The cake can set out at room temperature until ready to serve.

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