King Cake Pull-Apart Bread (Print Version)

A festive pull-apart bread featuring cinnamon dough balls, colored sugars, and cream cheese icing.

# Components:

→ Dough

01 - 2 cans (16 oz each) refrigerated biscuit dough
02 - 1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted
03 - 3/4 cup granulated sugar
04 - 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

→ Filling

05 - 1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
06 - 1/2 cup chopped pecans, optional

→ Cream Cheese Icing

07 - 4 ounces cream cheese, softened
08 - 1 cup powdered sugar
09 - 2 tablespoons milk
10 - 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

→ Decorations

11 - Purple, green, and gold sanding sugars or colored sugar sprinkles

# Method:

01 - Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease a 10-inch Bundt pan with nonstick spray or butter.
02 - In a small bowl, combine granulated sugar and cinnamon.
03 - Cut each biscuit into 4 pieces and roll each piece into a ball.
04 - Dip each dough ball in melted butter, then roll in the cinnamon-sugar mixture.
05 - Place half of the coated dough balls in the prepared Bundt pan. Sprinkle half of the brown sugar and half of the pecans over the dough balls.
06 - Add remaining dough balls, brown sugar, and pecans in a second layer.
07 - Pour any remaining melted butter over the assembled dough balls.
08 - Bake for 32 to 38 minutes, or until golden brown and cooked through. Cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then invert onto a serving plate. Cool slightly before icing.
09 - Beat cream cheese until smooth. Mix in powdered sugar, milk, and vanilla until creamy and pourable.
10 - Drizzle cream cheese icing over the warm monkey bread. Immediately sprinkle purple, green, and gold sugars in sections to mimic traditional King Cake colors.
11 - Serve warm, pulling apart pieces to enjoy.

# Expert Advice:

01 -
  • Each pull-apart piece is its own little cinnamon-sugar dream, and the cream cheese icing pools in all the right places.
  • It looks showstopping enough for parties but honest enough to make on a lazy Saturday afternoon just because.
  • The whole thing comes together faster than you'd expect, mostly because the heavy lifting is done by refrigerated biscuit dough.
02 -
  • Don't skip the 10-minute rest in the pan after baking; trying to flip it too soon means the bread breaks apart, waiting too long means it sticks to the pan.
  • The cream cheese icing needs to be applied to warm (not hot) bread, so if you've overbaked and the bread is scorching hot, give it an extra few minutes to cool or the icing will separate.
  • If you want to hide a plastic baby for the traditional King Cake experience, do it after baking but before icing, and definitely warn your guests—it's part of the fun and the tradition.
03 -
  • Softening the cream cheese to room temperature before beating is non-negotiable—cold cream cheese will be lumpy, no matter how long you mix.
  • Keep a small spoon nearby while icing so you can drizzle more smoothly than you can pour, giving you control over where the icing goes and how much you use.
  • If this bread lasts longer than a few hours (it won't), store it covered at room temperature and eat it within two days; the texture stays best when it's not refrigerated.
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