King Cake Pull-Apart Bread (Printable)

A festive southern pastry with cinnamon dough, colorful sugars, and creamy icing ideal for sweet gatherings.

# Components:

→ Dough

01 - 2 cans (16 ounces 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 light brown sugar, packed
06 - 1/2 cup chopped pecans, optional

→ Cream Cheese Icing

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

→ Decorations

11 - Purple, green, and gold sanding sugars

# 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 ground cinnamon.
03 - Cut each biscuit into 4 equal pieces and roll each piece into a ball.
04 - Dip each dough ball in melted butter, then roll in the cinnamon-sugar mixture until fully coated.
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 layer.
06 - Repeat with remaining dough balls, brown sugar, and pecans to create a second layer.
07 - Pour any remaining melted butter over the assembled dough balls.
08 - Bake for 32 to 38 minutes until the bread is golden brown and cooked through. Cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then invert onto a serving plate. Allow slight cooling before icing.
09 - Beat softened cream cheese until smooth. Mix in powdered sugar, milk, and vanilla extract until the mixture reaches a creamy, pourable consistency.
10 - Drizzle cream cheese icing over the warm monkey bread. Immediately sprinkle purple, green, and gold sugars in sections to recreate traditional King Cake colors.
11 - Serve warm, pulling apart individual pieces for enjoyment.

# Expert Advice:

01 -
  • It's interactive: pulling apart warm, gooey dough balls feels more like play than eating.
  • The flavors layer beautifully: cinnamon sugar, brown sugar, pecans, and that dreamy cream cheese icing create complexity in every bite.
  • It looks like celebration: those purple, green, and gold sugars do the decorating work for you, making it feel fancier than it is.
02 -
  • The 10-minute cool is sacred: I once got impatient and inverted at 5 minutes; the bread split down the center and I spent 20 minutes reassembling it on the plate like an archaeological puzzle.
  • Sanding sugar is worth hunting for: Regular sprinkles absorb moisture from the icing and turn into sad, clumpy residue, while sanding sugar maintains its sparkle and texture throughout serving.
03 -
  • Room temperature cream cheese is everything: Cold cream cheese will create lumps and frustration; let it sit on the counter for 30 minutes while your bread bakes.
  • The inversion is a moment of trust: If you hear the bread slide when you flip the pan, you've done it right; if it sticks, run a thin knife around the edges and try again rather than forcing it.
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