King Cake Bars Recipe

This Mardi Gras whip up a batch of these King Cake Bars. A tender crust is filled with a sweet rum pecan filling and then decorated with a colorful rum-infused glaze. It’s a great dessert to serve around Mardi Gras.

These King Cake Bars are perfect for celebrating Mardi Gras (Fat Tuesday), or you can enjoy eating it during the weeks leading up to Mardi Gras.

You can use these King Cake Bars to replace King Cake or as another dessert to serve during your Mardi Gras celebration.

In less than 2 hours, you’ll have tender bars with a sweet rum pecan filling covered in a colorful icing ready to enjoy!

HOW TO MAKE KING CAKE BARS

Bars are filled with a sweet pecan filling and then glazed with a rum-infused glaze with Mardi Gras colored sugar sprinkled overtop for a delicious snack or dessert the whole family will enjoy!

Are you ready to get started?

You’ll find the specific ingredient amounts and detailed instructions in the printable recipe at the bottom of this post.

KITCHEN TOOLS YOU MAY NEED

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• Measuring Spoons – I LOVE my set of these!
• 9×10 Baking Dish
• Stand Mixer or Hand Mixer with a bowl
• Mixing Bowls
• Whisk
• Parchment Paper
• Rolling Pin

KING CAKE BAR INGREDIENTS

This fun and easy King Cake Bar recipe uses everyday kitchen staples to create a delicious dessert or snack your family will love.

All you need is:

• unsalted butter
• sugar
• all-purpose flour
• kosher salt
• a little bit of lemon juice
• pecans
• light brown sugar
• some rum
• cinnamon
• powdered sugar
• some milk
• vanilla
• colored sugar: green, purple, and yellow

KING CAKE BARS RECIPE INSTRUCTIONS

Begin by making the crust. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

Line a baking dish with parchment paper.

Add the butter and sugar in a bowl of a stand mixer using the paddle attachment. Mix to combine on medium speed until the mixture is light and fluffy.

Reduce the speed to low, add in the flour, salt, and lemon juice. Mix to combine until a soft dough ball forms.

Take ⅔’s of the dough and press it evenly into the lined pan.

Bake until the crust is a golden brown.

While the crust is baking, make the filling.

In a medium bowl add all of the filling ingredients and toss until pecans are evenly covered.

Remove the bottom crust from the oven once baked, pour the pecan filling on top, and spread all over the crust.

Carefully roll out the remaining dough and place it on top of the filling.

Bake until the top layer is a golden brown, about 30 minutes.

Remove from the oven and allow cool to room temperature.

To make the glaze, whisk together the powdered sugar, rum, milk, and vanilla until you have a smooth glaze.

Sprinkle the colored sugar on top and cut into squares and serve.

In less than two hours, you’ll have a yummy Mardi Gras dessert that’s sure to become a new favorite!

KING CAKE BARS TIPS AND QUESTIONS

If you’ve never made bars inspired by King Cake, don’t worry!

Below are some common questions and helpful tips. Hopefully, this will answer any questions you may have.

If not, feel free to ask in the comments and I’ll answer the best I can.

HOW LONG DOES IT REALLY TAKE TO MAKE KING CAKE BARS?

This King Cake Bars recipe takes approximately 1 hour and 45 minutes. TOTAL.

This includes:

• About 5 minutes of prep time
• Close to 7 minutes to make the crust and press it in the baking dish
• Around 30 minutes to bake the crust until golden brown and make the filling
• 30 minutes to bake the filling
• 30 minutes to cool
• 3 minutes to make the glaze and sprinkle with sugar

HOW DO I STORE KING CAKE BARS?

You can store King Cake Bars in an airtight container in a cool place for up to 3 days or in your freezer for up to 3 months.

Simply place the bars on a plate at room temperature to unthaw. 

HOW DO I MAKE COLORED SUGAR?

It’s extremely easy to make your own colored sugar. Simply take sugar and place it in a bowl with a lid.

Drop at least one drop of food coloring into the sugar and place the lid on the bowl.

Next, shake the bowl for at least one minute until the sugar has changed in color. 

CAN I MAKE KING CAKE BARS AHEAD OF TIME?

Yes, you can easily make King Cake Bars the day before serving.

Simply store in an airtight container in a cool place or in the refrigerator until ready to serve. 

WHAT GOES WELL WITH KING CAKE BARS?

King Cake Bars go well with a wide variety of snacks. These recipes would be great to serve together at Mardi Gras.

Some of my personal favorites include:

• Mardi Gras Monkey Bread
• Cornbread
• Roll Out Red Velvet Cookies
• Conversation Hearts Cocoa Bombs
• Herbed Butter Pull-Apart Bread

IS REGULAR SALT THE SAME AS KOSHER SALT?

Kosher salt is not the same as regular salt. Kosher salt is less salty tasting when compared to regular salt.

If you want to substitute regular salt for kosher salt make sure to use half of the amount.

For example, if the recipe calls for 1 tbsp of kosher salt, use ½ tbsp of regular salt. 

WHAT ELSE CAN I ADD TO THIS KING CAKE BARS RECIPE?

This simple King Cake Bars recipe not only tastes great, but it’s also incredibly versatile.

Try adding a small porcelain baby to represent Jesus for someone to find.

This tradition is something people do with King Cake.

The person who finds the statue is supposed to have luck and prosperity all year and they have to buy the King Cake next year. YUM!

KING CAKE BARS RECIPE

WHAT’S NEXT

I hope you enjoy this Mardi Gras recipe as much as my family does!

If you get a chance to try it, let us know! Leave us a comment below, or share it with a picture on Instagram or Facebook! Don’t forget to tag us @kelly_reci_ and use the hashtag #Kellysthoughtsonthings so we can see what amazing meals you are cooking up!