The word ‘Cajun’ probably evokes all kinds of associations in your mind. Maybe you’re thinking about Mardi Gras, king cake, beads, booze, and Bourbon Street. Perhaps you’re picturing spicy food, beignets, gumbo, and seafood. My mind goes to all of those things, but I also start conjuring up images of tasty Cajun desserts. On this list, you’ll see some well-known favorites, such as king cake, beignets, and pralines. You’ll also see some southern staples like sweet potato pie. Hopefully, though, I can also introduce you to a few new sweet treats that’ll become fast favorites.
1. Cajun Cake
Even though it’s topped with dry ingredients like pecans and flaked coconut, Cajun cake is one of the moistest cakes I’ve ever eaten. This is thanks to the crushed pineapples in the recipe. They give it a fluffy, juicy burst of flavor with every bite. The topping adds sweetness and a little bit of crunch, making it an all-around amazing cake.
2. Praline Brownies
Pralines are incredible. They’re sweet, nutty, and wonderfully chewy. Now, imagine adding them to the tops of chocolate brownies. That’s almost too yummy to contemplate. But that’s precisely what this recipe does. Not only does the brownie make the pralines sweeter and more decadent, but it also gives them a softer, more cake-like texture that’s enjoyable to eat.
3. King Cake
King cake is one Cajun dessert that just about everyone knows, and this recipe for king cake is one of my favorites. It’s almost like a cake/sweet bread/cinnamon roll hybrid, and all the gorgeous colors make it nearly too pretty to eat. If you need a good recipe for king cake this Mardi Gras – or any other day of the year – give this one a try.
4. King Cake Milkshake
Blue Bell’s Mardi Gras King Cake ice cream, beignets, a mini-king cake, and purple, green, and gold sparkles – has there ever been a more New Orleans-themed milkshake? Absolutely not! This decadent, over-the-top milkshake is a sugar high waiting to happen, but it’s also one of the most beautiful, impressive desserts I’ve ever seen. If you want to wow your friends and have someone to share it with, this milkshake is a fun, exciting dessert for any occasion.
5. King Cake Earthquake Cake
This king cake is made with yellow cake mix as opposed to something more like a cinnamon roll or sweet bread. It also includes cream cheese, pecans, vanilla, cinnamon, powdered sugar, butter, milk, and salt. Top the whole thing with purple, yellow, and green sugar for that colorful king cake style. If you prefer your cakes to be more cake-y and less bread-like, this might be the better king cake option for you.
6. King Cake Oreo Truffles
I may have gone a little overboard with the king cake variations, but keep in mind these are desserts you can have any time you want – not just on Mardi Gras. These Oreo truffles, in particular, are a great anytime dessert because they’re so easy to make. All you’ll have to do is throw some Oreos and cream cheese into a food processor and shape the mixture into balls. Then freeze them, dip them in melted white chocolate, and cover them with colorful sprinkles. Re-freeze them for about 5 minutes, and they’re ready to eat!
7. King Cake Cheese Ball
This is a sweet and colorful twist on the traditional cheese ball. It’s made of cream cheese, brown sugar, and cinnamon and covered with purple, yellow, and green sprinkles. Because it’s a sweet cheese ball, you’ll want to serve it with vanilla wafers, graham crackers, or something similar rather than plain Ritz crackers.
8. King Cake Bites
If you want all the color and flavor of a king cake but are looking for something different, these king cake bites are a good option. Plus, they’re simple to make. You’ll need crescent rolls, cream cheese, powdered sugar, lemon juice, and cinnamon for the pastries and milk, powdered sugar, and colored sugar for the glaze. They make great bite-sized breakfast pastries, or you can have them for dessert.
9. Mardi Gras Jello
If you’re looking for a dessert that has a little bit of a kick to it, these Mardi Gras Jello shots are perfect. (You can leave out the alcohol for a kid-friendly version of this wiggly snack.) Either way, these Jello snacks are pretty and festive, alcohol or no alcohol.
10. Crawfish Cakes
If you think that crawfish cakes don’t sound much like a dessert, that’s only because you haven’t seen these. Spoiler alert: No crawfish were harmed in the making of these crawfish cakes. Instead, you’ll use ladyfingers covered with red cupcake icing for the body, Twizzlers for legs, and candy eyes for the eyes. These are a fun dessert for crawfish boils, kids’ parties, or if you just want to do something different.
11. Beignets
Beignets need no description. Just about everyone knows them, and just about everyone loves them. They’re golden brown balls of deep-fried goodness, dusted in powdered sugar. What’s not to love? If you’re looking for an authentic Cajun dessert, beignets are it.
12. New Orleans Pralines
Speaking of authentic Cajun desserts, pralines have to come in at a close second. These sweet and nutty candies are a little crumbly, a little chewy, and a lotta good. Whether you love them for the brown sugar or the pecans, this recipe has plenty of both to suit your taste.
13. Pecan Praline Cookies
These pecan praline cookies are the magical place where cookies meet candy. The cookies are made with brown sugar. They’re soft, chewy, and so good, they almost melt in your mouth. Once you top them off with the caramel pecan praline, you won’t be able to stop eating them. The praline may start as a runny, gooey, delicious mess, but don’t worry; it’ll firm up as it cools. You’ll be left with an extra sweet, extra tasty cookie you won’t want to share.
14. Pumpkin Tarte à la Bouille
This delicious dish is pumpkin pie turned up to 11. It’s pumpkin pie’s more beautiful big sister. It’s fantastic. It’s everything you love about pumpkin pie, but it’s prettier, the texture is smoother and silkier, and it tastes somehow lighter. Put a dollop of whipped cream on it if you want to go all out. Either way, it’s too good to pass up.
15. Southern Sweet Potato Pie
This simple sweet potato pie is more than a dessert; it’s a southern tradition. All you’ll need to make is flour, sweet potatoes, eggs, sugar, and various spices. It’s soft, sweet, and buttery, and while it’s the perfect pie for Thanksgiving, there’s never a wrong time to enjoy it.
16. Louisiana Stranger Cake
This is a simple bundt cake with an added Louisiana flair. Instead of yellow cake mix, you’ll use butter pecan. You’ll also add in some toasted pecans and a can of caramel coconut pecan frosting. The whole thing is dusted in powdered sugar, making it just as sweet as it is nutty. Anyone who bakes this cake for you won’t be a stranger for long. Instead, she’ll be your new best friend.
17. Cajun Hash Cake
If you can pour and mix things, you can make this incredible Cajun hash cake. After all, your oven does all the hard work. For the cake, you need basic baking ingredients, along with walnuts and cocoa powder. For the topping, you’ll need more basic things and cocoa powder, along with a bag of mini-marshmallows. Mix everything up, bake it for about half an hour, and then drop your marshmallows on top. Bake for another few minutes to melt the marshmallows, then pour on your topping. It’s a simple, tasty dessert.
18. Bananas Foster
This recipe is for the real-deal Bananas Foster – the kind made with rum and set on fire. However, if alcohol isn’t your thing, you can use rum extract and some fruit juice, but you won’t be able to ignite it, and it’ll taste a little different. It’ll still be good, though. To make the real thing, it takes just 15 minutes and a relatively short ingredients list. It tastes best if served with ice cream.
19. Mardi Gras Swirled Lemon Bark
If you’re a bit of an artist, you may want to try your hand at this Mardi Gras swirled lemon bark because it’s truly a work of art. Seriously, it looks like something you’d see winning $50,000 on a Food Network competition show. Despite how amazing it looks, it’s pretty easy to make. It’s mostly a matter of melting, pouring, and swirling. When finished, it’s a zesty, lemony treat of which even Van Gogh would be proud.
20. Mardi Gras Snack Mix
This sweet and salty trail mix combines all the best ingredients – pretzels, Bugles, rice Chex, mixed nuts, and more – and covers them in melted white chocolate chips. It’s totally addictive and super crunchy. It’s a great snack food for hikes, movie nights, or anywhere else you want to eat it. Click on a star to rate it!
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