This decadent and boozy king cake shake is reminiscent of everybody’s favorite Mardi Gras treat and perfect for your carnival-themed parties! It requires just a few ingredients—including actual chunks of cinnamon-y king cake!
Most people who overindulge over the holidays get a much-needed reprieve from all the sweets come January—but not us folks on the Gulf Coast!
Mardi Gras comes early this year (February 13, to be precise) so we’ve been in 100% king cake consumption mode.
I’m not mad about it.
Last year I made king cake-inspired cookies (which were so easy and so freaking good!) and the year before, I mixed up the easiest golden Oreo + cream cheese king cake truffles (which were also incredibly tasty and a breeze to make).
This year, though, I wanted something different. But equally simple to put together. And, so, the boozy king cake shake was born!
I will be completely honest with you—this doesn’t taste exactly like king cake. Since it contains an entire frozen banana, it does have a banana-y flavor to it, but you could easily sub frozen cauliflower for half of the banana to mute the taste a bit.
If you don’t have actual king cake on hand (bless your little heart), then you could add some pieces of cinnamon roll to get that similar flavor. Or, you could leave the cake out entirely, since we’re not trying to replicate the flavor 100%.
Or…you could just go heavy-handed on the booze, I won’t judge.
Boozy King Cake Shake
serves 1
Ingredients
- 1 small frozen banana*
- ½ cup plain or vanilla Greek yogurt
- ½ tsp (or more, to taste) ground cinnamon
- ½ tsp vanilla extract
- ½ cup milk (add more or less, depending on desired consistency)
- 1 to 1 ½ oz rum
- 1 to 1 ½ Tbsp amaretto liqueur
- 1 small (2-inch square or so) slice of king cake**
Directions
- Add all of your ingredients to the canister of a blender or Magic Bullet. Blend until smooth.
- Depending on consistency, you may wish to add more milk.
- To serve, top with festive purple, green & gold sprinkles or sugar
*For less of a banana flavor, substitute frozen cauliflower for ½ the banana. Your smoothie won’t be as sweet, but you can add some honey, maple syrup, or extra king cake if you wish.
**If you don’t have king cake available to you, substitute pieces of cinnamon roll or just leave it out
These shakes would be great for a Mardi Gras themed party or even to sip on the parade route if you are lucky enough to live close by.
If you want to be really fancy, garnish with a piece of king cake. I didn’t think of that until after I’d taken pictures. Oh well, there’s always next time!
So tell me…
- Have you ever had king cake?
- Have you ever been to Mardi Gras?
- What’s your favorite unconventional smoothie ingredient?
Mmmm. That looks soooo good. I want one!