Back in 2018, I learned about Boudin King Cakes. I gathered all the information to make it from scratch. It took me until 2026 to actually make it. Here’s a few suggestions after going through the process of making it.
First, just buy Pillsbury Crescent Rolls and sausage from the supermarket. If you have a source for boudin near you, just buy it. If you don’t just remove the casing, cook the sausage, then mix 80% sausage to 20% rice.
Boudin King Cake Ingredients
½ cup red pepper jelly, such as Tabasco
1 tablespoon water
1 pound boudin, or 80% sausage / 20% rice mixture
8 ounces pepper jack cheese, cut into planks
2 or 3 cans of Pillsbury Crescent rolls, depending on the size of cake you wish to make.
1 large egg, beaten, for brushing the outside of the cake before putting it in the oven
Kosher salt
½ cup crumbled bacon
½ cup diced green onion tops
Note: If you must make it from scratch use 1 Copycat Pillsbury Crescent Dough recipe (cut), cut into two and rolled into rectangular sheets, roughly 12″ x 8″ then cut diagonally into triangles.
Boudin King Cake Preparation
Preheat the oven to 350ºF.
For the glaze, in a saucepan over medium heat, add the red pepper jelly and let cook until it softens and begins to melt, about 2 minutes. Add the water and stir until it thins out. Turn off the heat and keep warm.
Separate the boudin meat into 4 quarter pound portions. Put one portion of boudin meat on one edge of the dough sheet, add half the cheese, then add another portion of boudin meat and roll it up. Cut off the excess and pinch the ends closed. Repeat a second time with the rest of the ingredients.
On a metal baking tray sprayed with non-stick spray, place the 2 dough-wrapped boudin cylinders and join them together at the ends to form a circle. Brush the top with egg wash and sprinkle with salt.
Place in the oven and bake for 40 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from the oven.
With a spoon or brush, drizzle and paint the pepper jelly over the top of the hot pastry. Sprinkle the top with crumbled bacon and diced green onion tops.
Serve on the baking tray by slicing the boudin king cake into portions and calling your guests while it’s piping hot.
—Adapted from “Boudin King Cake.” The Acadian Table. January 25, 2016.
If you want to do a lot more work for little return, you can make both the dough and the boudin yourself.
Boudin King Dough Ingredients
2 (4 1/2 teaspoon) packages dry yeast
3/4 cup water (100-110 degrees F)
2 large eggs, beaten
1/4 cup shortening, cubed
1/3 cup butter, cubed
4 cups flour, divided
1/2 cup sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon butter, melted
Boudin King Dough Preparation
In a large mixing bowl, dissolve the yeast and 1 tbsp of the sugar in the warm water. Let sit until foamy – 10 minutes.
In a separate bowl, combine remaining sugar, salt and 3 cups flour. Once yeast is foamy, stir in beaten eggs followed by shortening and butter. Next, add flour mixture and stir. Turn out onto floured surface and slowly add the last cup of flour, kneading to achieve a smooth, elastic consistency. Be careful not to add too much flour.
Place in a greased bowl, turning to grease the top of the dough. Let rise in a warm place (85 degrees F) until doubled, overnight (slow) or about 1 1/2 hours (fast).
—Adapted from “Copycat Pillsbury Crescent Rolls.” Genius Kitchen.com.
Then, make the boudin, or alternatively, substitute Italian sausage.
Boudin Ingredients
One (4 pounds) pork roast,
Water, for braising and boiling
One pound pork liver
2 large yellow onions, diced
2 cups of Basmati long-grain white rice
6 cloves of garlic, peeled and chopped
1 bundle of fresh thyme, tied
2 bay leaves
2 teaspoons granulated garlic
2 teaspoons ground black pepper
2 teaspoons cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon sweet paprika
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon finely ground white pepper
1 teaspoon celery salt
1 cup diced green onion tops
1 cup finely chopped Italian parsley
2 tablespoons Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
Dash of hot sauce
Note: A cake only needs one pound, but if you are going to go through the effort, might as well make 4x as much and put the other 3 pounds in the freezer to eat over a few months.
Boudin Preparation
Preheat the oven to 220ºF (for slow) / 400ºF (for fast).
In a heavy pot with tight-fitting lid, char the bay leaf in ghee. Then, add the pork roast and thyme. Fill the pot with water to a depth of 4 inches. Cover, place in the hot oven and braise the pork roast, overnight or greater than 8 hours (for slow), 2 hours (for fast). In both cases, the meat should be falling apart.
Remove the pork from the pot reserving the cooking liquid.
In a pot with water over high heat, add the liver and boil until well done, about 10 minutes. Remove the liver and drain on a paper towel-lined plate. Add the onions to the liquid and let cook for 2 minutes. Strain the onions and reserve.
In a rice cooker, make the rice and keep warm until ready to use.
In a food processor pulse the meat and liver along with the onions and garlic until it reaches a smooth, yet chunky consistency. Be careful not to over process to a pasty, mushy stage.
Incorporate the cooked rice in a ratio of 80% meat mixture to 20% rice. Gradually add some of the cooking liquid until the mixture is moist. Add the seasonings and green onions. Add salt, black pepper, and hot sauce to taste. Evenly incorporate ingredients together.
Split into four portions, freeze three and save the fourth for your Boudin King Cake.
—Adapted from “The Great Boudin Debate.” The Acadian Table. February 3, 2014 and “Boudin Recipe.” Nola Cuisine. April 16, 2012.
cafebedouin.org 