King Cake (Mardi Gras)
intro
Festive brioche-style Mardi Gras cake swirled with cinnamon cream cheese, decorated in traditional purple, green, and gold, with a hidden lucky trinket inside.
Ingredients
Steps
Mix and knead dough
In a small bowl, combine 38°C/100°F warm whole milk, 1 tablespoon of the measured granulated sugar, and active dry yeast. Let rest 5 minutes until the surface is foamy, indicating the yeast is active. In a large stand mixer fitted with a dough hook, combine the remaining granulated sugar, all-purpose flour, fine salt, cooled melted butter, room-temperature eggs, and foamy yeast mixture. Knead on medium-low speed for 8 minutes until a smooth, elastic dough forms that pulls cleanly away from the bowl sides.
Let dough rise
Coat the inside of a large clean bowl with nonstick cooking spray, place the kneaded dough inside, and turn it once to coat the surface evenly. Cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap and a clean cotton kitchen towel, then set it in a warm, draft-free spot (24°C/75°F) for 1 hour, until the dough has doubled in volume.
Fill and shape ring
Punch down the fully risen dough firmly to release trapped air, then roll it out on a lightly floured work surface to a 60cm x 25cm (24 x 10 inch) even rectangle. Mix softened cream cheese, packed light brown sugar, and ground cinnamon in a small bowl until completely smooth, then spread the filling evenly over the dough, leaving a 1cm (1/2 inch) plain border along the top long edge. Roll the dough tightly into a long log starting from the long edge opposite the border, pinch the seam closed to seal in filling, then form the log into a circle and pinch the two ends firmly together to make a closed ring. Transfer the ring to a parchment paper-lined baking sheet.
Bake the king cake
Cover the shaped dough ring loosely with a clean kitchen towel and let it rise a second time in the same warm, draft-free spot for 45 minutes, until it is puffy and has increased by 50% in size. While the dough proofs, preheat your oven to 175°C/350°F. Once the second rise is complete, bake the cake for 28–30 minutes until the crust is deep golden brown and the internal temperature of the dough reads 90°C/195°F on a food thermometer. Remove the cake from the oven and let it cool completely on the baking sheet for 45 minutes before decorating; once cool, cut a small slit in the bottom of the cake and tuck the plastic baby trinket inside, smoothing the dough over to hide it.
Glaze and decorate
In a medium mixing bowl, whisk powdered sugar, vanilla extract, and heavy cream together until completely smooth; add 1 extra teaspoon of heavy cream if the glaze is too thick to pour, until it reaches a thick, honey-like consistency. Drizzle the glaze evenly over the top of the fully cooled cake, letting it run gently down the outer and inner sides of the ring. While the glaze is still wet and tacky, sprinkle alternating 10cm (4 inch) sections of the cake with purple, green, and gold colored sugar to create the traditional Mardi Gras color pattern.
Tips
2.Wait until the cake is fully cooled before applying the glaze; warm cake will cause the glaze to melt, thin out, and slide off the crust instead of setting properly.
3.Per New Orleans tradition, the guest who finds the hidden plastic baby in their slice is tasked with hosting the next Mardi Gras gathering and bringing the king cake.
Y’all, I’ve been chasing the king cake taste I grew up eating at my grandma’s house in New Orleans for YEARS since I moved to Chicago. This recipe is IT. The cinnamon swirl is perfectly spiced, the glaze is just the right amount of sweet, and I hid the little plastic baby in it for our office Mardi Gras potluck—everyone begged for the recipe. SO good, 10/10 will make every Fat Tuesday from now on!
Total baking newbie here, this was my first ever yeast dough and I was SO nervous it wouldn’t rise. I followed the proofing steps exactly (set my bowl near the space heater like the tip said!) and it turned out perfectly. My kids loved helping sprinkle the purple, green, and gold sugar on top—we even FaceTimed my sister in Louisiana to show it off. Only thing I messed up was forgetting to buy the plastic baby, so I used a tiny plastic dinosaur instead lmao
Made this for my fraternity’s Mardi Gras mixer last weekend and it was gone in 10 minutes flat. Game changer. I skipped the fancy colored sugar and just used regular sprinkles I had in the dorm pantry, still slapped. Pro tip: add a tiny splash of rum to the glaze if you’re making it for a 21+ crowd, trust me.
Wait, has anyone tried making this with a 1:1 gluten free flour blend? My celiac daughter loves Mardi Gras treats but I haven’t found a king cake recipe that doesn’t turn out dense when I swap flour. Would love to hear if anyone tested it before I waste ingredients!
Took this to our extended family Sunday dinner a little early for Mardi Gras and my 82-year-old grandpa (who grew up outside Baton Rouge) said it tasted just like the ones he got at parish bake sales as a kid. Cried a little, ngl. The only note I have is that 3.5 hours total time felt a little long when I was juggling my two toddlers, but it was 100% worth the effort.
OMG the cream cheese filling option (I saw the note in the tips!) is insane. I split the dough half plain cinnamon, half cream cheese, and the cream cheese side was the first to go. 10/10, don’t sleep on adding that filling if you love a richer cake. I’ll never make a plain king cake again.
Disappointed, tbh. I followed the recipe exactly but my dough didn’t rise at all, and the cake came out super dense. I used active dry yeast that I just bought last week, so I know it wasn’t expired. Not sure what I did wrong, but I wasted half a Saturday on this for my kid’s class party and had to run to the grocery store bakery last minute.
This was so fun to make for my roommates! I loved that the instructions broke down every step so I didn’t get confused, especially when braiding the dough. I was worried the braid would look messy but it came out so pretty, even my roommate who hates sweet pastries had two slices.
I’m from Louisiana currently driving cross country, so I made this in my Airbnb in Denver for a little Mardi Gras pick-me-up. Turned out so good I brought a slice to my Airbnb host, and they’d never even heard of king cake before! They loved it. Pro tip: if you don’t have a pastry brush to spread the butter on the dough before adding the cinnamon sugar, a clean paper towel works just fine.
I moved to Seattle right after college and have been craving king cake so bad I almost paid $60 to have one shipped from a bakery back home. Tried this recipe instead and saved myself so much money! The texture is spot on, the cinnamon isn’t overpowering, and the colored sugar ratio is exactly how I like it. My only complaint is that now my coworkers expect me to bring one every year lmao
Made this for our church Mardi Gras bake sale and it sold for $25! People were going crazy over it. I added a little lemon zest to the glaze like my grandma used to do, and it added such a bright little kick that cut the sweetness perfectly. Will absolutely be making this again next year, and probably for a few random potlucks in between too.