Go Back
+ servings

King Cake Recipe

A delicious Mardi Gras treat, this King Cake Recipe will be a colorful addition to your party table. Fun, flavorful and a great breakfast or dessert for the whole family!
Prep Time20 minutes
Cook Time35 minutes
Rise Time:3 hours
Total Time3 hours 55 minutes
Course: Breakfast, Dessert
Cuisine: American, French, Spanish
Servings: 12
Calories: 325kcal

Ingredients

For the dough:

  • ½ cup + ⅓ cup milk divided
  • 2 Tablespoons unsalted butter thinly sliced
  • 2 ¼ teaspoons active dry yeast
  • 1 large egg
  • 2 ¾ cups all-purpose flour plus more for dusting
  • ¼ cup granulated sugar
  • ¾ teaspoon fine sea salt
  • ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg

For the filling:

  • 1 cup light brown sugar packed
  • 2 Tablespoons all-purpose flour
  • 1 Tablespoon ground cinnamon
  • ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
  • ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • ¼ cup unsalted butter melted

For the glaze:

  • 1 ½ cups powdered sugar
  • 2-3 Tablespoons milk
  • ½ teaspoon vanilla extract

For decoration:

  • Plastic baby optional
  • Dark green sanding sugar
  • Dark purple sanding sugar
  • Gold sanding sugar

Instructions

  • Warm the milk in the microwave in 15-second intervals until it reaches 105-110 degrees F.
  • Place the sliced butter into the body of a stand mixer and pour ½ cup of the milk on top, set aside.
  • Place the remaining ⅓ cup milk into a small bowl and stir in the yeast, let it sit for 5-10 minutes until foamy and the yeast activates.
  • Add the yeast mixture to the stand mixer along with the egg. Attach with hook attachment and mix to combine.
  • Add the flour, sugar, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg to the bowl, mix to combine until it starts to form a dough.
  • On low, knead the dough for 10 minutes. When done kneading the dough will be smooth but slightly tacky still.
  • Spray a large bowl with non-stick cooking spray and place the kneaded dough into the bowl, spray the top with more non-stick cooking spray and cover with plastic wrap and place in a warm place to double in size, which will take about 1 - 1.5 hours.
  • When the dough is almost ready, make the filling. In a medium bowl stir together the brown sugar, flour, cinnamon, salt, and nutmeg. Pour in the melted butter and stir to combine. Set aside.
  • Punch down the dough to release the air bubbles.
  • On a floured surface add your dough and roll out the dough into a rough 24x10-inch rectangle.
  • Sprinkle the filling all over the dough, leaving a ½-inch border along the edges. Place the plastic baby, if using, in a random place on top of the filling.
  • With the long side of the dough facing you, tightly roll the dough to form a log and pinch the seams together (like you would making cinnamon rolls).
  • Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. Place the dough onto the baking sheet, shape into a circle and pinch the ends together well to seal.
  • Cover with plastic wrap and rise again until about doubled, roughly about another 1 - 1.5 hours.
  • Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
  • Take the plastic wrap off the cake and using a kitchen scissors or knife, slice about ⅓ of the way through the dough to expose the layers, do this in 8 spots, equally spaced. Do not cut the dough all the way through.
  • Bake for 30-35 minutes until golden brown, tent with foil after 15 minutes to prevent overbrowning.
  • Remove from the oven and let cool for 10 minutes on the baking sheet before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
  • Once the cake is cool, make the icing by whisking together the powdered sugar, 2 Tablespoons of milk, and vanilla in a small bowl until smooth. The glaze should be thick but pourable, if it is too thick, add up to another Tablespoon of milk.
  • Place the wire rack over a baking sheet or parchment paper to catch any drips, and pour the glaze evenly over the cake. Immediately add the sanding sugar colors in any pattern you wish.
  • Let sit for at least 30 minutes before slicing and serving.

Notes

  1. You can add additions into the filling such as chopped walnuts, pecans, raisins or golden raisins.
  2. Make this all year round with other colors of sanding sugar.
  3. This is great for both breakfast and dessert.
  4. Make sure that you are making the cuts in the dough, see above on why that is important.
  5. You do NOT have to use the baby, if you do but do not want to bake it inside - once baked, cut a slit in the bottom of the cake and push the baby inside.
  6. This can be frozen, see above on how to do that.
  7. This is best at room temperature or slightly warm, so if you are storing it make sure that it comes to room temperature before serving.
  8. Make sure you are mixing and kneading at a slow speed for a longer time, it is essential to the texture of this cake.
  9. This recipe can be frozen, see above on how to do that.

Nutrition

Calories: 325kcal | Carbohydrates: 62g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 7g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.4g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Trans Fat: 0.2g | Cholesterol: 31mg | Sodium: 258mg | Potassium: 102mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 38g | Vitamin A: 230IU | Vitamin C: 0.03mg | Calcium: 55mg | Iron: 2mg