This homemade Mardi Gras King Cake is so delicious and festive and tastes a million times better than anything you’ll pick up at the market bakery! Made with a sweet tender dough, a yummy cinnamon sugar filling, a simple glaze, and the iconic purple, green, and gold sanding sugar. If you’ve ever made cinnamon rolls, you can make this king cake recipe.
Can’t go to New Orleans during carnival season? Me neither. So I’m bringing a little taste of it to us with this classic festive King Cake that’s a must for any Mardi Gras celebration. Don’t be intimated by the long list of ingredients and steps – this king cake recipe is made primarily with pantry staples and some ingredients show up in multiple parts. It’s basically a combination of challah bread and cinnamon rolls.
The dough is filled with cinnamon-sugar (or a cream cheese mixture) and gets braided into a crown-shaped circle, then coated with a simple icing and decorated with green, purple, and gold sugar. The secret to king cake, though, is that a little plastic baby is hidden inside one slice. The lucky person who gets that slice is king or queen for the day!
If you’re hosting a Mardi Gras party, make it complete with Mardi Gras jello shots, themed Lofthouse cookies, rice and beans, some gumbo, and, of course, king cake. As they say in New Orleans, laissez le bon temps rouler! Let the good times roll!
Mardi Gras King Cake
Ingredients
FOR THE DOUGH
- 1 cup lukewarm whole milk (around 105-110°F)
- 1 tablespoon instant dry yeast
- 1/3 cup + 1 tablespoon granulated sugar , divided
- 3 & 1/2 cups all-purpose flour , spooned and leveled (plus more for dusting)
- 1/2 tablespoon coarse salt
- 2 large eggs , room temperature, lightly beaten
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1/4 cup unsalted butter , melted
- vegetable oil , for coating the bowl and the loaf pans
- egg wash (1 egg beaten with 1 tablespoons water – you may not need it all)
FOR THE FILLING
- 1/3 cup brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 2 tablespoons salted butter , melted
FOR THE ICING
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 2 tablespoons whole milk
- 2 tablespoons butter , melted
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- Sanding sugar (purple, green, and yellow)
- Tiny plastic baby figurine
Instructions
MAKE THE DOUGH
- In a small bowl, sprinkle 1 tablespoon instant dry yeast and 1 tablespoon sugar over 1 cup lukewarm whole milk. Let bloom and a frothy layer develops on top; about 5 minutes. (If the yeast doesn’t foam, it isn’t good anymore. Toss it and start over.)
- In a large bowl, whisk together the 3 & 1/2 cups of flour, 1/3 cup sugar, and 1/2 tablespoon coarse salt. Make a well in the center and add the 2 room temperature beaten eggs, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, and 1/4 cup unsalted melted butter. Mix together with a wooden spoon, pulling in a little flour at a time from the sides of the bowl. Stir in the yeast mixture. Mix to combine until a shaggy dough is formed.
- Turn out onto a lightly floured surface and knead well for about 6-8 minutes. If the dough is very sticky, work in a teaspoon of flour at a time until the dough is smooth, pliable, not wet, and holds a ball-shape.
- Lightly oil the inside of a large bowl. Place dough inside; cover with plastic wrap in a warm, draft-free place. Let rise until doubled in size, 60-90 minutes. (OPTIONAL: You can transfer the covered bowl to the fridge and chill for 8 hours/overnight so it can rise further and deepen the flavor.)
MAKE THE FILLING
- Combine the brown sugar, granulated sugar, flour, cinnamon, and butter, mixing to combine. Set aside. (see note below for a cream cheese filling instead.)
ROLLING AND SHAPING
- On a lightly floured surface, punch down the dough.
- Lightly dust the top of the dough and a rolling pin with flour. Roll the dough out to approximately a 10×16-inch rectangle, with the short edge closest to you. Using a bench scraper, sharp knife, or pizza cutter, evenly cut in half lengthwise to create two long rectangles.
- Crumble the cinnamon filling evenly over the dough. (If using the cream cheese mixture, using an offset spatula, spread it evenly over the entire surface, leaving a 1/2-inch border.)
- Starting from the long side, using both hands, tightly roll each rectangle into a log (as if you were making cinnamon rolls), pressing to seal where the seam is.
- Twist the two logs together into a rope braid, then transfer to a parchment lined baking sheet, shaping into an oval and pinching the ends together. Cover lightly with plastic wrap and allow to rise at room temperature for 1 hour until nice and pillowy.
PREHEAT OVEN AND BAKE
- 15 minutes before the end of rising, preheat oven to 350 degrees F with a rack in the center position. Once oven is fully preheated, remove plastic wrap from the dough.
- Brush loaf all over with the egg wash, making sure to get in the cracks and along the sides of the loaf.
- Bake for 25-35 minutes, until golden brown and a toothpick inserted deep into the loaf should come out clean. (For exact doneness, an internal temperature should register 190°F in the very middle with an instant-read thermometer.)
COOL AND COVER WITH ICING
- Remove from oven and transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Stick a plastic baby figurine into the cake, pushing it down to hide it.
- Make certain that the bread has cooled completely before frosting it. It needs to be close to room temperature to set properly before slicing.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the powdered sugar, milk, butter, and vanilla until smooth. The frosting should be thick, but pourable. Add more or less powdered sugar and/or milk to get the proper consistency.
- Drizzle the frosting over the king cake, spreading it with a spatula if needed for even coverage. Sprinkle evenly with the purple, green, and yellow sanding sugar before the frosting hardens.
- Slice and serve. Whoever gets the slice with the baby is crowned king or queen for the day!
Notes
Nutrition
Other Notes
Tips for Success
- Use lukewarm milk. It’s important that the milk is between 105-110F. If it’s too cold, it won’t activate the yeast and if it’s too hot, it will kill the yeast.
- Instant dry yeast – Make sure the yeast hasn’t expired. If it doesn’t activate in the first step, toss it out and dry again.
- Chill overnight. If desired, the dough for king cake can be covered and transferred to the fridge to chill overnight. This lets it rise a bit more and deepens the flavor (but isn’t necessary).
- Plastic baby figurine and alternatives. Traditionally, a tiny plastic baby figurine is hidden in the cake. I recommend using a baby that’s big enough to avoid any choke hazard and to always let guests know there’s a plastic baby in one of the pieces. I’ve also seen versions where the baker hides 3-4 pecans or an orange slice in one piece of cake instead of the baby.
- Colored sanding sugar – Purple, green, and yellow are the colors of Mardi Gras, but honestly you can make this pastry any time of year, omit the plastic baby, and simply switch up the colors for whatever event you’re celebrating.
Serving Suggestions
King cake can be enjoyed as a breakfast cake with coffee, or as a dessert, but is typically served at Mardi Gras parties and celebrations. Be sure that the cake has cooled completely before slicing and serving. Let guests know that whoever finds the baby in their slice gets to be king or queen for the day!
Proper Storage
- Counter. King cake is best enjoyed the day it’s made, but can be kept at room temperature for 2-3 days. I recommend keeping it in a cake carrier, though any airtight container will do. (Or cover it with plastic wrap, using toothpicks to keep it off the glaze.)
- Fridge. It can also be stored for up to 1 week in the fridge.
- Freezer. Glazed King Cake can also be frozen for up 2-3 months. Wrap it well with plastic wrap to protect it and keep it stored in an airtight container. Let it thaw on the counter for 2-3 hours before serving.
What is King Cake?
If you’re not familiar King Cake, it’s as if challah or brioche bread and cinnamon rolls collided, but shaped like a wreath and covered with colored sanding sugar. It can be made without a filling, or stuffed with several options like cinnamon-sugar, sweetened cream cheese, fruit, or chopped nuts.
The cake is shaped like a crown to symbolize the three kings or wise men who visited Christ after his birth. The colors are symbolic too and represent faith (green), justice (purple), and power or prosperity (yellow or gold).
One of the fun traditions of king cake is the tiny baby figurine hidden inside, which symbolizes prosperity and luck. Whoever ends up with the slice with the baby is said to be King or Queen for the day! The lucky one who finds the baby is also supposed to provide the King Cake the following year. Just be careful if you are the one slicing the king cake, because if you slice the baby it’s considered bad luck!
What is Mardi Gras?
The Carnival season begins on January 6th every year, which is Twelfth Night or the Feast of the Epiphany, marking the end of the 12 days of Christmas. Mardi Gras is the culminating event on Fat Tuesday, and it marks the end of the season of Carnival. It’s always 47 days before Easter and the day before Ash Wednesday, which is the start of Lent, a 6-week period of fasting leading up to the Easter holiday. Mardi Gras in New Orleans is a time to eat, drink and be merry filled with parades, balls and other celebrations throughout the entire city.
I hope you love this delicious and easy recipe – be sure to give it a review below! Also don’t forget to follow Belly Full on TikTok, Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, and YouTube!
