A New Orleans tradition, this King Cake Recipe is a simple version you can make at home. Great for breakfast, snacking, or dessert, you can’t go wrong serving it up around and before Mardi Gras!
When you look at this King Cake Recipe, you can’t help but smile. With lots of fun colors, a yummy glaze, and swirls of cinnamon inside of soft dough, it’s no wonder it’s a yearly tradition many love to devour.
I’ve never been to New Orleans, but you better believe it’s on my bucket list! But, I do love to make different cuisine that traditionally comes from the region, and this cake is no exception.
It also has a background story and a surprise baby figurine tucked inside. Traditionally, this cake is served from Early January up until Mardi Gras, the day before Ash Wednesday.
If you are lucky enough to get a slice with the baby figurine, then it’s your lucky day, and you are crowned King or Queen for the day. Also, some say you will be in charge of making the cake next year, so it’s your call if you think it’s luck or not… ha!
It’s actually really easy to put together, and the hardest part is just waiting for it to rise, but you know me, I have tips on that too!
So don’t be intimated by this fancy-looking King Cake Recipe. I have all the tips and tricks below to make your baking a success!
Some of our other favorite easy cake recipes that we have on our site include: Strawberry Earthquake Cake, Chocolate Pudding Cake, and Banana Icebox Cake.
WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS:
- Minimal and easy-to-find ingredients help these come together in no time.
- A super fun backstory and game of who finds the baby!
- Double the recipe to make two cakes.
INGREDIENTS NEEDED (FULL RECIPE BELOW):
- Milk
- Unsalted butter
- Active dry yeast
- Egg
- All-purpose flour
- Granulated sugar
- Sea salt
- Ground cinnamon
- Ground nutmeg
- Light brown sugar
- Powdered sugar
- Vanilla extract
- Plastic baby
- Dark green sanding sugar
- Dark purple sanding sugar
- Gold sanding sugar
HOW TO MAKE KING CAKE RECIPE:
- Warm the milk in the microwave in 15-second intervals until it reaches 105-110°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. If the yeast is not foamy after 10 minutes, the yeast is dead, and you need to start over with fresh yeast.
- Add the yeast mixture to the stand mixer along with the egg. Stir to combine with the hook attachment.
- Add the flour, sugar, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg to the bowl. Stir to combine until it starts to form a dough on the stir setting.
- Turn the speed up to low or speed 2 and knead for 10 minutes. The dough will come together after a few minutes, it should mostly clean the sides of the bowl, and the bottom of the dough may stick to the bottom of the bowl.
- After 10 minutes, the dough will be smooth but slightly tacky still.
- Spray a large bowl with cooking spray and place the kneaded dough into the bowl. Spray the top with more cooking spray. Cover with plastic wrap and place in a warm place to double in size, about 1 – 1.5 hours.
- When the dough is almost ready, make the filling by stirring together the brown sugar, flour, cinnamon, salt, and nutmeg. Pour in the melted butter and stir to combine.
- Punch down the dough to release the air bubbles.
- Roll out the dough into a rough 24×10-inch rectangle on a clean, lightly floured work surface. 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.
- With a long side of the dough facing you, tightly roll the dough to form a log and pinch the seams together.
- Line a large sheet tray with parchment paper.
- Place the dough onto the sheet tray, shape it into a circle, and pinch the ends together well to seal. Cover with plastic wrap and rise again until about doubled 1 – 1.5 hours.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F.
- Take the plastic wrap off the cake, and using kitchen shears or a 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 over-browning. Let cool for 10 minutes on the sheet tray. Transfer 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 until smooth. The glaze should be thick but pourable. If it is still too thick, add up to another tablespoon of milk.
- Place the wire rack with the cooled cake over a sheet tray 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 set for at least 30 minutes to set before slicing and serving.
DO I HAVE TO USE THE BABY?
No, you don’t have to, but it is in a traditional king cake.
I got mine from amazon, you can find them by clicking here.
It seems crazy, but it is safe to cook the plastic baby inside the cake. But, if you don’t want to cook it, you can wait until the king cake has fully cooled, then turn it upside down, make a little slit in the bottom, and push the baby inside.
CAN I ADD ANYTHING TO THIS KING CAKE RECIPE?
Of course, you can add some more yummy things to the filling!
Other good filling ingredient ideas include:
- Chopped Pecans
- Chopped Walnuts
- Regular or golden raisins
You can also add pumpkin pie spice for a fun twist to the filling.
DOES KING CAKE NEED TO BE REFRIGERATED?
No, even though this cake is similar to a cinnamon roll, we are not using cream cheese in our recipe.
However, if you purchased a king cake with cream cheese or decided to make a cream cheese glaze, then it would need to be refrigerated.
Our version is safe to sit out at room temperature in a sealed container for up to 3 days.
HOW CAN I MAKE THE DOUGH RISE FASTER?
It is best to let the dough rise in a warm place. However, sometimes that isn’t really possible, especially when this King Cake Recipe is made in the winter; there aren’t normally many warm spots in houses.
The dough would still rise but it would take longer than the normal hour to hour and a half rise time. To speed up the process, I have a few tips:
- Start preheating the oven to 170°F. I use an oven thermometer, and as soon as the inside of the oven reaches around 75°F, I immediately turn it off. I keep watching the thermometer to see if it goes above 75°F, if it stays the same, then I will pop the bowl with the dough inside and then close the door. You just have to remember the dough is inside and not to turn the oven on again! 75°F is the optimal temperature for yeast to work properly.
- Another option is in the microwave. I like to put a bowl of about 1 cup of water into the microwave and cook for 2 minutes. Take the water bowl out, immediately add the bowl with the dough and plastic wrap on top into the microwave, and close the door.
The dough is ready when it has doubled in size!
HOW TO STORE:
As stated above, this cake can be stored at room temperature and sealed in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
It can also be frozen if covered with plastic wrap, then foil, then placed in a freezer-safe container for up to 3 months. To thaw, place it in the fridge overnight or countertop until ready.
I like to enjoy this slightly warm. I put it on a microwave-safe plate, then place it in the microwave for 10-15 seconds. It’s perfect!
TIPS AND TRICKS:
- Easily double this recipe to make two cakes.
- Other spices and fillings can be used. See my tips above on which I recommend.
- This can be frozen, see my tips above on how to store.
- You can bake it with or without the baby, or don’t use it at all. See above how to hide the baby after baking.
- If you can’t find gold sanding sugar, yellow will work too.
- I love to enjoy a slice warmed, see how long it takes to microwave in the above text.
- The dough is kneaded for a more extended period of time than other bread doughs because it will keep it on the softer, more tender side. The cake texture becomes a cross between cinnamon rolls and a cake.
Ready to try your hand at making a traditional New Orleans recipe? Make it the easy way with my King Cake Recipe this season!
If you like this recipe you might also like:
If you’ve tried this KING CAKE RECIPE, let me know how it turned out in the comments! You can follow me over on PINTEREST, INSTAGRAM OR FACEBOOK to find some more of our mouthwatering recipes!
King Cake Recipe
Ingredients
For the dough
- 1/2 cup + 1/3 cup whole milk
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter thinly sliced
- 2 & 1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast
- 1 large egg
- 2 & 3/4 cups all-purpose flour plus more for dusting
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 3/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
For the filling
- 1 cup light brown sugar packed
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1/4 cup unsalted butter melted
- plastic baby if using
For the glaze
- 1 & 1/2 cup powdered sugar
- 2-3 tablespoons milk
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Warm the milk in the microwave in 15-second intervals until it reaches 105-110°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. If the yeast is not foamy after 10 minutes, the yeast is dead, and you need to start over with fresh yeast.
- Add the yeast mixture to the stand mixer along with the egg. Stir to combine with the hook attachment.
- Add the flour, sugar, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg to the bowl. Stir to combine until it starts to form a dough on the stir setting.
- Turn the speed up to low or speed 2 and knead for 10 minutes. The dough will come together after a few minutes, it should mostly clean the sides of the bowl, and the bottom of the dough may stick to the bottom of the bowl.
- After 10 minutes, the dough will be smooth but slightly tacky still.
- Spray a large bowl with cooking spray and place the kneaded dough into the bowl. Spray the top with more cooking spray. Cover with plastic wrap and place in a warm place to double in size, about 1 – 1.5 hours.
- When the dough is almost ready, make the filling by stirring together the brown sugar, flour, cinnamon, salt, and nutmeg. Pour in the melted butter and stir to combine.
- Punch down the dough to release the air bubbles.
- Roll out the dough into a rough 24×10-inch rectangle on a clean, lightly floured work surface. 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.
- With a long side of the dough facing you, tightly roll the dough to form a log and pinch the seams together.
- Line a large sheet tray with parchment paper.
- Place the dough onto the sheet tray, shape it into a circle, and pinch the ends together well to seal. Cover with plastic wrap and rise again until about doubled 1 – 1.5 hours.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F.
- Take the plastic wrap off the cake, and using kitchen shears or a 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 over-browning. Let cool for 10 minutes on the sheet tray. Transfer 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 until smooth. The glaze should be thick but pourable. If it is still too thick, add up to another tablespoon of milk.
- Place the wire rack with the cooled cake over a sheet tray 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 set for at least 30 minutes to set before slicing and serving.
Notes
- Easily double this recipe to make two cakes.
- Other spices and fillings can be used. See my tips above on which I recommend.
- This can be frozen, see my tips above on how to store.
- You can bake it with or without the baby, or don’t use it at all. See above how to hide the baby after baking.
- If you can’t find gold sanding sugar, yellow will work too.
- I love to enjoy a slice warmed, see how long it takes to microwave in the above text.
- The dough is kneaded for a more extended period of time than other bread doughs because it will keep it on the softer, more tender side. The cake texture becomes a cross between cinnamon rolls and a cake.
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