King Cake
Bring Mardi Gras to you with this homemade king cake recipe! It’s made with a sweet brioche dough, filled with cinnamon sugar, then twisted into the shape of a crown. This king cake is easy to make yourself and tastes so much better than anything you could buy from a store!
Throughout the Carnival season, there’s no better sweet treat to enjoy than king cake. And while some store-bought king cakes can be good, this homemade version is SO much better!
If you’ve never tried a king cake before, it’s not light and fluffy like a traditional layer cake. Instead, it’s made by filling and braiding a sweet yeast dough into the shape of a crown. I prefer to fill mine with cinnamon sugar, but I’ve included a cream cheese filling option as well as a few other ideas you can try.
After it’s baked, the cake is drizzled with a simple vanilla icing and sprinkled with three specific colors of sanding sugar. The green sugar represents faith, the gold power, and the purple justice.
While it may seem a little difficult, making your own king cake is actually far easier than it sounds. Today I’m sharing everything you need to know to make this classic Mardi Gras dessert!
A Little Of The History Behind This Cake
This cake has roots dating back to the Middle Ages and was actually introduced to New Orleans by French settlers in the late 1800s. It was traditionally served on the twelfth night after Christmas, called Three Kings’ Day (January 6th), which celebrates the Three Wise Men presenting their gifts to Jesus.
It’s since transformed into the traditional dessert of the Carnival season, which starts on January 6th and ends with the big Mardi Gras celebrations on Fat Tuesday.
The first king cakes had a coin or bean hidden inside, and whoever got the slice of cake with the bean or coin was crowned king for the day and granted good luck for the whole year. These days, king cakes are made with a plastic baby hidden inside instead (which represents baby Jesus).
If you want to learn a little more, Southern Living has a great article that talks more about the history of the king cake. It’s actually pretty interesting, but maybe that’s just because I love history when it involves dessert!
Ingredient Notes & Substitutions
Flour
I prefer to make my king cake with all-purpose flour, so it’s softer and fluffier. If you’re looking for a chewier texture, you can feel free to swap it with an equal amount of bread flour.
Yeast
You’ll want to use active dry yeast, which needs to be combined with a little warm milk and sugar before being added to the dough. Red Star and Fleischmann’s Yeast are my two favorite brands!
Plastic Baby
The plastic baby is completely optional, but like I mentioned earlier, it’s usually added to king cakes. If you plan to use one, I recommend adding it after baking because I’m not a fan of the idea of baking plastic inside of a cake. These plastic babies are similar to the one I used, but if you prefer not to use one you could place a pecan inside of the cake instead.
Sanding Sugar
While you could technically use any colors, green, yellow, and purple sanding sugar are the classic colors for a king cake. I’m usually able to find these in the baking aisle at my local grocery store, but if you can’t find any you can order sanding sugar on Amazon. I’ve ordered this sanding sugar before and it worked great!
Tips For Making The Dough
- Proof the yeast first. Check the expiration date of your yeast first to make sure it’s not expired and doesn’t need to be replaced. Once you mix everything together, the mixture should be foamy, which shows that it’s active and alive. If your yeast doesn’t become foamy, you’ll need to start over. Keep in mind that if your milk or water is too hot it can kill the yeast. I use an instant read thermometer for this step, it makes it so much easier to test the temperature of your liquids!
- Don’t add too much flour. The dough shouldn’t be super sticky, just a little tacky to the touch. If you add more flour to the dough to make it less sticky, remember that the more you add, the denser your cake will be. You shouldn’t need to use more than 5 cups of flour in total.
- Make sure to knead the dough long enough. I prefer to knead it by hand so I can feel the dough and avoid over kneading it (the whole process usually takes me about 8 to 10 minutes). You can use the dough hook on a stand mixer if you want to make it a little easier though. If you’re newer to baking and not sure how to do this properly, King Arthur has a great post on how to knead dough!
- Let the dough rise in a warm area. This will help it rise better and faster! I prefer to set my bowl of dough on top of a heating pad set to low. It may seem a little strange, but this is the best method I’ve found so far.
How To Fill & Shape A King Cake
- Roll out the dough until it’s a large rectangle (about 12 x 20 inches), then use a pizza cutter or knife to cut the dough in half lengthwise. You should be left with two long rectangles. Spread some melted butter over each of the rectangles, then sprinkle with the cinnamon sugar.
- Roll each rectangle into a long rope, making sure to pinch the seam and each end together really well!
- Twist both pieces together to create one big rope.
- Shape the braided rope of dough into a circle and pinch the ends together, then carefully transfer it to a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. At this point, you’ll want to cover the dough and let it rise for another 45 minutes to an hour before baking.
Tip: Make sure to pinch the seams together well or the filling may leak out!
More Filling Ideas
I filled this cake with cinnamon sugar, but when it comes to king cake the filling options are almost endless! I’ve made it with a cream cheese filling (I included a recipe in the notes section of the recipe card below) and even used half cinnamon sugar and half cream cheese, which was delicious too.
You could also fill it with Nutella, fruit preserves or jam, your favorite pie filling (cherry, apple, blueberry, etc.), or even lemon curd (which I think would be really delicious!).
How Can I Prep This Ahead Of Time?
This king cake is really best eaten the same day it’s baked. However, you could probably fill and shape the dough the day before, then cover and refrigerate it overnight.
The next day, just take the shaped cake out of the fridge and let it rise in a warm place for about 1 hour before baking as instructed.
This recipe took a lot of work to get just right, but I’m so happy with how it turned out! It reminds me of a homemade cinnamon roll, but even bigger and more delicious.
If you try it, don’t forget to leave a comment below letting me know how it turned out and what filling you decided to use! Happy Baking!
King Cake Recipe
Ingredients
King Cake Dough
- 1 cup whole milk (240 ml)
- ¼ cup water (60 ml)
- ⅓ cup plus 1 teaspoon granulated sugar divided (70 grams)
- 2 ¼ teaspoons active dry yeast (7 grams)
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter melted and slightly cooled (85 grams)
- 2 large eggs at room temperature
- 4 ½ to 5 cups all-purpose flour spooned & leveled (565 to 625 grams)
- 1 ¼ teaspoons salt
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
Cinnamon Sugar Filling
- ½ cup packed light brown sugar (100 grams)
- 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter melted and slightly cooled (57 grams; ½ stick)
Egg Wash
- 1 large egg
- 1 tablespoon water (15 ml)
Vanilla Icing
- 1 cup powdered sugar (120 grams)
- 1 ½ to 2 tablespoons whole milk (30 ml)
- ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Optional Decorations
- Tiny plastic baby
- Green, purple, and gold/yellow sanding sugar
Instructions
- To make the king cake dough: Combine the milk and water in a microwave-safe measuring cup and heat in the microwave until it reaches 110°F to 115°F. Pour it into a large mixing bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer. Stir in 1 teaspoon of sugar, then sprinkle the yeast on top and gently stir it into the water. Set aside for 5 to 10 minutes until the yeast is foamy.1 cup whole milk,¼ cup water,⅓ cup plus 1 teaspoon granulated sugar,2 ¼ teaspoons active dry yeast
- Add the remaining ⅓ cup of sugar, melted butter, eggs, 2 cups (250 grams) of flour, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Mix by hand with a rubber spatula or using the dough hook attachment on a stand mixer.6 tablespoons unsalted butter,2 large eggs,4 ½ to 5 cups all-purpose flour,1 ¼ teaspoons salt,½ teaspoon ground cinnamon,¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- Mix in 2 more cups (250 grams) of flour until fully combined. If the dough is sticky, you can add another ½ cup (67 grams) of flour until it’s slightly tacky to the touch. Knead the dough by hand on a lightly floured surface or using the dough hook on a stand mixer on low speed for 5 to 10 minutes until the dough is smooth and elastic, adding a little extra flour if needed. I typically use between 4 ¾ cups to 5 cups of flour total.
- Once the dough is kneaded, form it into a ball and place it into a lightly greased bowl. Cover and allow to rise in a warm area for 1 ½ hours or until doubled in size (I like to place my bowl on a heating pad set on low).
- To make the filling and assemble: Once the dough is almost ready, add the brown sugar and cinnamon to a mixing bowl and stir until fully combined. Set aside.½ cup packed light brown sugar,1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
- Deflate the dough and roll it out on a lightly floured surface into a 12×20 rectangle. Use a large knife or a pizza cutter to cut the dough in half lengthwise so you have two rectangles of dough that are 6 inches wide and 20 inches long.
- Spread the melted butter evenly over both pieces of dough, then sprinkle the cinnamon sugar evenly over the top of each one, making sure not to go all the way to the edges.4 tablespoons unsalted butter
- Roll each rectangle of dough up tightly into a 20-inch rope, making sure to pinch the seam and each end together well.
- Braid both pieces of dough into one rope, then form into a circle. Place onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and pinch the ends of the rope together.
- Cover the dough on the baking sheet and allow it to rise for another 45 minutes to 1 hour in a warm area.
- To make the egg wash and bake: After about 30 minutes of rising, preheat the oven to 350°F (177°C).
- Once the dough has risen and increased in size, add the egg and water to a small bowl and whisk or lightly beat with a fork. Brush the egg wash all over the top of the cake.1 large egg,1 tablespoon water
- Bake for 25 to 35 minutes or until the top is golden brown and it's cooked through in the center. I typically bake mine for 30 to 35 minutes.
- Remove from the oven and set aside to cool completely.
- To make the icing and decorate: Whisk the powdered sugar, milk, and vanilla extract together until fully combined and no lumps remain. If the icing is too thick, add a little more milk. You want the icing to be thin enough to drizzle, but thick enough to set up on the cake. If the icing is too thin, add more powdered sugar as needed.1 cup powdered sugar,1 ½ to 2 tablespoons whole milk,½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- If you plan to add a small baby to the cake, go ahead and cut a small hole in the cake, place the baby inside, then place some of the cut out piece back on top to cover it.Tiny plastic baby
- Pour the icing all over the top of the cake, then immediately add the green, purple, and gold sanding sugar all over the top of the icing while it’s still wet.Green, purple, and gold/yellow sanding sugar
- Allow the icing to set for 20 to 30 minutes before slicing and serving or store in an airtight container at room temperature until ready to serve.
