Traditional Mardi Gras King Cake Recipe

This Traditional Mardi Gras King Cake Recipe is a beloved New Orleans Mardi Gras dessert. it is a soft and sweet ring-shaped bread similar to a brioche filled with cinnamon sugar filling and topped with a colorful glaze. Nothing compares to your own delicious homemade King Cake. Sure to be loved by all at every Mardi Gras Party!

I’m well aware that I completely missed Mardi Gras by almost a week. I know that King Cakes are usually adorned with pretty sprinkles. I think that King Cakes should be made any time of the year because it is that good.

Traditional Mardi Gras King Cake

I am not sure why I’ve never made it before. I only recently had my first King Cake at my children’s school one year. A parent had one delivered to one of their classes from a bakery and a war ensued over who could keep the baby. Nevertheless, it was a delicious cake and I kept thinking that one day I should bake one.

Last year we came across one on Mardi Gras at Publix and picked one up. It was not that bad and my kid got a kick out of finding the baby in his slice. I promised to bake one this year. I had to keep my promise even though it was almost a week later

The Tradition of the King Cake

Deriving its name from the Three Kings of the Bible, King cakes are a timeless tradition celebrated as part of Epiphany at the end of 12 Days of Christmas. This delicious delicacy is known in France as Galette des Rois, Spain recognizes it as Rosca de Reyes, and Greeks call it vasilopita!

Every year, the Mardi Gras season is marked by feasting and merry-making. One of the most iconic symbols of this time of year is the King Cake. This sweet treat originated in France before being brought to Louisiana where it has become an integral part of Mardi Gras celebrations. Each cake holds a tiny trinket which symbolizes luck and good fortune. The person who gets the trinket in their piece of cake is said to have luck in the coming year.

What is a Mardi Gras King Cake

A sweet roll dough or even brioche or sweet roll dough that is sometimes braided or filled and is baked in a circle. The cake gets decorated with colorful icing and could be sprinkled with green and gold sugars

You will only find King Cakes from the Epiphany, (January 6th) to Fat Tuesday (or Mardi Gras). In the south, they would bake really rich pastries to prepare for Lent and also clean their kitchens of all their sugar, butter and eggs

What do the colors of the King Cake mean?

A King Cake is essentially a yeasted dough coffee cake ring shaped with colored icing and sometimes with colored sprinkles. There are some versions made with cream cheese. The colored sugar represents Justice, (purple) Faith, (green) and Power, (gold). And traditionally there is a small plastic baby that symbolizes Jesus hidden in the dough for good luck. Whomever finds the baby has to bring the King Cake to the next Mardi Gras party!

Do other cultures celebrate with king cake?

There are many different sweet and decadent treats enjoyed in other countries for Mardi Gras. In Italy they celebrate with Carnevale and enjoy a fried dough treat called chiacchere. They also make another fried dough treat called castagnole.

What ingredients do you need to make a King Cake?

For the dough:

1 package (2 1/4 teaspoons) active dry yeast
1 cup warm water (no more than 110°F [43°C])
1/3 cup sugar
4 1/2 to 5 cups bread flour, or 5 1/2 to 6 cups bleached all-purpose flour
3 eggs
1/4 cup peanut, corn, or canola oil
2 teaspoons salt

Filling:
1/2 cup  raisins
1/4 cup rum (or whatever booze you prefer or even orange juice)
3/4 cup packed dark brown sugar
2/3 cup walnuts (or pecans) chopped
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Glaze:
confectioner’s sugar
yellow, green and purple food coloring (or colored sprinkles)

How to make a King Cake?

• For the filling: In a small bowl, add the filling ingredients. Mix together and set aside.
• For the dough: In a mixer, with a dough hook attachment, add the warm water and yeast. Mix until blended.  Add the sugar and mix about a minute. Slowly mix in 1 cup of the flour until combined. Mix in the eggs one at a time until they are combined.  Add another 2 cups of the flour, the honey, oil, and salt.  Mix together on medium-low speed stopping the machine to scrape down the sides of the bowl.  Slowly add the rest of the flour (the remaining 4 cups) and mix until combined. Stop the machine as you add each cup of the flour to scrape the sides of the bowl and incorporate the flour. Mix on low speed for 12 minutes until dough is incorporated. Be sure to give your mixer a break and as you don’t want to burn it out. Add flour if needed 1 tablespoon at a time. The dough will be a little sticky but also firm.

• Take dough out of mixer bowl, form into a ball and coat with a light film of canola oil.
  Form the dough into a ball and place into an oiled bowl (when I put the dough in the bowl I swish the dough around the bottom of the bowl and then flip it over so all of the dough is covered in a light film of oil). Cover with plastic wrap and let it rise at room temperature until doubled in size (about 1-1 1/2 hours).
• On a floured surface, roll the dough into a 20-by-7-inch rectangle, with the long edge facing you.

Spoon the filling in an even layer over the dough, leaving a 1-inch border along the top and bottom.

Fold the bottom and then the top edge over the filling to make a tight roll; pinch to seal. Transfer the roll seam-side down to a parchment-lined baking sheet; tuck one end into the other to form a ring. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and set aside in a warm place until the ring doubles in size, about 1-2 hours.

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Bake the cake until firm and golden brown, about 40 minutes. Cool on a rack.
• Mix 3 tablespoons water with the confectioners' sugar. Separate into 3 small bowls. Add a drop of each color food coloring and stir together. Add more water or confectioner’s sugar to achieve a spreadable consistency. Spread in alternating sections over the cake.

Freeze your cake: Allow the cake to cool entirely and secure it in a combination of plastic wrap and foil. Place the cake in your freezer for up to three months, then thaw it at room temperature overnight before decorating with frosting prior to its consumption.

Storage:To ensure your freshly-sliced cake or leftovers stay fresh and delicious, store them in an airtight container at room temperature for up to two days.

What type of dough can I use for this king cake recipe?

I used this challah recipe for the dough. It’s a keeper of a recipe and the filling can be changed up to your taste.

What can I sub for the rum in this traditional king cake mardi gras recipe?

If you’re not into using booze in baking, switch it out for orange juice. You can change the walnuts to pecans. Whatever route you choose, it will be wonderful.

Can I leave the dough to slow rise in the refrigerator?

Yes! I let the dough rise in the refrigerator for the day while we went out to meet some friends. I took the dough out and let it warm up on the counter a bit before punching it down. 

Can I decorate a king cake without sprinkles?

As for the decorating, I didn’t have yellow, purple and green sprinkles so opted for the food coloring route. Let’s just say the kids had a blast decorating it. I wasn’t sure if I would post it because it wasn’t the prettiest glazing we’ve ever done. My daughter told me I had to because it was SO delicious and my son said, “Mommy…this is GORGEOUS!” So there you have it. Don’t worry if Mardi Gras has came and went. Make this any time and enjoy it as we did. 

More Recipes like this:

Fresh Strawberry Bundt Cake

Orange-Glazed Polenta Cake

Chocolate-Rye Crumb Cake

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Traditional King Cake Recipe

King Cake is a traditional New Orleans Mardi Gras dessert. Nothing compares to your own delicious homemade King Cake. It does take a little time to get the dough together, but so worth the wait! Sure to be loved by all at every Mardi Gras Party!

Prep Time2 hours hrs

Cook Time40 minutes mins

Course: Bread

Cuisine: American

Keyword: King cake, Mardi Gras, yeast dough

Calories: 3803kcal

Author: Lora

Ingredients

• DOUGH
• 1 package 2 1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast
• 1 cup warm water no more than 110°F [43°C]
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 4 1/2 to 5 cups bread flour or 5 1/2 to 6 cups bleached all-purpose flour
• 3 eggs
• 1/4 cup peanut corn, or canola oil
• 2 teaspoons salt
• FILLING
• 1/2 cup  raisins
• 1/4 cup rum or whatever booze you prefer or even orange juice
• 3/4 cup packed dark brown sugar
• 2/3 cup walnuts or pecans chopped
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• GLAZE
• confectioner’s sugar
• yellow green and purple food coloring (or colored sprinkles)

Instructions

• FILLING
• In a small bowl, add the filling ingredients. Mix together and set aside.
• DOUGH In a mixer, with a dough hook attachment, add the warm water and yeast. Mix until blended.  Add the sugar and mix about a minute. Slowly mix in 1 cup of the flour until combined. Mix in the eggs one at a time until they are combined.  Add another 2 cups of the flour, the honey, oil, and salt.  Mix together on medium-low speed stopping the machine to scrape down the sides of the bowl.  Slowly add the rest of the flour (the remaining 4 cups) and mix until combined. Stop the machine as you add each cup of the flour to scrape the sides of the bowl and incorporate the flour. Mix on low speed for 12 minutes until dough is incorporated. Be sure to give your mixer a break and as you don’t want to burn it out. Add flour if needed 1 tablespoon at a time. The dough will be a little sticky but also firm.
• Take dough out of mixer bowl, form into a ball and coat with a light film of canola oil.
• Form the dough into a ball and place into an oiled bowl (when I put the dough in the bowl I swish the dough around the bottom of the bowl and then flip it over so all of the dough is covered in a light film of oil). Cover with plastic wrap and let it rise at room temperature until doubled in size (about 1-1 1/2 hours).
• On a floured surface, roll the dough into a 20-by-7-inch rectangle, with the long edge facing you.
• Spoon the filling in an even layer over the dough, leaving a 1-inch border along the top and bottom.
• Fold the bottom and then the top edge over the filling to make a tight roll; pinch to seal. Transfer the roll seam-side down to a parchment-lined baking sheet; tuck one end into the other to form a ring. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and set aside in a warm place until the ring doubles in size, about 1-2 hours.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Bake the cake until firm and golden brown, about 40 minutes. Cool on a rack.

Nutrition Disclaimer

Please keep in mind that the nutritional information presented below is an approximation and may vary depending on the exact ingredients used.

Nutrition

Calories: 3803kcal | Carbohydrates: 608g | Protein: 112g | Fat: 92g | Saturated Fat: 13g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 50g | Monounsaturated Fat: 21g | Trans Fat: 0.1g | Cholesterol: 491mg | Sodium: 4896mg | Potassium: 2417mg | Fiber: 32g | Sugar: 72g | Vitamin A: 746IU | Vitamin C: 7mg | Calcium: 336mg | Iron: 15mg

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