Mardi Gras King Cake

by 51 Comments

King cake is a traditional New Orleans Mardi Gras dessert. It’s a must-have at any Mardi Gras Party!

King cake dessert. coffee cake

I started making King Cake about 25 years ago. My very Southern girlfriend, Sandy, from Pascagoula, Mississippi, sent me one from a very famous bakery in the New Orleans, once during Mardi Gras. As a Southern California gal,  I had no idea what King Cake was.King Cake is practically nonexistent in Southern California, at least the Southern, Mardi Gras version. There is a Mexican version called Rosca de Reyes  which is served on Epiphany. France celebrates with a galette des rois.

tres reyes

Rosca de Reyes, courtesy of Mama Maggie’s Kitchen

 

(Mardi Gras King Cake was originally published on February 4th, 2014 and has be updated to contain nutritional information. As an Amazon Affiliate, I may earn a small commission on qualifying purchases.)

What is King Cake?

King Cake is a staple during the season, from Epiphany, (January 6th) to Fat Tuesday or Mardi Gras. In the south, Mardi Gras is a season, and not just a day, like it is in the rest of the country. In preparation for Lent, many households would rid their pantries of eggs, sugar and butter, thus creating decadent pastries.king cake

Do other cultures celebrate with king cake?

Many other countries celebrate Mardi Gras or Carnivale with similar sweets, like these Italian Bow Tie cookies that are popular in Italy.

Frappe or cioffee Italian Bow tie cookies

Frappe or Italian Bow Tie Cookies courtesy of Christina’s Cucina

In England, Shrove Tuesday is celebrated with thin pancakes. Of course we know how popular Carnival is in Brazil!

Shrove Tuesday

Shrove Tuesday pancakes, courtesy of Christina’s Cucina.


What do the colors of the King Cake mean?

The festive King Cake, which is basically a coffee cake ring with colored sugar. This version is filled with cinnamon cream cheese. However, you can can also use your favorite pie filling. The colored sugar represents Justice, (purple) Faith, (green) and  Power, (gold). Traditionally a small plastic baby, symbolizing the baby Jesus, is tucked into the cooked cake for good luck. The recipient of the baby is responsible for baking the next King Cake.

King cake is a traditional New Orleans Mardi Gras dessert. Light and sweet coffee cake with glaze and festive colored sugar on top, it's a delicious treat for breakfast or an afternoon snack, too!Can the dough be made in advance?

Yes! Once I discovered Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day, by Hertzberg and Francois, I adapted their Brioche dough for my King Cake.  Make the dough one day (or up to 4 days before) and the cake the next.

Can I use pre-made dough?

No. Unfortunately this is a brioche or sweetened dough. Although it’s not particularly sweet, there is some honey in the dough which you won’t find in store-bought bread dough.

Although this king cake recipe makes one large cake, you could make two smaller ones as well. Laissez les bon temps rouler!

Roll the dough out into a long thin rectangle, about 1/4″ thick. King cake rolling doughSpread filling to within 1″ all around. Roll into a long log, lengthwise and form into an oval or circle. King Cake DoughLet cool completely before drizzling the glaze over the top. Sprinkle with alternating bands of gold, green and purple sanding sugar.

King cake glaze

Some of the items in this post are available at my Amazon Affiliate Store at no additional cost to you.

King cake

4.88 from 8 votes
King Cake for Mardi Gras
Print
King Cake
Prep Time
2 hrs
Cook Time
45 mins
Total Time
2 hrs 45 mins
 
Egg enriched Brioche dough, slightly adapted from Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day, by Jeff Hertzberg and Zoe Francois.
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Servings: 16 people
Calories: 304 kcal
Author: Cynthia McCloud Woodman
Ingredients
Instructions

  1. Scald the milk. Add to standing mixer. The butter should cool the milk enough to activate the yeast, but If you're not sure, test the temperature using a thermometer. It should be between 105 and 110 degrees F. Add butter, honey, salt and yeast. Add eggs and mix until blended.

  2. Add the flour slowly, until dough comes together in a ball.

  3. Place dough in a large bowl and cover. Allow to rest at room temperature until dough rises and collapses, approximately 2 hours. 

  4. Meanwhile, make the filling. In a mixer combine cream cheese, sugars, vanilla and cinnamon until combined.

  5. Dough is ready to use at this point, but can also be refrigerated for up to 5 days. Allow the dough to sit at room temperature for about 15 for easier rolling.

  6. On a lightly floured board, roll dough into a long, thin rectangle approximately 12" x 18".
  7. Spread dough with filling up to 1" from sides. Roll dough lengthwise away from you.
  8. Place on a lightly greased baking sheet. Tucking ends under to form an oval. Cover loosely with a clean cloth and let rise in a warm spot until double, about 45 minutes.

  9. Bake at 375 degrees F. for 35-40 minutes, or until deep golden brown. The bottom of the bread will sound hollow when tapped. 

  10. For glaze, combine confectioner's sugar, vanilla and water until thick drizzle consistency.
  11. Allow to cool on a wire rack to room temperature. Tuck a small plastic baby into the underside of the cake. Drizzle or spread glaze over the top and sprinkle with alternating bands of colored sugar.
Nutrition Facts
King Cake
Amount Per Serving (1 g)
Calories 304 Calories from Fat 99
% Daily Value*
Fat 11g17%
Saturated Fat 6g38%
Cholesterol 53mg18%
Sodium 474mg21%
Potassium 95mg3%
Carbohydrates 45g15%
Fiber 1g4%
Sugar 24g27%
Protein 5g10%
Vitamin A 429IU9%
Calcium 55mg6%
Iron 2mg11%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

King cake pin

King Cake. A must have for any Mardi Gras party! Filled with cinnamon cream cheese.

King Cake. A must have for any Mardi Gras party! Filled with cinnamon cream cheese.

Comments

  2. Nadine says

    What fun! I’ve wanted to make a King Cake, but I never have. I have a few recipes, now I have another because I pinned this one. I think I’ll make it next Friday. Thank you for sharing.

    Reply

  7. Ramona W says

    Wow! Your cake looks like a perfect King Cake. I would definitely love a big slice! 🙂 I had to google when Mardi Gras was this year… I will have to bookmark your recipe and give it a try. 🙂

    Reply

    • Cynthia says

      It will stay fresher if you keep it refrigerated, but tastes best at room temperature. So you can certainly take it out an hour or so before you serve it.

      Reply

    • Cynthia says

      It’s definitely more a sweet bread than a cake…like a giant cinnamon roll! It’s pretty specific to Ephiphany in the Southern US, so not sure if it would make a great birthday cake. But you can also omit the colored sugar which is symbolic and just use a simple glaze and cinnamon sugar for a breakfast treat.

      Reply

    • Cynthia says

      That is awesome! I have a niece who owns a couple of restaurants in and around NOLA. One of them is called “Nola Caye” and the other is about 20 minutes south of NOLA on the Bayou…there are alligators! It’s called Restaurant Des Familles! Have a great time! Cynthia http://desfamilles.com/

      Reply

  26. Mimi says

    Now I want to invite people over and have a Mardi Gras party!!! This looks really fun. I had no idea it’s made from a yeasted dough. Thanks.

    Reply

  28. Krista says

    I can’t believe it’s already time to start thinking about KING Cakes and Mardi Gras! Looks like you’ve really perfected this over 25 years!

    Reply

    • Cynthia says

      yes! While most of the country just celebrates one day, Mardi Gras, (fat tuesday), the south celebrates for a whole season from Epiphany to mardi gras!

      Reply

Trackbacks

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *