King cake is a traditional New Orleans Mardi Gras dessert. It’s a must-have at any Mardi Gras Party!
I started making this Mardi Gras king cake recipe about 25 years ago, My very Southern girlfriend, Sandy, from Pascagoula, Mississippi, sent me one from a very famous bakery in the New Orleans, during Mardi Gras. As a Southern California gal, I had no idea what king cake was. It is practically nonexistent in Southern California, at least the Southern, Mardi Gras version. There is a Mexican version called Rosca de Reyes (Three Kings) which is served on Epiphany. France celebrates with a Galette des Rois. (This King Cake recipe 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.)
Rosca de Reyes, courtesy of Mama Maggie’s Kitchen
What is King Cake?
King cake is a staple during the season, from Epiphany, (January 6th) to the beginning of Lent which is called “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.
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 Italian Bow Tie Cookies courtesy of Christina’s Cucina
In England, Shrove Tuesday is celebrated with thin pancakes. And of course we know how popular Carnival is in Brazil!
Shrove Tuesday pancakes, courtesy of Christina’s Cucina.
What do the colors on the king cake mean?
The festive dessert, 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.
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. Here’s their olive oil bread recipe.
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 recipe makes one large cake, you could make two smaller ones as well. Laissez les bon temps rouler!
How to make a King Cake
Roll the dough out into a long thin rectangle, about 1/4″ thick.
Spread filling to within 1″ all around. Roll into a long log, lengthwise and form into an oval or circle. Pinch the ends of the dough together and tuck it under.
Let cool completely before drizzling the glaze over the top. Sprinkle with alternating bands of gold, green and purple sanding sugar.
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King Cake
Ingredients
Dough
- 1 cup whole milk
- 1 package yeast
- 2 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 2 large eggs
- 1/4 cup honey
- 1/4 cup butter
- 3 1/2 cups all-purpose unbleached flour
Cream Cheese Filling
- 12 ounces cream cheese softened
- 1/3 cup brown sugar
- 1/3 cup granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 Tablespoon cinnamon
Glaze
- 1 1/4 cup confectioner's sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 1/2 Tablespoons water or milk
- sanding sugar purple, gold and green
Instructions
Dough
- 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.
- Add the flour slowly, until dough comes together in a ball.
- Place dough in a large bowl and cover. Allow to rest at room temperature until dough rises and collapses, approximately 2 hours.
- 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.
Filling
- Meanwhile, make the filling. In a mixer combine cream cheese, sugars, vanilla and cinnamon until combined.
Finishing the King Cake
- On a lightly floured board, roll dough into a long, thin rectangle approximately 12" x 18".
- Spread filling up to 1" from sides of dough. Roll dough lengthwise away from you.
- 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.
- Bake at 375 degrees F. for 35-40 minutes, or until deep golden brown. The bottom of the bread will sound hollow when tapped.
Glaze
- For glaze, combine confectioner's sugar, vanilla and water until thick drizzle consistency.
- 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.
Video
Nutrition
What else can you serve at a Mardi Gras party?
If you’re planning a Mardi Gras celebration between now and Lent, here are some suggestions.
Spicy Confetti Shrimp
If you can’t go to New Orleans for Mardi Gras, how about making classic Beignets?
Heidy L. McCallum says
Looks wonderful!
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.
Cynthia says
try the “5 minute dough”…it makes it so much easier!
Nisa Homey says
Hi Cynthia….what a beautiful king cake! my kids will sure love this!!
Cynthia says
Thanks Nisa! Mine do!
Marlynn @UrbanBlissLife says
This cake looks like it would be so much fun to serve for Mardi Gras!
Cynthia says
absolutely Marlynn!
Jenn at A Toast to the Good Life says
yum! How cute and festive is this! Definitely inspiration I will be using! Thanks for sharing!
Chicago Jogger says
What a beautiful cake 🙂 I love the story behind it. Being from the Midwest, I’ve never had it before!
Cynthia says
I’d never heard of it before either until my friend sent me one for Mardi Gras! It’s been a tradition in our Southern California house ever since!
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. 🙂
Dorothy at Shockingly Delicious says
I’ve never made a King cake, but have enjoyed them several times. You’re right…it’s not so much a tradition in So Cal. We can change that!
fabiola@notjustbaked says
So fun and so pretty!!!
Laura @ Family Spice says
I was born in New Orleans and love Cajun food. But I have never tried a King’s Cake before. Definitely on my culinary bucket list!
Christina | Christina's Cucina says
I’ve never made or tried a King Cake! Can you believe it? Maybe I should do something about that! Yours looks fabulous!
Annie @ Annie's Noms says
I’ve never heard of King Cake before (but I am in the UK!) it look so fun and utterly divine though!
nicole @ I am a Honey Bee says
never made a king cake before. def need to this year!
cookilicious says
Never heard of this King cake..good to know the story behind it. Love it!
Cynthia says
It’s really only popular in the South…In New Orleans, Mardi Gras season lasts about 5 weeks following Ephiphany.
Jacqueline Debono says
Love how festive and colourful this King cake is. Here in Italy we have lots of carnival cakes and sweets but nothing so colourful!
Cynthia says
I think every culture has it’s own sweet carnival desserts…I’d love to try some Italian carnivale sweets!
Taylor Kiser says
Such a fun and festive dessert! A must make for Mardi Gras!
Cynthia says
It’s a once a year splurge for me, but so worth it!
Melissa Russo says
King Cake is so worth it. It’s a perfect way to celebrate Mardi Gras.
Cynthia says
right? it’s a once a year treat!
Toni | Boulder Locavore says
I love it!! So festive and really easy to make!
Cynthia says
right! It’s a must during the mardi gras season!
Annissa says
This cake just looks so fabulous and elegant! Thanks for sharing!
Cynthia says
thank you! It’s a fun addition to any Mardi Gras party!
Debbie says
If I bake this the night before serving, does it need to be refrigerated overnight?
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.
megha says
wow its looking so good very nice colors for cake thank you for shearing keep it up.
Cynthia says
You’re welcome! It’s very popular in the US during Epiphany!
Krissy says
This looks so delicious! I’ve always wanted to make a king cake, but haven’t. Ill have to try this recipe out.
Cynthia says
You should! You have a month to try it. Make the dough one day and the bread the next day!
Kara Guppy says
That looks incredible, I might have to make one for my daughters birthday
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.
Kat&Phil says
Such a great recipe!! We are heading to New Orleans in February for Mardi Gras 2020 so this provided us a pleasant reminder of our upcoming trip. Thanks!
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/
Jodie says
Wow look at all those beautiful colours!! I really want to give this bake a go.
Cynthia says
I usually don’t cook with color, but a king cake is an exception since the colors are representative of Epiphany!
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.
Cynthia says
Such a fun party too!
Heather says
I’ve always wanted to make a cake for Mardi Gras but I’ve been waiting for a recipe like this. I can’t wait to try it.
Cynthia says
Such a fun dessert to make!
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!
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!
Whitney Morrow says
I’ve always wanted to make one of these cakes but never had a good recipe! Can’t wait!
Cynthia says
Let me know how it turns out!
Jeff the Chef says
I’ve always wanted To make a King’s Cake. Thank you For the recipe.
Cynthia says
You’re welcome!
Lily says
I’ve always wanted to know how to make king cake, and now that I’m living abroad (and have no access to it) I really needed a recipe! Thank you!
Cynthia says
It’s really just a fancy breakfast bread!
Beth says
This looks so delicious and tasty! I can’t wait to give this a try! So excited!
Cynthia says
Let me know how it turns out!
Alexandra says
This is a beautiful sweet treat! I really enjoyed reading about the meaning of the colours, as I was not aware of this previously. Thank you for this delicious recipe – we love how festive it is!
Cynthia says
It’s a pretty cool tradition that seems to be catching on more and more around the rest of the US.
Jamie says
This gives me such fond memories of my time in New Orleans! I love the festive colors of this gorgeous cake!
Jacqueline Meldrum says
I’ve heard of King Cake but wasn’t quite sure what it was. Aren’t they just gorgeous!
erneststephen says
This gives me such affectionate recollections of my time in New Orleans! I love the happy shades of this exquisite cake! with free guilds and quests
Cynthia says
NOLA certainly is a town like no other! Amazing food!
Ginger Comstock says
I have never made a King cake before, but thought I would try this out. I have to say it was a fun experience. The cake is so delicious, tender and flavorful! If you think it’s a “cake” texture…it’s not. It’s more like a cinnamon roll type dough…and man, was it great! My friends and family really enjoyed it. Highly recommended.
Cynthia says
So happy to hear Ginger! It’s fun to try all sorts of fillings too! I love the wild Mardi Gras sprinkles you decorated it with!
Betsy says
As a true-blue New Orleanian whose daughter’s birthday always falls during Carnival season, her birthday cake is ALWAYS a king cake. Thousands upon thousands are sold during the season from Epiphany through Mardi Gras day. Everyone in New Orleans eats them shamelessly at breakfast time, coffee breaks (ubiquitous in offices and teacher’s lounges), dessert, and all times in-between. As a purist, I will NEVER eat one out of season – that would be a sacrilege, but I know a lot of people who eat them year round. However, the best bakers in the city would never bake nor sell them out of season. Gotta go eat a slice right now – Mardi Gras is in just three days, so I have to get my fill! COVID may have stopped our parades and street celebrations, but not our King Cakes – laissez les bon temps rouler, ya’ll!
Cynthia says
Love it Betsy! One of my best friends is NOLA raised, (geaux tigers!) and every year for the past dozen or so years I’ve made her a King Cake for their Super Bowl party. (not this year though. 🙁 ) My niece and nephew own a couple of restaurants in NOLA so we visit, but not as often as we would like. It’s a great city!