Traditional Mardi Gras King Cake
Celebrate Epiphany or Mardi Gras (or any other day!) with a homemade king cake that’s as festive as it is delicious. This sweet, cinnamon sugar-filled bread ring is topped with a simple glaze and colorful sprinkles in purple, green, and gold.
I originally published this recipe in March 2011 and have since streamlined the recipe instructions, added new photos, and included more helpful success tips.
What is King Cake?
King Cake dates back to the Middle Ages, when it was originally made to celebrate Epiphany (otherwise known as Three Kings Day) on January 6th. It is said that settlers introduced the cake in Louisana sometime in the 1800s, and it is now synonymous with the celebration of Mardi Gras.
This cake is a yeasted sweet dough, spread with cinnamon sugar filling, rolled up, and shaped into a ring, similar to a yeasted coffeecake. It is topped with a powdered sugar glaze and sanding sugar alternating in purple, green, and gold colors (the traditional colors of Mardi Gras). The dough is very soft and easy to work with, and the resulting cake is soft, tender, flavorful, and packed with a cinnamon-sugar filling.
Some people hide a small plastic baby in the bottom of the cake, and this has been said to represent baby Jesus (from the cake originally being made for Epiphany), while others claim that the small baby is simply a good luck token for whoever ends up with the piece containing the baby. For many people, it wouldn’t be carnival season in New Orleans without a slice of king cake!
How to Make King Cake
This is a traditional two-rise yeast recipe and comes together fairly easily; this recipe was written to be made completely by hand, but you could also mix the dough in the bowl of a stand mixer using the paddle attachment and dough hook.
Let’s walk through how to make it together:
Step #1: Make the Dough – The melted butter and sugar are whisked together in a small bowl, then in a separate bowl, the warm water, yeast, and remaining sugar are combined and the mixture is left to sit for five minutes, until the yeast has bubbled.
The two mixtures are combined in a large bowl, along with the egg and 1 cup of the flour. The remaining flour is gradually mixed in until a soft dough forms (it should be tacky, not sticky).
Step #2: Knead the Dough – Turn the dough onto a floured surface and knead the dough until smooth and elastic, 5 to 10 minutes, adding more flour a little at a time as needed.
Step #3: First Dough Rise – Place the dough in a well-oiled bowl and turn to coat the dough. Cover with plastic wrap and place in a warm, draft-free location until doubled in size, about 1 hour.
Step #4: Make the Filling – While the dough rises, combine the melted butter, ground cinnamon, and sugar in a small bowl.
Step #5: Roll out the Dough and Fill – Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and roll it into a 14×18-inch rectangle. Spread the filling mixture evenly over the dough, leaving a 1-inch border around the edges. Roll the dough up tightly into a cylinder and pinch the seams shut.
Step #6: Second Dough Rise – Move the roll to a parchment-lined baking sheet, bring the ends together to form an oval and pinch the ends together. Cover the dough with oiled plastic wrap and a kitchen towel and let rise for 30 minutes.
Step #7: Bake the Cake – Bake the cake in a 375-degree oven until golden brown, about 25 minutes. Transfer the cake to a wire cooling rack and allow to cool for at least 20 minutes for icing and decorating.
Step #8: Decorate the Cake – Whisk together the icing ingredients and slowly pour the glaze over the top of the cake. Before the icing has a chance to set, sprinkle alternating strips of cake with colored sugar or sprinkles.
Enjoy warm or at room temperature!
How to Store
Store leftover king cake in an airtight container (or covered tightly with plastic wrap) at room temperature for up to 3 days.
You can eat leftovers at room temperature or reheat in the microwave for about 15 seconds if you prefer the cake warm.
Freezing Instructions
This cake can be frozen, but must be done so BEFORE icing the cake.
Once the cake has cooled completely, wrap it in a double layer of plastic wrap, then place it in a ziploc freezer bag. If you don’t have a ziploc freezer bag, then add a layer of aluminum foil around the plastic wrap.
Store in the freezer for up to 2 months. Thaw at room temperature before icing and decorating the cake.
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Recipe Tips
Below are a number of recommendations and tips for making this king cake:
- Sour Cream – The sour cream in the dough provides rich moisture; you can substitute plain Greek yogurt.
- Yeast – While instant yeast is used, you can substitute active dry yeast without altering the recipe at all.
- Sugar in Filling – The filling calls for regular granulated sugar, but you can substitute brown sugar for a sweeter, more pronounced flavor.
- Filling Alternative – While traditional king cake is made with a cinnamon sugar filling, some recipes call for a cream cheese filling. To make this, stir together 8 ounces room temperature cream cheese, 1 cup powdered sugar, and 1 teaspoon vanilla extract. If you like lemon flavor, you can add 1 teaspoon of lemon zest (or 1 tablespoon of lemon juice).
- Sanding Sugars – My favorite way to decorate this cake is by using colored sanding sugars in purple, green, and yellow.
More Festive Mardi Gras and Fat Tuesday Recipes
- Homemade Paczki (Polish Doughnuts)
- Old-Fashioned Bread Pudding
- Creole Shrimp and Grits
- New Orleans Beignets
- Pecan Pralines
- Shrimp and Sausage Jambalaya
If you make this king cake recipe and love it, remember to stop back and give the recipe a 5-star rating - it helps others find the recipe! ❤️️
King Cake Recipe
Ingredients
For the Dough:
- 2 tablespoons (28 g) unsalted butter, melted and still warm
- 5 tablespoons granulated sugar, divided into 4 tablespoons & 1 tablespoon
- Pinch of salt
- 8 ounces sour cream
- 2¼ teaspoons instant yeast
- ¼ cup (60 ml) warm water, between 100 and 110 degrees
- 1 egg
- 3 to 3½ cups (390 to 455 g) all-purpose flour
- Oil for your hands and the bowl
For the Filling:
- 2 teaspoons cinnamon
- ½ cup (99 g) granulated sugar
- 4 tablespoons (57 g) butter, melted
For the Icing:
- 2 cups (227 g) powdered sugar
- 3 tablespoons (30 ml) whole milk
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- Pinch salt
- Sanding sugar in yellow, purple, and green
Instructions
- Make the Dough: In a medium bowl, whisk together the melted butter and 4 tablespoons of the sugar until the sugar has dissolved, then whisk in the salt and sour cream until smooth. Set aside.
- In a mixing bowl, add ¼ cup warm water, the yeast, and the remaining 1 tablespoon of the sugar; stir. Allow the yeast to sit for about five minutes until it bubbles.
- Whisk the warm butter and sour cream mixture into the yeast mixture, along with the egg, and 1 cup of the flour. Whisk until smooth. Using an oiled wooden spoon, begin mixing in small amounts of the remaining flour until you form a soft dough. This will take about another 2 cups of flour. You want the dough to be tacky, but not sticky.
- Turn the dough out onto a clean surface lightly dusted with flour. Knead the dough until smooth and elastic, about 5 to 10 minutes, adding more flour by the teaspoon if needed.
- Place the ball of dough into a large, well-oiled bowl, then flip the dough so all of the surface area of the dough is oiled. Cover the bowl with oiled plastic wrap and a hand towel, then set the bowl in a warm, draft-free area and allow the dough to rise until it has doubled in size, about 1 hour.
- Make the Filling: While the dough is rising, make the filling. Combine the melted butter, cinnamon, and sugar in a medium bowl and stir to fully combine.
- Roll Out and Fill the Dough: Once the dough has doubled in size, turn it out onto a lightly floured surface. Lightly flour the dough and a rolling pin. Roll the dough into a rectangle about 18 inches long by 14 inches wide.
- Spread the cinnamon sugar mixture evenly over the dough, leaving a 1-inch border around the outside of the dough.
- Roll the cake up jellyroll-style and pinch the seams shut.
- Carefully move the roll to a parchment-lined baking sheet, seam-side down. Bring the ends together to form an oval and press the edges together to completely seal the cake into an oval.
- Once again, cover the cake with oiled plastic wrap and a hand towel and allow it to rise for another 30 minutes.
- Bake the Cake: While the cake is rising, preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
- Once 30 minutes have passed, remove the plastic wrap and hand towel from the cake and bake in the upper third of the oven until the cake is golden brown, about 25 minutes. Immediately transfer the cake (with the parchment paper underneath) to a cooling rack after removing it from the oven. Allow the cake to cool for at least 20 minutes before icing the cake.
- Make the Icing: Once the cake has cooled for 15 minutes, make the icing. Whisk together the powdered sugar, milk, salt, and vanilla, until smooth. You want the icing to be able to drizzle easily but not just run right off the cake, so if the icing is too thin, whisk in more powdered sugar and if the icing is too thick, whisk in a touch more milk.
- Decorate the Cake: Move the cake to whatever platter you wish to serve it on. (At this point, stick a dried bean or little plastic baby into the cake through the bottom. It's tradition in Louisiana that whoever gets the baby has to spring for the next cake! Elsewhere, it's a sign of good luck.) Slide pieces of wax paper under the cake so that it can catch any icing or sugar drips.
- Drizzle the icing evenly over the cake and allow it ooze down the sides. Before the icing has a chance to set, sprinkle on rotating strips of colored sugar. Slide the wax paper pieces out from under the cake and discard. King cake can be served warm or at room temperature. Leftover cake should be wrapped tightly in plastic wrap or placed in an airtight container and stored at room temperature for up to 3 days.
Did you make this recipe?
Leave a review below, then snap a picture and tag @thebrowneyedbaker on Instagram so I can see it!
Photography by Dee Frances
Awesome King cake. I made this before. I am going to make 2 smaller ones to give to my brother sister-in-law when they come out this month. They live in Monroeville PA. Thanks for all your great recipes.
Try a cream cheese filling with cherry pie filling.