King Cake Recipe: A Traditional Version

The rich traditions of Louisiana are fun to explore, mainly when they include celebratory foods like this King Cake Recipe. It's filled with the classic flavors of cinnamon sugar swirled in tender bread dough, baked to perfection, and then iced with sprinkles of purple, green, and gold sugar.

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The traditional King Cake is a product of the French influence in southern Louisiana. The ring of colorfully iced pastry is made from sweet bread and served mainly from Epiphany through the day after Mardi Gras.

Epiphany is a holiday commemorating the visit of the Magi, or wise men, who brought gifts to the Christ child, Jesus. It takes place on the 12th day after Christmas, January 6. This date officially marks the beginning of Mardi Gras season, which is why the King cake is called the Mardi Gras King cake.

This Galette Des Rois: Traditional French King Cake Recipe is an early version of the King Cake, with its ceremonial gifting originating in northern France. It's a simple, easy-to-make pâtisserie made with golden, buttery puff pastry. 

Serve the gallette with the La Bouille Recipe or Old-Fashioned Cajun Custard, or fill this moist king cake with the creamy, light, buttery vanilla custard. This recipe is a classic Cajun dish that's definitely a comfort food.

The day after Mardi Gras is Ash Wednesday. This day marks the beginning of Lent, when Cajuns begin cutting back on celebrations and eating pleasurable foods, such as cake, until Easter Sunday. Since Cajuns are predominantly Catholic, the Lenten season is a serious time of consecration for these precious people.

For more New Orleans-inspired recipes, check out 24 Mardi Gras Food Recipes.

What Does A King Cake Taste Like?

King Cakes are a sweet Danish pastry, not really a cake. They're traditionally flavored with cinnamon and sugar, like a giant cinnamon roll. Today, you can find them filled with creamy sauces, fruit, nuts, and even boudin! 

Not only are their flavors enticing, but their colors are as well. The decorations of festive colored icing and sugars symbolize gold for power, purple for justice, and green for faith.

I love the representations of this delicious cake that link us to Christianity. The shape of the delightful sweet bread, in the form of a circle, reminds us of the church's unity.

Another cool symbolism here is hiding a small plastic baby in the cake. Years ago, the earlier cake's buried treasure was a bean or half of a pecan. Today, a tiny plastic baby symbolizes the Christ child to whom the king's gifts were given.

The reason for hiding the baby is to play a game at Mardi Gras gatherings. Whoever finds the hidden baby in their piece of cake is thought to have good fortune. It can also mean that this person is the next Mardi Gras royalty, hosts a party, and/or supplies the next King Cake.

Start With A Sweet Dough

You might be wondering how to make a homemade King Cake. It's simple!

The basic dough for King Cake is sweet bread dough. A good cinnamon roll recipe can produce a delicious King Cake. I recently tried a reliable bread recipe, but I was disappointed with the results. My cake was too dry!

This prompted me to contact Tiffany B. Casey on her Facebook page, "There Once Was A Kitchen Table." She offers a trustworthy, authentic perspective on Louisiana cooking and culture that has greatly helped me with my Cajun recipes. I highly recommend following her on Instagram and joining her Facebook group. 

Tiffany suggested adding an ingredient she uses in her King Cake recipe, which is similar to mine, but hers calls for sour cream. I gave it a try, and I liked it! I replaced milk with sour cream, and the result is a very moist, tender cake that tastes fantastic.

Ingredients

Dough

• 2 eggs yolks
• ½ cup warm water, 105°-110° F
• 2 ¼ teaspoon instant dry yeast, rapid-rise
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• ½ cup sour cream
• 2 ½ tablespoons salted butter
• ½ teaspoon vanilla
• 3 cups all-purpose flour, plus ¼ cup
• ⅓ cup sugar
• ½ teaspoon salt

Filling

• 4 tablespoons butter, softened
• ½ cup brown sugar, light or dark, packed
• ¾ teaspoon cinnamon
• 1  tablespoon flour

Egg Wash

• 2 egg whites
• 2 tablespoons milk

Icing

• 1 ½ cups powdered sugar
• 1 ½ tablespoons warm milk
• ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
• purple, green, and yellow sanding sugar or sugar crystals

High-Altitude Tip:
Do not use rapid-rise yeast. Use regular yeast only-rapid-rise yeast can cause excess froth and a fermented flavor at high altitude.

Instructions

It's incredible how a little yeast in a cup of warm water (105°- 110°F) and sugar come to life. In the recipe, you'll see that it all starts with proofing the dry yeast.

Proofing the yeast in warm water means leaving the mixture to sit while the yeast activates, begins to flower (bubble), and grows on top of the water. The photo below shows what the proofing should look like after 5 minutes of the yeast and sugar in warm water.

Dough

1. Scramble yolks in a small bowl and set them aside.
2. Take a large bowl, butter the sides, and set it aside.
3. Stir yeast and sugar into warm water and proof for 5-10 minutes; see notes.
4. Place sour cream and butter in a large microwave-safe bowl. Heat for a few seconds at a time, stirring between intervals to combine as the butter softens and the sour cream warms; do not overheat the ingredients. Use softened butter and sour cream at room temperature to avoid microwaving.
5. Stir the vanilla into the sour cream and butter, and set aside.
6. Combine the flour, sugar, and salt in a medium-sized bowl and set aside.
7. Pour the yeast mixture (after proofing) and the egg yolks into the sour cream mixture, stirring to combine.
8. Stir the dry ingredients, a small amount at a time, into the sour cream/yeast mixture until all ingredients are well incorporated; the dough will be sticky.
9. Remove the dough to a lightly floured surface and knead for 3-5 minutes, incorporating the ¼ cup of flour as you knead.
10. Transfer the dough to the buttered bowl, cover it with plastic wrap or a damp towel, and place it in a draft-free, warm place to let it rise for about an hour.
11. Punch down the risen dough, place it on a floured surface, and roll it into a 12" x 20" rectangle using a floured rolling pin.

12. Spread the filling evenly onto the dough, then roll it up tightly. Starting at the long side, pinch the seam closed with wet fingertips to help seal the edge.
13. Bring the ends of the roll together to form a ring, pinching them to create an even, seamless circle.
14. Place the cake seam-side down on a piece of parchment paper spread on a baking sheet.
15. Cover with plastic wrap or a damp towel and allow the dough to rise for about an hour in a warm spot.
16. Preheat oven to 375°F 
17. Brush the risen King Cake with egg wash (see instructions below) on all sides, then bake for 20 minutes.
18. Cool the cake, drizzle with icing, and sprinkle with colored sanding sugar or sugar crystals.
19. Tuck the king cake baby under the cake or between the bread braids.

Filling

• Combine the butter, brown sugar, cinnamon, and flour in a small bowl, mixing together with a spoon.

Egg Wash

• Mix egg whites and milk together in a small mixing bowl with a fork.

Icing

• Mix powdered sugar, milk, and vanilla with a spoon in a small bowl until smooth.

Hints: Pinching the seams seals the dough so the filling doesn't leak out. 

Top Tip

Baking with ingredients at a similar temperature gives the best results.

To braid the bread: After the first rise, divide the dough into 2 balls, roll each ball into about a 6" x 20" rectangle, spread the filling, roll up, and pinch the seams closed. Pinch two of the link ends together, braid the links while pulling to lengthen them, form them into a circle, and then continue with the recipe for the second rise.

While this cake bakes, it fills the house with an enjoyable aroma that will put happy faces on you and your Krewe. You can add the baby or bean after the cake is baked. Tuck it under the cake or between the braids.

The King Cake recipe has many delightful attributes that make it a meaningful and fun food to create!

Substitutions

Dough - If you are not familiar with yeast dough baking or don't have time to prepare it, you can speed up your cake-making process by using frozen bread dough or canned crescent rolls. The method for rolling out, filling, and shaping the pastry remains the same. You'll need to allow the frozen dough to rise, but with crescent rolls, there is no need to let them rise before baking.

Filling - You can replace the cinnamon filling with sweetened cream cheese, Bavarian cream, canned pie filling, fruit jam, or even boudin. But top your savory cake with something like bacon and not sweet icing, please!

How To Serve And Store

The best way to serve a slice of King Cake is to pass it through the microwave for a few seconds. It brings out its flavor and moistness. Yummy!

Store the cake in an airtight container at room temperature for a few days or in the refrigerator for about 5 days. To keep it longer, freeze it in a tightly sealed container or wrapped in plastic and store it in the freezer for up to a month.

I hope you make yourself a King Cake and have fun following its traditions with your friends and family, no matter what time of year it is.

Here are more recipes like the King Cake to celebrate Mardi Gras:

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"I choose gentleness... Nothing is won by force. I choose to be gentle. If I raise my voice may it be only in praise. If I clench my fist, may it be only in prayer. If I make a demand, may it be only of myself." 

― Max Lucado