Mardi Gras King Cake
Kick off your Mardi Gras celebrations with a homemade king cake! Soft, tender and filled with brown sugar pecans, this sweet bread is a must-try for Fat Tuesday.
Sweet breads are such a special treat because you can enjoy it any time of day! King cake is similar to a cinnamon roll or brioche bread, but the dough is braided and baked in a giant oval, then sliced like a cake. It’s a classic dish to serve for Mardi Gras. Of course, remember to add a plastic baby to the cake after it’s baked for good luck!
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Traditional Mardi Gras dish. King cake has been a classic Mardi Gras dessert for years! It’s a must-have dish at a Fat Tuesday celebration.
- Soft and sweet texture. This dessert bread is pillowy soft and the icing on top guarantees sweetness in every bite. Plus, the brown sugar pecan filling adds plenty of flavor!
- Festive presentation. The purple, green and gold colors symbolize justice, faith, and power respectively (also seen in Mardi Gras cupcakes).
- Serves a crowd. This cake is perfect for a party or sharing with your extended family.
Ingredient Notes
- Yeast: This recipe calls for dry active yeast and includes a step for testing that the yeast is fresh and not expired. Instant yeast can also be used (same measurement).
- Milk: Whole milk helps create a tender texture and flavorful bread. In a pinch, low-fat may be used.
- Sugar: To sweeten the bread, add 4 Tablespoons granulated sugar to the dough.
- Flour: All purpose flour creates a softer texture than bread flour. Since this is technically a cake, the softer texture is preferred.
- Egg: To help bind the ingredients and add flavor, use one large egg at room temperature.
- Butter: Not only is butter used in the bread, but it’s also used to make the filling. Unsalted butter is preferred since various brands of salted butter have differing amounts of salt added. It’s best to control the salt measurement yourself.
- Brown sugar: Light brown sugar is the primary flavor for the filling. Dark brown sugar can also be used.
- Pecans: For some extra crunch in the filling, sprinkle in 1/3 cup chopped pecans.
- Confectioners’ sugar: Also known as powdered sugar, this sweetener creates the icing on top.
- Sanding sugar (not pictured): You can find purple, green and gold sanding sugar at your local chef store, craft store or online.
Refer to the recipe card for the full list of ingredients and measurements.
Recipe Variations
Skip the pecans. You can omit the pecans entirely or use other nuts, such as walnuts, hazelnuts or almonds. Another good substitution is dried fruit, such as raisins.
Add a kick of bourbon. In the filling, replace 1 Tablespoon of butter with 1 Tablespoon of bourbon. Alternatively, you can add bourbon to the icing in place of the vanilla and milk.
Make a cream cheese icing. Melt 1/2 cup cream cheese in the microwave on 50% power level until smooth and easy to stir, about 30 seconds. Add 1 cup confectioner’s sugar, 1/2 teaspoon vanilla and 1 to 2 Tablespoons milk. Spread over warm king cake.
How to Make a King Cake
- Check that the yeast is alive. Add warm water, yeast and 1 Tablespoon sugar to the bowl of a stand mixer. Whisk and wait 10 minutes to make sure the mixture gets foamy (this means the yeast is not dead).
- Combine the wet ingredients. Add the warm milk, melted butter, egg, salt, vanilla and remaining 3 Tablespoons sugar. Whisk until well combined.
- Attach the dough hook and turn mixer on medium-low speed. Add 1 cup flour and mix. Continue adding flour, 1 cup at a time, until dough comes together. Knead for 8 minutes. If dough is still sticky, add more flour 2 Tablespoons at a time.
- Transfer dough to a lightly oiled bowl and cover. Let dough rise for 1 1/2 to 2 hours.
- Punch the dough dough and transfer it to a lightly floured work surface. Roll into a 10-inch by 16-inch rectangle. Cut dough in half lengthwise.
- Combine the filling ingredients–brown sugar, pecans, flour, cinnamon and melted butter. Mix until crumbly. Transfer filling to the two dough rectangles. Spread evenly. Roll the two pieces of dough into two logs. Use your fingertips to pinch the dough as you roll.
- Place the two logs on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Braid the two logs together.
- Form the braided dough into an oval and pinch the two ends together to seal. Cover and let rise for 30 to 45 minutes.
- Preheat oven to 375 F. Bake bread for 25 minutes or until golden. While still warm, carefully tuck 1 doll into the baked bread.
- For the icing, whisk together the confectioners’ sugar, milk and vanilla. Pour glaze evenly over the cake. Decorate with purple, green and gold sanding sugar.
Expert Tips
Use fresh yeast. Check the expiration date to save yourself the trouble. Then, follow the steps in the recipe card to make sure the yeast is alive. Whisk with warm water and 1 tablespoon sugar. Wait 10 minutes. If the mixture foams up, the yeast is alive. If it doesn’t get foamy, then the yeast is dead and the bread won’t rise.
Knead the dough properly. Aim for a dough that is pillowy soft. If it’s sticky and not pulling away from the sides of the bowl, add more flour 2 Tablespoons at a time. The dough should stick only a little bit to the bottom of the bowl.
Pinch the dough to seal. Use your finger tips to pinch the dough while rolling it into two logs. It’s also necessary to pinch the ends of the two dough logs together so they form an oval. If you’re having trouble getting the dough to stick, wet your fingers with some water and try again.
Use a rimmed baking sheet. The filling can leak out a bit during the baking process. To avoid a mess in the oven, use a rimmed baking sheet.
Make Ahead and Storage Tips
Make ahead the dough and store in a covered bowl the refrigerator overnight. It will rise some, but allow it to come to room temperature to finish rising before shaping. You can also fill, roll and shape the dough ahead of time. Cover the dough and baking sheet with plastic wrap. Store it in the refrigerator overnight. Allow it to come to room temperature before baking according to recipe.
Store king cake covered at room temperature for up to 3 days. It’s best when eaten the same day it is baked.
Freeze for up to 2 months. After the cake has cooled, wrap it in plastic wrap and aluminum foil to prevent freezer burn. Store in the freezer, then defrost in the refrigerator before bringing to room temperature and serving.
Recipe FAQ
If you find the baby in the cake, then you are king (or queen) for the day! The baby symbolizes luck and prosperity. Usually, the person who finds it is responsible for hosting the next King Cake party or bringing the cake next year.
Most likely there was too much flour added or the cake was over-baked. Use a kitchen scale for precise measuring and check the accuracy of your oven temperature using an oven thermometer.
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Get the Recipe: Mardi Gras King Cake
Ingredients
Dough
- ½ cup (120 ml) whole milk
- 2 Tablespoons unsalted butter
- ⅓ cup (80 ml) warm water, (110℉ or 45℃)
- 1 ¼-ounce envelope active dry yeast
- ¼ cup (50 g) granulated sugar, divided
- 1 large egg, lightly beaten
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- ¾ teaspoons kosher salt
- 2 ½ to 2 ¾ cups (312 to 345 g) all-purpose flour
Filling
- ½ cup (100 g) packed light brown sugar
- ⅓ cup chopped pecans
- ¼ cup (31 g) all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 2 Tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
Glaze
- 1 cup (120 g) confectioners' sugar
- 1 to 2 Tablespoons heavy cream or milk
- ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 plastic baby doll
- purple, green, and gold sanding sugar
Instructions
Dough
- Place milk and butter in a microwave-safe bowl. Heat in the microwave until butter is melted and milk is hot, about 90 seconds. Cool slightly.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, add warm water, yeast and 1 Tablespoon sugar. Whisk together and let the mixture stand until foamy, about 10 minutes. (If the mixture doesn’t foam, it means the yeast isn’t alive and the dough won’t rise.)
- To the bowl of warm water and yeast, add the milk mixture, egg, salt, vanilla, and remaining 3 Tablespoons sugar. Whisk until well combined.
- Attach the dough hook to the stand mixer. Add 1 cup flour and mix until combined. With the mixer on medium speed, continue adding flour, 1 cup at a time, until dough comes together and pulls away from the sides of the bowl, about 8 minutes. If after 2 1/2 cups the dough is still sticky, add more flour 2 Tablespoons at a time until the dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl. The dough should be pillowy soft and only slightly sticky at the bottom of the bowl.
- Transfer dough onto a lightly floured surface and shape into a ball. Place dough in a lightly oiled bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Allow dough to rise in a warm, draft-free spot for 1 ½ to 2 hours or until doubled in size. When risen, punch down the dough.
- Place the dough on a lightly floured surface. Roll out into a 10×16-inch rectangle. Add more flour to the surface and rolling pin as needed. Use a sharp knife or pizza cutter to cut the dough in half lengthwise.
Filling and Assembly
- In a medium bowl, combine the filling ingredients–brown sugar, pecans, flour, cinnamon and melted butter. Mix until crumbly.
- Sprinkle filling evenly over both halves of the dough. Use your hands to gently press the mixture into the dough.
- Beginning with the long edge, roll the dough into a log. Use your fingertips to pinch the dough as you roll. Repeat with the second dough. Braid the two logs together to form a rope, then place it on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Shape rope into an oval by pinching the two ends together to seal.
- Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let rise for 30 to 45 minutes until soft and pillowy. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 375℉.
- Bake bread for 25 minutes or until golden and a toothpick inserted comes out clean. (Some filling might leak out during baking.)
- Remove cake and carefully tuck 1 doll into the warm cake. Let cool slightly, about 30 minutes.
Glaze
- In a small bowl, whisk together the confectioners’ sugar, 1 Tablespoon milk and vanilla until smooth. If the glaze is too thick, add the remaining tablespoon of milk, a little at a time, until it reaches your desired consistency.
- Spread the glaze evenly over the tops of the warm cake. While the icing is still wet, sprinkle purple, green and gold sanding sugar over the glaze. Slice and serve!
