King Cake Recipe {Traditional Mardi Gras Dessert} - What A Girl Eats (2024)

King cake is a traditional New Orleans Mardi Gras dessert. A classic king cake is made from a sweet brioche dough, cream cheese or fruit fillings, icing, and colored sugar. There’s always a tiny plastic baby tucked in the baked cake. It’s a must have during carnival season or for a Mardi Gras party.

What is King Cake?

The king cake for Mardi Gras is basically a coffee cake ring with colored sugar and icing. This version has a cinnamon cream cheese filling. But you can also use your favorite fruit filling! King cake season runs from Epiphany (January 6th) to Fat Tuesday, or 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.

My very Southern girlfriend, Sandy, from Pascagoula, Mississippi, sent me one from a very famous bakery in New Orleans, during Mardi Gras. I fell in love with it and have been making this recipe for Mardi Gras king cake ever since! My niece and nephew own a restaurant in New Orleans so we make trips to visit them when we can!

Mardi Gras King Cake in Other Cultures

Many cultures and countries celebrate Mardi Gras or Carnavale with a version of the king cake. There is a Mexican version calledRosca de Reyes (Three Kings) which is served on Epiphany, and France celebrates with a Galette des Rois.

In the south, Mardi Gras, which is French for “Fat Tuesday,” is aseasonand not just a day like it is in the rest of the country. In preparation for Lent or Ash Wednesday, many households would rid their pantries of eggs, sugar, and butter, thus creating decadent pastries.

Along with the king cake, other cultures celebrate with similar sweets, like theseItalian bow tiecookies that are popular in Italy.

In England,Shrove Tuesdayis celebrated withthin pancakes. And of course, we know how popular Carnival is in Brazil!

What Do The Colors On The King Cake Mean?

The colored sugars on a king cake represent justice, (purple), faith (green), and power (gold). Traditionally asmall plastic baby,symbolizing the baby Jesus, is tucked into the cooked cake for good luck. The recipient of the baby is responsible for bringing a cake to the next king cake party!

Can The King Cake Dough Be Made In Advance?

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

Can I Use Pre-Made Dough to Make King Cake?

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.

Ingredients for king cake

Although this king cake recipe makes one large cake, you could use it to make two smaller mini king cakes. Laissez les bon temps rouler, (let the good times roll)!

Dough

• 1cupwhole milk
• 1package yeast
• 2 1/2 teaspoonskosher salt
• 2large eggs
• 1/4 cuphoney
• 1/4 cupbutter
• 3 1/2 cupsall-purpose unbleached flour

Cream Cheese Filling

• 12ouncescream cheesesoftened
• 1/3 cupbrown sugar
• 1/3 cupsugar
• 1 teaspoonvanilla
• 1 Tablespooncinnamon

Glaze

• 1 1/4 cup powderedsugar
• 1 teaspoonvanilla
• 1 1/2Tablespoonswater or milk
• sanding sugarpurple, gold and gree

How to Make a Fat Tuesday King Cake

Dough

• Scald the milk. Add to stand 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

​The filling for this cream cheese king cake is simple, just cream cheese and cinnamon sugar.

• Meanwhile, make the filling. In a mixer combine cream cheese, sugars, vanilla and cinnamon scraping down sides of the bowl until combined.

Finishing the king cake

• On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough out into a long thin rectangle, about 1/4″ thick.

• With long edge toward you, spread the filling on the dough, leaving on edge free.

• Roll the dough form into an oval or circle.

• Pinch the ends of the dough together and tuck it under

• 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 place 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
• Let it cool completely on a wire rack. Before drizzling the glaze over the top, make a small slit in the bottom of the cake and insert a plastic baby figurine.

• Sprinkle the top of the cake with alternating bands of gold, green and purple sanding sugar.

• Wrap leftover cake in plastic wrap for up to three days.

Hosting a Mardi Gras party

Decorations are key! Don’t forget theMardi Gras beadsand tableware in traditional Mardi Gras colors of purple, gold and green! Here’s a reasonably pricedMardi Gras party pack.

Here are some dishes you might like.

co*cktails:

Believe it or not,Pimm’s Cupis a super popular NOLA co*cktail. Another Bourbon Street staple is theHurricane.

Appetizers:

Black Eyed Peasare delicious dip. Instead of making full sizedCrab Cakes, make them bite sized! What aboutJambalaya Stuffed Pepper orSpicy Confetti Shrimp in small cups with rice?

Main Dishes:

Here are some tasty main dishes for your Mardi Gras party;Jambalaya,Creole Seafood Jambalaya,Gumbo with Andouille Sausage, orAuthentic Chicken Gumbo.

Side Dishes:

Red Beans and RiceorDirty Ricewould be great accompaniments to any New Orleans menu.

Dessert:

Add traditionalCafe du Monde Beignets

orBananas Fosterto the dessert menu for a perfect taste of New Orleans!

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