It’s been a while since I last had a piece of King Cake, but when I saw how close we were to Mardi Gras, I was so pumped that I immediately went to the store to buy the ingredients. Honestly, I didn’t have to buy much because most of the ingredients were already in my pantry. Yay!!! If you want to make this year’s Carnival celebration even more authentic and festive, this recipe takes the cake. And don’t think you need to save it for just one time every year. This fabulicious yeast-based cake is perfect all year long; all you have to do is leave out the food coloring.
What is a King Cake?
In France, it’s called Galette des Rois and looks slightly different, but the idea is the same. In Spain, it’s Rosca de Reyes and Vasilopita in Greece. But in New Orleans, with its undeniable French influence, it’s called king’s cake or three king’s cake. It enjoys a yeast-based dough more reminiscent of a coffee cake than a typical pound or sponge cake. And it’s definitely worth the time it takes to make it.
The Ingredient It Takes
Yeast – This is our leavening agent to give our cake a good rise. No baking powder or soda in this one.Milk – It not only adds moisture, but milk also browns better for a gorgeous golden. You can replace it with coconut milk if you’d like a dairy-free version.Sour Cream – Fat is good! Especially when you want a rich, moist cake. You can replace it with buttermilk or yogurt if you don’t have sour cream. Or coconut milk yogurt or sour cream is perfect for a dairy-free version.Flour – The base of our cake is made with this simple ingredient, and the yeast develops the gluten for an incredible melt-in-your-mouth experience. If you can’t have gluten, feel free to replace it with an all-purpose gluten-free flour mix. (See my flour substitutes chart.)
Cinnamon Sugar – The perfect cinnamon roll filling works amazingly in this recipe. I couldn’t help throwing in some pecans for my personal touch.Green, Purple, and Yellow Sugars – These colors give our cake its traditional Mardi Gras look. However, you don’t have to use them if you prefer a plainer cake.
How to Make a King Cake
Make the Dough Baking and Glazing
Recipe Variations
This versatile king cake recipe is scrumptious with any of the following added to the filling: apples, almonds, chocolate, pears, cranberries, you name it.No bundt pan? Try making it as individual rolls. Just divide the dough between the wells in a muffin pan and bake them at 350℉/177℃ for about a half-hour. Start checking for doneness at around 20 minutes. You can use one color for each roll for easier decorating, then arrange them in an alternating pattern on the tray.Try pecan praline in the filling or as a topping. Yum!
Tips and Tricks
The longer yeast dough has to rise, the better it tastes and feels. If I have time, I like to make the dough a day or two ahead of time and leave it in the fridge to develop slowly. Make it a family project. This cake might not be that straightforward to make, but I guarantee you it is a lot of fun to prepare, especially together. I have my son help me with the glazing part and my hubby with the cinnamon filling, and I wouldn’t trade that experience for anything. Baking the cake with the baby inside can create a choking hazard, especially if children are involved. Though it may ruin the surprise, it’s better to put the baby where it can be seen.
Serving and Storage
This cake goes great with beer. I know, who would have thought? But it makes sense because the cake has yeast, and beer has yeast. It’s also the perfect finish to a Cajun Shrimp Boil or Crawfish Etouffee. You can store King Cake at room temperature in an airtight bag for up to five days, in the fridge for a week, and in the freezer for three months.
Make-Ahead Instructions
You can either make it through to the end and freeze it, or you can make the dough and form the cake right up to when it goes in the oven. If you choose the latter, you can make it up to three days ahead and keep it covered in the fridge. Bring it out and let it come to room temperature while your oven is preheating. Then proceed with the rest of the instructions.
What to Serve with King Cake
This baby makes a great breakfast, brunch, or afternoon snack. I love it with a cup of coffee, but it’s traditionally served with a good beer. I know this is probably sacrilege, but I like to top it with homemade whipped cream and drown it with a Pumpkin Spice Latte.
More Mardi Gras Recipes to Try
Shrimp EtouffeeJambalayaShrimp Po’Boy SandwichDirty Rice
Watch How To Make It
[adthrive-in-post-video-player video-id=”s14jpv9Z” upload-date=”2021-02-14T02:55:31.000Z” name=”King Cake” description=”King Cake – a popular and traditional New Orleans ring-shaped cake made with a yeast dough and for this version, a scrumptious pecan-cinnamon filling. A colorful and wonderful cake to make at home!” player-type=”collapse” override-embed=”false”] This blog post was first published in February 2019 and has been updated with an additional write-up, and a few photos.
