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Traditional King Cake

New Orlean's King Cake is a yeasted cake, similar to a cinnamon roll, that is shaped like a crown and covered purple, green and gold sugars or frostings to represent justice, power and faith.
Prep Time30 minutes
Cook Time30 minutes
Course: Cake
Keyword: king cake, mardi gras, new orleans, yeasted cake
Servings: 12
Calories:
Author: NicholeL

Ingredients

For the Cake:

  • 2 packages active dry yeast
  • ½ cup warm 110-115 degrees F water
  • 1 stick ½ cup unsalted butter, softened
  • ½ cup warm 110-115 degrees F milk
  • ½ cup sugar
  • 3-4 cups all-purpose flour divided
  • 2 egg yolks
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon lemon zest
  • ¼ teaspoon nutmeg

For the Filling:

  • ¼ cup sugar
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1 egg beaten

For the Glaze:

  • 1 ½ cups powdered sugar
  • 2-3 tablespoon water
  • 2 teaspoon lemon juice
  • green yellow and purple colored sugars

Instructions

  • In the bowl of your stand mixer with the beater blade attached, pour in the warm water and sprinkle the yeast packets on top.
  • Add the unsalted butter, milk and sugar. Allow to sit for a few minutes.
  • Add 2 cups of the flour, egg yolks, salt, lemon zest and nutmeg and mix until it comes together. Add in the remaining 2 cups of flour. Switch to the dough hook and process on medium speed for 6-8 minutes or until the dough is smooth and elastic.
  • Turn out the dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead by hand for 1-2 minutes. Transfer to a large, greased bowl, turning over the dough once to coat, then cover with a clean kitchen towel or plastic wrap and allow to sit in a warm location until it has doubled in size, about 1 hour.
  • Punch down the dough and turn it out onto a lightly floured surface. Roll the dough into a 16x10 rectangle. Combine the filling of cinnamon and sugar together and sprinkle over the dough leaving a ½ inch border.
  • Starting with the long end, roll up the dough jelly-roll or cinnamon roll style and pinch the ends to seal the seam. Place seam-side down on a greased baking sheet, forming the dough into a ring.
  • Cover and let rise until doubled in size, about 1 hour.
  • Preheat the oven to 375 and brush the beaten egg over the dough. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until golden brown. Cool completely on a wire rack.
  • Place the wire rack over a lined baking sheet for easier clean up. In a medium bowl, whisk together the powdered sugar with 1 tablespoon of water and the lemon juice to create the glaze. Add more water until it reaches a consistency where it can be drizzled over the cake.
  • Drizzle the glaze over the cake and then sprinkle sections of each color of sugar over the cake to created colored “wedges”.