Mardi Gras King Cake

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King cake is a New Orleans tradition that involves a pastry, a tiny plastic baby, and a party! The cake is baked with a tiny plastic baby hidden inside; whoever gets the slice with the baby in it has to host the next party. Make sure to buy a new tiny plastic baby so you can get the full effect from this cake! Sprinkle with purple, green, and gold sugar, or decorate with whole pecans and candied cherries. 

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Prep Time:
40 mins
Cook Time:
35 mins
Additional Time:
2 hrs 45 mins
Total Time:
4 hrs
Servings:
16
Yield:
2 cakes

Let the good times roll with this authentic king cake recipe! The famous Mardi Gras dessert is surprisingly easy to make at home.

What Is a King Cake?

A king cake is a type of cake that's associated with Mardi Gras, New Orleans, and parts of the Gulf Coast. It's a ring-shaped pastry that's usually covered in icing, then topped with yellow and purple edible glitter or sprinkles. The cake traditionally contains a porcelain or plastic baby that is supposed to bring good luck to whoever winds up with it in their slice.

close up view of a Mardi Gras King Cake
Jann Elaine Eleodinmuo

King Cake Tradition

The tradition of the king cake dates back to the Middle Ages. It was originally made to celebrate the Catholic Epiphany, a.k.a. Three Kings Day. French settlers brought the cake (and the traditions behind it) to Louisiana in the 1800s. So what's the meaning behind the baby?

Some say the tiny token represents the Baby Jesus, while others believe it comes from another Louisiana tradition of hiding a bean or trinket in one slice of cake during the king's ball — whoever found the trinket would be crowned the "king" or "queen" of the ball. Regardless of its origins, the baby is said to bring good luck and prosperity.

Cook's Notes

  • Be sure to tell everyone to inspect their piece of cake before they begin eating it. To be extra careful, you can use a plastic toy baby that is too large to swallow.
  • You can also hide an orange wedge or 3 to 4 pecan halves inside the cake (avoiding items that may hurt someone's teeth), then place the honorable toy baby on top of the cake for all to see and adore!

How to Make King Cake

You'll find the step-by-step recipe below, but here's a brief overview of what you can expect:

  1. Make the pastry and activate the yeast.
  2. Add the pastry to the yeast mixture and whisk in the eggs. Stir in remaining sugar, salt, and nutmeg.

Test Kitchen Tips

This top-rated user recipe was tested in our test kitchen. Here are some tips from recipe taster Liz Mervosh:

  • Don’t roll up the logs too tight when you roll up the logs, as the pecans and raisins might rip through.  
  • Putting the glaze on while the cake is warm gives a nice drizzle effect and helps the glaze spread evenly over the cake. If using sanding sugar, make sure to put it on immediately after the drizzle, otherwise, the glaze will dry, and the sugar will not adhere.
  • If you want to get wild, you can make a cream cheese icing instead of the powdered sugar glaze.

How to Store King Cake

Store your leftover king cake in an airtight container at room temperature for two to three days.

round iced cake with purple, gold, green sugars
thelucaszoo

Can You Freeze King Cake?

Yes, you can freeze unfrosted king cake. Wrap each slice individually in storage wrap, then follow it up with at least one layer of aluminum foil. Freeze for up to three months.

Allrecipes Community Tips and Praise

"This is a great recipe, a family favorite," says Lisa Kotyko. "The only modification I make is to double the filling recipe. Can't have too many pecans. Scrumptious."

"I have been making this recipe for a while," according to Erin Reeves Denk. "It is easy and delicious! And I am from Louisiana and it tastes like home."

"Easy recipe with helpful video that I really appreciated," raves Maddie Lynn. "I subbed pistachios for the pecans and dried cranberries for the raisins. The finished pastry was much like a coffee cake, light and tasty. I'll definitely make it again."

Editorial contributions by Corey Williams

Ingredients

Dough:

  • 1 cup whole milk

  • ¼ cup unsalted butter

  • cup warm water (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)

  • 2 (¼-ounce) envelopes active dry yeast

  • ½ cup white sugar, divided

  • 2 large eggs

  • 1 ½ teaspoons kosher salt

  • ½ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

  • 5 ½ cups all-purpose flour

Filling:

  • 1 cup packed light brown sugar

  • cup chopped pecans

  • ½ cup all-purpose flour

  • ½ cup raisins

  • 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon

  • ½ cup unsalted butter, melted

Glaze:

  • 2 cups confectioners' sugar

  • 2 to 3 tablespoons water

  • 2 plastic baby dolls

  • purple, green, and gold sanding sugar

Directions

  1. Gather all ingredients.

    all ingredients to make a mardi gras king cake.

    Dotdash Meredith Food Studios

  2. To make the dough: Heat milk in a small saucepan over medium heat, stirring often, until steaming and small bubbles form around the edges, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in butter until melted and fully combined, about 2 minutes. Allow mixture to cool to room temperature, about 15 minutes.

    Milk being heated in a small saucepan

    Dotdash Meredith Food Studios

  3. Meanwhile, stir together warm water, yeast, and 1 tablespoon of the sugar in a large bowl. Let stand until foamy, about 10 minutes.

     yeast, water and sugar mixture foamy in a glass mixing bowl.

    Dotdash Meredith Food Studios

  4. Add cooled milk mixture, eggs, salt, nutmeg, and remaining 7 tablespoons sugar to yeast mixture, whisk until combined, about 30 seconds.

    cooled milk mixture, eggs, salt, sugar, and nutmeg being whisked together in a glass bowl.

    Dotdash Meredith Food Studios

  5. Beat flour into yeast mixture, 1 cup at a time, with an electric mixer fitted with dough hook attachment on medium speed until dough comes together, about 3 minutes.

    flour added to yeast mixture using the dough hook of a stand mixer

    Dotdash Meredith Food Studios

  6. Transfer dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic, adding additional flour as needed, 8 to 10 minutes.

    Kneading dough until smooth

    Dotdash Meredith Food Studios

  7. Place dough in a lightly oiled large bowl; turn to coat. Cover with a damp cloth or plastic wrap; let rise in a warm place until doubled in volume, about 1 1/2  hours. When risen, punch down and divide dough in half.

    dough doubled in size after proofing

    Dotdash Meredith Food Studios

  8. Return dough to a lightly floured work surface, roll out each half into a 10x16-inch rectangle, dusting work surface and rolling pin with additional flour if needed.

    dough rolled into a 10x16 rectangle

    Dotdash Meredith Food Studios

  9. To make the filling: Combine brown sugar, pecans, flour, raisins, and cinnamon in a medium bowl. Pour melted butter on top and mix until crumbly.

    brown sugar, pecans, flour, raisins, and cinnamon mixed together in a medium bowl.

    Dotdash Meredith Food Studios

  10. Sprinkle filling evenly over dough, about 1 cup per cake, using your hands or a spatula to press into dough.

    filling sprinkled evenly over dough

    Dotdash Meredith Food Studios

  11. Starting at one of the long ends, roll each dough rectangle into a tight log.

    dough rectangles rolled, from the long end, into a tight log

    Dotdash Meredith Food Studios

  12.  Bring the ends of each roll together, pinching the seams together to form 2 individual oval-shaped rings. Transfer each ring, seam side down, onto a large rimmed baking sheet lined with parchment. With scissors, make cuts 1/3 of the way through the rings at 1-inch intervals.

    ends of each roll brought together to form a ring. small cut made in 1inch intervals for venting

    Dotdash Meredith Food Studios

  13. Cover with plastic wrap or a damp towel, and let rise in a warm spot until doubled in size, 30 to 45 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).

    king cakes ready to bake after doubling in size.

    Dotdash Meredith Food Studios

  14. Bake both rings in the preheated oven in the upper and lower thirds until golden brown and a toothpick inserted comes out clean, or when a thermometer inserted into the center of the dough reads 190 F, about 25 minutes, rotating sheet trays 180 degrees and top to bottom, halfway through baking to ensure even browning. Some filling might leak out during baking.

    two king cakes baked until golden-brown.

    Dotdash Meredith Food Studios

  15. Remove cakes and carefully push 1 doll into bottom of each warm cake. Let cool slightly, about 30 minutes.

    baby doll being inserted into king cake.

    Dotdash Meredith Food Studios

  16. To make the glaze: Whisk confectioners' sugar and 2 tablespoons water together in a small bowl until smooth, adding remaining 1 tablespoon water if needed to reach desired consistency.

    confectioner's sugar and water whisked together in a glass bowl to form the glaze

    Dotdash Meredith Food Studios

  17. Spread glaze evenly over the tops of both warm cakes.

    glaze drizzled evenly over both king cakes.

    Dotdash Meredith Food Studios

  18. Sprinkle sanding sugar immediately over glaze if desired.

    Mardi Gras King Cake

    Dotdash Meredith food studios

Editor's Note:

This recipe was tested in our test kitchen in November 2023 and updated to scald the milk for a fluffier dough and reduce proofing time. Plus, the glaze ingredients were doubled to make enough to cover two king cakes.

Nutrition Facts (per serving)

437 Calories
14g Fat
73g Carbs
7g Protein
Nutrition Facts
Servings Per Recipe 16
Calories 437
% Daily Value *
Total Fat 14g 17%
Saturated Fat 6g 31%
Cholesterol 48mg 16%
Sodium 141mg 6%
Total Carbohydrate 73g 27%
Dietary Fiber 2g 9%
Total Sugars 35g
Protein 7g 14%
Vitamin C 0mg 0%
Calcium 51mg 4%
Iron 3mg 15%
Potassium 163mg 3%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.

** Nutrient information is not available for all ingredients. Amount is based on available nutrient data.

(-) Information is not currently available for this nutrient. If you are following a medically restrictive diet, please consult your doctor or registered dietitian before preparing this recipe for personal consumption.

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