King Cake is one of my favorite things to eat during Mardi Gras season, and trust me…Mardi Gras is a season here in Louisiana. If you love delicious cake and fun parties, then Mardi Gras should be on your to-do list. It’s one of our favorite times of the year, and I am going to share with you how to make this delicious cake.
King Cakes have been around for over 300 years, and during Mardi Gras season you can find a King Cake just about anywhere here in Louisiana. There are hundreds of thousands of King Cakes consumed during the season.
Why do I call it a season? In Louisiana, it’s almost celebrated as much as Christmas. The kids are even out of school for the week so they can celebrate in the parades. It’s a tradition that is enjoyed by thousands who travel to Louisiana to celebrate every year.
What is King Cake?
King Cake is a bread style cake that is covered in a delicious white glaze and then covered in sprinkles. The fun part about king cakes is that they have a baby hidden inside of them. It’s a tradition that whoever finds the baby must purchase or bake the next king cake.
Why is there a baby in King Cake?
Finding the baby in a King Cake is good luck! It symbolizes luck and prosperity. The person who finds the baby is also responsible for supplying the next King Cake or throwing the next Mardi Gras party.
You don’t bake the baby in the King Cake. It’s placed inside of the cake after the baking and once the cake has properly cooled off.
When making a King Cake with a baby, remember who your audience is. If you are feeding this to young children, consider skipping the baby if it is small because it can potentially be a choking hazard.
King Cake Recipe
To make a King Cake you will need to have a few things on hand. I like to use already made bread dough from the freezer. It saves lots of time and energy and gets you to what you like doing to most – eating the King Cake!
To make this King Cake we will need to have:
- 1 frozen bread loaf
- cinnamon
- butter
- milk
- powdered sugar
- vanilla
- granulated sugar
- green, yellow (gold), and purple sprinkles
- small plastic baby (optional)
You can scroll down to the bottom of this page for a printable recipe card with all of our easy instructions and a few additional notes. If you have any questions that I haven’t answered, I would love for you to leave me a comment and let me know! I can also update the post with relevant ideas that I may not have thought of, so feel free to leave me your suggestions as well
How to Make a King Cake
Making the King Cake from frozen bread dough is so much easier than making it from scratch. You can also add different flavors to the King Cake. For this recipe, we will just add a little cinnamon for flavor. However, I will talk about the many different flavors you can have with a King Cake.
- Allow the dough to completely thaw. Once thawed, knead the dough and then place it into a medium container and cover with a towel for 2 hours, allowing the dough to rise.
- After two hours, knead the dough again and then roll it out flat. Brush the top of the dough with buttery cinnamon and sugar and then roll the dough in a tree log fashion, attaching the ends to make the circular cake.
- Bake the King Cake for 30-35 minutes until the cake is a golden brown.
- While the cake cools, make the frosting. Mix the milk, vanilla flavoring, and confectioners sugar.
- Once the cake is cool, top it with the sugary glaze and then top with the colored sprinkles.
What do the colored sprinkles on a King Cake stand for?
This bread style cake is covered with a delicious white glaze and then colored sugar or sprinkles are added on top for decoration. Even the colored sprinkles have a meaning.
- purple is for justice
- green is for faith
- gold is for power
King Cake Flavor Ideas
King Cakes come in a ton of different flavors, and you can customize your cakes as well. While this recipe is basic with cinnamon, you can add a lot of different things to the dough before rolling it into the log. Here are a few of my favorites:
- cream cheese
- strawberry
- pecan praline
- blueberry
- strawberry cream
OTHER DESSERT RECIPES YOU MIGHT ENJOY
- Lemon Bars Recipe
- Valentines Day Dessert Truffles
- Strawberry Cheesecake Chocolate Crepes
- Cake Balls Recipe
Let me know if you get a chance to try this! You can leave a comment below or tag me on Instagram @pinkwhenjen so I can see what you’re making. I love to see others share the recipes that I love and share with you.
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How to Make a King Cake
Ingredients
- 1 frozen bread loaf
- 2 tbsp cinnamon
- 1/4 cup butter
- 1 cup green, yellow (gold), and purple sprinkles separated
Icing
- 3 tbsp milk
- 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
Instructions
- Allow the dough to completely thaw. Once thawed, knead the dough and then place it into a medium container and cover with a towel for 2 hours, allowing the dough to rise.
- Heat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Mix the softened butter, cinnamon, and sugar.
- Knead the dough again and then roll it out flat. Brush the top of the dough with buttery cinnamon and sugar mixture and then roll the dough in a tree log fashion, attaching the ends to make the circular cake.
- Bake the King Cake for 30-35 minutes until the cake is a golden brown.
- While the cake cools, make the icing glaze.
How to make the glazed icing
- Mix the milk, vanilla flavoring, and confectioners sugar well until it's gained the desired consistency.
- Once the cake is cool, add the baby and then top it with the sugary glazed icing and then top with the colored sprinkles.
Notes
- Add different filling to the center of the dough before baking to change the cake flavor.
- Allow the cake to completely cool before adding the glaze.
- Add the baby optionally for older children and adults to minimize the risk of a choking hazard.
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