The king cake is a New Orleans tradition based in Christianity. It’s enjoyed in other places around the country too and is a popular way to celebrate Mardi Gras. Making this King Cake can be a great way to learn about a tradition that you might not already understand, and can also be a delicious way to enjoy a yeasted cake with the people you love.
What is a King Cake?
Traditionally enjoyed on the day before Ash Wednesday (aka “Fat Tuesday”, aka Mardi Gras), and occasionally enjoyed during other times of the Mardi Gras Season, the king cake is a symbol that recognizes the biblical story of the three kings that visited the baby Jesus, 12 days after his birth. There is more symbolization in the king cake too. First is the shape of it, an oval to symbolize unity. The colors of a king cake are the Mardi Gras colors: purple for justice, green for faith, and gold to represent power. Finally, a small baby is baked into the cake, to symbolize the baby, Jesus. In New Orleans, a Mardi Gras king cake is a must and is often enjoyed during King Cake parties in offices, classrooms, and homes. The person who gets the slice of King Cake with the baby in it is said to be rewarded with good luck in the coming year. That person is also going to be responsible for baking the king cake for next year’s Mardi Gras party! Spain and Mexico also have a similar king cake tradition. They call the cake “Rosca de Reyes”.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
Key Ingredients
Complete list of ingredients and amounts can be found in the recipe card below.
Flour: Regular all-purpose flour is exactly what you need for this recipe. Yeast: One package of rapid-rise yeast gives this yeasted cake its beautiful flaky interior. Milk: You can use whole milk or 2% to mix up your dough. Sugar and Salt: This is a sweet cake, so granulated sugar is a must. A bit of salt helps to make things even tastier. Butter: Room temperature butter cut into slices is added to the dough during the kneading process. This adds even more flakiness to the texture and helps the dough to brown up beautifully when baking. Eggs: Eggs also contribute to the airy texture of this cinnamon bread. Filling: Softened, unsalted butter, brown sugar, and cinnamon are mixed together to create a delicious filling for King Cake.Icing: The icing for this cake is super easy to make. You’ll just whisk together powdered sugar, vanilla, and a bit of milk. Decorations: Optionally, you’ll need decorating sugar in green, yellow, and purple, and a small plastic baby figurine.
How to Make a King Cake
To make the dough:
To fill and bake the cake:
To ice a King Cake:
Recipe Tips
Get Fancy: If you want to, you can shape your king cake differently. I’m showing you how to make a simple oval or round-shaped king cake, but you can twist the roll, or make three smaller rolls and braid them together. Traditional decorations and add-ins are optional: You can choose to include the Mardi Gras sprinkles and plastic baby prize, or leave them out. Other Fillings: King Cake can be filled with fruit fillings or cream cheese filling instead of the simple cinnamon and brown sugar filling here.
What to Serve with a King Cake
Having a Mardi Gras Party? A good Mardi Gras celebration will include lots of decadent foods since often the Lenten season is a time for giving up sweets and unhealthy habits. Serve rich desserts like Red Velvet Cake, Banana Pudding, and Magic Seven Layer Bars. Delicious and filling appetizers will be perfect too. Try Deviled Eggs, Cheeseburger Sliders or a simple-to-make Taco Ring. Mardi Gras is such a fun celebration, and now you know just how to make the perfect Mardi Gras King Cake to celebrate with! © Little Sunny Kitchen
