Mardi Gras King Cake (Printable)
A festive New Orleans cake with cream cheese filling and vibrant sugar decoration for joyful gatherings.
# What You Need:
→ Dough
01 - 1 cup warm milk (about 110°F)
02 - 2¼ tsp active dry yeast (1 packet)
03 - ½ cup granulated sugar
04 - 4 cups all-purpose flour
05 - ½ cup unsalted butter, melted and cooled
06 - 2 large eggs, room temperature
07 - 1 tsp vanilla extract
08 - ½ tsp almond extract
09 - 1 tsp salt
10 - ½ tsp freshly grated nutmeg
→ Cream Cheese Filling
11 - 8 oz cream cheese, softened
12 - ½ cup powdered sugar
13 - 1 tsp vanilla extract
→ Cinnamon Sugar
14 - ⅓ cup granulated sugar
15 - 2 tsp ground cinnamon
→ Icing
16 - 1½ cups powdered sugar
17 - 2–3 tbsp milk
18 - ½ tsp vanilla extract
→ Decoration
19 - Purple, green, and gold sanding sugars
20 - 1 plastic baby or dried bean (optional)
# How-To:
01 - In a large bowl, combine warm milk and yeast. Let stand for 5 minutes until foamy.
02 - Add sugar, melted butter, eggs, vanilla, almond extract (if using), salt, and nutmeg. Mix until combined.
03 - Gradually add flour, mixing until a soft dough forms. Knead by hand or with a mixer for 5–7 minutes, until smooth and elastic.
04 - Place dough in a greased bowl, cover, and let rise in a warm place for 1–1½ hours, or until doubled in size.
05 - Beat cream cheese, powdered sugar, and vanilla until smooth.
06 - In a small bowl, mix cinnamon and sugar for the cinnamon sugar.
07 - Punch down risen dough and roll into a 10x24-inch rectangle on a lightly floured surface.
08 - Spread cream cheese filling lengthwise down the center third of the dough. Sprinkle with cinnamon sugar.
09 - Fold one long side of dough over the filling, then the other, pinching seams to seal. Transfer to a parchment-lined baking sheet and shape into a ring, pinching ends together.
10 - Cover and let rise for 45 minutes, until puffy.
11 - Preheat oven to 350°F.
12 - Bake for 25–30 minutes, or until golden brown. Cool for 20 minutes.
13 - Whisk powdered sugar, milk, and vanilla until smooth and pourable. Drizzle over cooled cake.
14 - Sprinkle with colored sugars in alternating sections.
15 - Once completely cool, gently insert the plastic baby or dried bean into the underside of the cake.
# Expert Advice:
01 -
- The cream cheese filling creates this incredible tender ribbon through every slice that people will assume took you years to perfect
- Something magical happens when you hide that baby inside and watch friends nervously cut around each bite
02 -
- The dough should feel tacky but not sticky after kneading, if it's too wet add a tablespoon of flour at a time
- Sealing that seam tight when folding is crucial or the filling will burst out in the oven
03 -
- If your kitchen runs cold, let the dough rise in your oven with just the light on
- Use kitchen shears to trim any uneven bits before baking for a polished look