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An overhead view of a circular Mardi Gras King Cake that is covered with shiny bright purple, green, and gold edible glitter and is surround by Mardi Gras beads.

Mardi Gras King Cake

Course: Breakfast and Dessert
Cuisine: New Orleans
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Proofing: 2 hours 30 minutes
Total Time: 3 hours 20 minutes
Servings: 8
Calories: 826kcal
Author: Kris Longwell
This cake is quintessential Mardi Gras. Decadent, showy, and sinfully delicious. The cinnamon filling is the perfect match to the yeast cake and the sweet sugar icing and glitter sugar topping. Bring Mardi Gras into your own kitchen and make this glorious cake from scratch. It's easy and so much fun!
Print Recipe

Equipment

Ingredients

For the Filling

  • 8 tablespoon unsalted butter 1 stick, softened
  • 1 cup light brown sugar
  • 2 tablespoon cinnamon ground

For the Cake

  • 1 cup whole milk warmed to 110 - 120°F
  • ⅓ cup sugar
  • 2¼ teaspoon active dry yeast or Instant
  • 8 tablespoon unsalted butter 1 stick, melted and cooled
  • 2 whole eggs room temperature, divided (you'll use one for an egg wash before baking)
  • 4 egg yolks room temperature
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 3¾ cups all-purpose flour
  • cooking spray

For the Icing, Sugars, and Baby

  • 3 cups powdered sugar
  • 3 tablespoon unsalted butter melted
  • 1 tablespoon lemon juice
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • ¼ cup whole milk
  • glitter sugar purple, green, gold
  • baby for inserting into baked cake

Instructions

Make the Cinnamon Filling

  • Place all of the filling ingredients in a medium bowl and use a fork to combine them completely. Set aside.
    8 tablespoon unsalted butter, 1 cup light brown sugar, 2 tablespoon cinnamon

Make the Cake

  • In a small bowl, add the warm milk. Whisk in the sugar and yeast until combined. Let rest for 7 to 10 minutes, until foamy. (If it doesn't get foamy, your yeast is dead, you'll need to start over).
    1 cup whole milk, ⅓ cup sugar, 2¼ teaspoon active dry yeast
  • In the bowl of a stand mixer, add the melted butter, 1 egg, egg yolks, vanilla, and yeast mixture. Add the paddle attachment and mix until combined, about 30 seconds.
    8 tablespoon unsalted butter, 2 whole eggs, 4 egg yolks, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • With the mixer on medium speed, gradually add the flour until completely combined. Remove the paddle attachment and replace it with the dough attachment. Knead the dough on medium speed for 7 minutes. The dough should pull away from the sides of the bowl and become elastic and not overly sticky.
    3¾ cups all-purpose flour
  • Remove the dough from the bowl and dough attachment and use your hands to form it into a smooth ball. Spray a large bowl liberally with cooking spray (or vegetable oil). Turn the dough over in the oil and place in the bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and place in a non-drafty, warm area until the dough has doubled in size, anywhere from 1 to 2 hours.
    cooking spray
  • Preheat oven to 375°F.
  • Remove the risen dough from the bowl and place on a lightly floured surface. Use a knife or a bench scraper to divide the dough into two equal parts. Roll each dough into a rectangle that is approximately 24 inches in length by about 5 to 6 inches wide.
  • Spread the cinnamon filling on each dough, leaving about 1 inch of no-filling around the edges. Roll each dough tightly, lengthwise, sealing the seams with your fingers. Braid the two rolls and then form them into a circle and seal at the ends (see video for reference).
  • Place the unbaked cake on a large baking sheet that is lined with parchment paper.
  • In a small bowl, whisk 1 egg with 1 tablespoon of water. Brush the egg wash over the top of the dough. Place in the oven and bake for 25 to 30 minutes, covering with foil after about 15 minutes (to prevent the top from getting too brown).
  • Remove the cake from the oven and allow to cool completely before icing.

Make the Icing and Finish the Cake

  • To prepare the icing, place the sugar, melted butter, vanilla extract, and milk in a medium bowl. Use an electric hand mixer (or a wooden spoon) and mix until smooth and spreadable. The icing should be thick and not too thin. It should hold to an inverted spoon. If too thick, add a little more milk until the correct consistency.
    3 cups powdered sugar, 3 tablespoon unsalted butter, 1 tablespoon lemon juice, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, ¼ cup whole milk
  • Once the cake is cool, press the baby into one of the folds from the braided cake. Next, use a spatula to smear the icing all over the top of the cake. Liberally sprinkle on the glitter sugar, alternating purple, green, and gold. Serve at once or gently cover with plastic wrap until ready to serve.
    glitter sugar, baby

Video

Notes

See the video near the top of the blog post for visual guidance. If you liked the video, please subscribe to our YouTube channel. 
Make sure you allow your dough to double in size for the first round of proofing. This could take anywhere from 1 to 2 hours. Spray the top of the dough with cooking spray or brush with oil to keep the dough from drying out. 
Some of the butter-cinnamon mixture may leak out of the cake. Sealing the dough as best you can helps to minimize this. But, some leakage is normal and won't create a problem for the cake. 
The cake can be made 1 to 2 days in advance. Wrap tightly in plastic wrap until ready to serve. Leftovers will keep (covered) for up to 5 days. 

Nutrition

Calories: 826kcal | Carbohydrates: 129g | Protein: 10g | Fat: 27g | Saturated Fat: 15g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 8g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 174mg | Sodium: 33mg | Potassium: 196mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 81g | Vitamin A: 1029IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 119mg | Iron: 3mg