Sweetie Pie and Cupcakes

Traditional Mardi Gras King Cake

It’s Mardi Gras season and that means it’s time for some delicious traditional Mardi Gras King Cake. This homemade King Cake is a sweet treat perfect for a party or for breakfast. It’s filled with layers of cinnamon and tastes amazing with coffee! Learn to make your own King Cake at home at SweetiePieAndCupcakes.com!

CourseBreakfast, Dessert, Party Food
CuisineAmerican, French

Servings	Prep Time
12people	20minutes

Cook Time	Passive Time
20minutes	2 1/2hours

Servings	Prep Time
12people	20minutes

Cook Time	Passive Time
20minutes	2 1/2hours

Ingredients

1/3cup Sugar
1tsp Salt
1/2cup ButterRoom temperature. Salted is fine.
2 Eggs
1tsp Vanilla
1tsp Lemon Juice
1cup Milk
4 1/2 tsp Dry Active Yeast2 packets
4 1/2 cups Flour
1/4cup Vegetable Oil
1/2cup Sugar for Cinnamon Mixture
2-3tbsp Cinnamon
Sugar for decorating top
Food Coloring

Instructions

Cream 1/3 cup sugar, 1 tsp salt and 1/2 cup butter for 3-5 minutes until butter turns a lighter color.
Add and continue creaming 2 eggs, 1 tsp vanilla, and 1 tsp lemon juice.
Heat 1 cup milk to about 85-90 degrees (should not boil). Turn heat off and dissolve 2 packets or 4 1/2 tsp of dry active yeast in the milk. Stir.
Blend the milk into the butter/sugar/egg mixture.
Add 2 cups of flour and spin with the blender for just a few seconds to combine ingredients.
Add 2 more cups of flour with a wooden spoon gathering the flour from the sides and pulling into the middle and pushing it down, starting to knead the dough. Then use your hands as a gauge and add a small handful of flour at a time until the dough pulls away from the bowl and starts to form a sticky ball. The dough should be loose and pliable.
Cover the bowl with a towel and set in a warm place for 90 minutes to allow to rise.
Flour a work surface. Work the dough away from the bowl and gently spread out into a rectangle on the work surface.
Use a food brush to spread vegetable oil onto the top of the dough.
Combine sugar and cinnamon and spread the mixture onto the top of the dough. Fold the dough into thirds like a letter.
Cut into three long strips.
Braid the three strips and seal each end by folding the dough under and pinching.
Cover with a towel and allow to rest and rise for an hour. Then gently roll out the dough into a long snake like roll. Shape into a circle and seal the ends together. Heat the oven to 375 degrees.
Prepare a large baking sheet with parchment paper. Place the rolled circle onto the baking sheet and shape the dough to look like a long circle. Use the sugar and food coloring to color the sugar purple, green and gold. Combine red and blue food coloring to make purple or use the Wilton food coloring kit for lavender. Dust the top of the King Cake with the three colors. Bake at 375 for 13-20 minutes. Check the King Cake at 13 minute with a sharp knife and then continue checking about every 3 minutes until the cake seems fairly firm. It should give a little. If it’s overcooked, it won’t be as moist. However, this cake is more like a bread with layers of cinnamon so it will be more firm and dry than cake. Insert the plastic baby or a large bean or trinket into the cake before cutting and serving. Enjoy with coffee! Whoever gets the baby must throw the next party!!!

Recipe Notes

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