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!
Traditional Mardi Gras King Cake
Both of my parents grew up in New Orleans, so at this time of year, we usually celebrate with a traditional Mardi Gras King Cake. Usually this sweet bread is braided and formed into a circle. It’s baked with colored sugars on top, purple representing justice, gold signifying power, and green symbolizing faith. Traditionally, a little plastic baby is inserted into the bottom of the cake. When the cake is cut and served, whoever receives the piece with the baby is crowned “king” or “queen” for the day and also must throw the next party! As they say in New Orleans, “laissez les bons temps rouler.” Cajun French for “Let the good times roll!”
In New Orleans, people will start holding parties starting around January 6, on Epiphany until “fat Tuesday” (the day before Lent). King cake parties bring family and communities together to celebrate Mardi Gras. The baby placed inside represents baby Jesus. The King Cake derives it’s name from the kings who went to visit baby Jesus. Similar cakes are baked all over the world and can be made with puff pastry and also filled with creams.
How to make a Traditional Mardi Gras King Cake
A traditional Mardi Gras King Cake is made with flour, sugars, egg, yeast, water, salt, milk, cinnamon and butter. Many times a frosting is made with powdered sugar, water, lemon juice and colored sugar. The result is a beautifully rustic and colorful cinnamon cake bread that goes well with coffee! Here are some tips when making the traditional Mardi Gras King Cake:
- When mixing the ingredients, be patient about combining everything and make sure the milk is heated to the right temperature to help activate the yeast.
- Allow the dough to puff for a full 90 minutes the first rising.
- You can never add too much cinnamon sugar 😉
- Don’t overwork the dough when rolling it out. Less working with the dough will ensure a fluffier result.
- Use food coloring to color sugar purple, gold and green. This Wilton food coloring kit comes in handy for making special colors like purple. Add the colored sugar onto the top of the dough before baking if you don’t want frosting. The regular sugar tastes just as good, and these days, many folks turn down things with too much icing or frosting.
- When baking the King Cake, use a sharp knife inserted to see if the dough is baked inside. Bake until the dough is firm, but try not to over bake as the cake will be less moist.
Ready to try baking your own Traditional Mardi Gras King Cake and start your own fun tradition? Here’s the recipe:
Traditional Mardi Gras King Cake
Ingredients
Method
- 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!!!
Notes
Tried this recipe?
Let us know how it was!
What a lovely cake, I’d be so happy eating it anytime of the day!
This looks like such a fun Mardi Gras tradition! My kids would LOVE doing this with me!
Oh yes! The kids will enjoy making this one. It’s fun to see the dough rise so much! And of course the colored sugar!!! Who doesn’t love that! Have fun!