King Cake Recipe

Closeup of a king cake topped with purple, green, and gold sanding sugar and white icing

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King cake made from scratch with a soft yeasted dough, cream cheese filling, lemon glaze, and classic Mardi Gras sanding sugars.

Prep Time1 55

Cook Time45

Cool Time50

Total Time3 30

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: Cajun/Creole

Servings: servings

Calories: 373kcal

Author: Jocelyn Delk Adams

Equipment

Ingredients

For the Cake

2 ½ teaspoons instant yeast
1/3 cup + 1 teaspoon granulated sugar divided
¾ cup milk warm (about 115°F), divided
½ cup unsalted butter melted
2 large eggs room temperature
2 large egg yolks room temperature
4 cups all-purpose flour
1 ½ teaspoon kosher salt
½ teaspoon nutmeg
2 teaspoons lemon zest
½ teaspoon vegetable oil for greasing bowl

For the Filling

10 ounces cream cheese softened
½ cup granulated sugar
4 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon ground cardamom
1 large egg room temperature
1 tablespoon milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon lemon zest
Pinch kosher salt
1 large egg beaten, for egg wash

For the Glaze

2 cups powdered sugar
1 teaspoon lemon zest
3 tablespoons milk

To Garnish

Green, purple, and yellow sanding sugars or jimmies

Instructions

For the Cake

In a small bowl whisk together yeast, 1 teaspoon of sugar, and ¼ cup of warm milk. Let sit for about 10 minutes, until a layer of foam develops on top of the milk. (If no foam forms, it means your yeast is dead. Discard and purchase new yeast.)
Meanwhile, in the bowl of your stand mixer, fitted with the dough hook, add your remaining 1/3 cup sugar, remaining ½ cup of milk, melted butter, eggs, egg yolks, flour, salt, nutmeg, and zest. Mix on low for about 30 seconds to combine ingredients.
When foamy, add the yeast mixture to the bowl and mix on low for two minutes until a rough dough begins to form. Increase the mixer speed to medium-high and mix for 5 minutes. The dough should gather mostly onto the hook leaving the sides of the bowl mostly clean. The dough should be supple and tacky, but not sticky. (If your dough is sticky, add 1 tablespoon of flour to the dough and mix for an additional minute. Check the dough again.)
Prepare a large bowl by spreading the oil into a thin layer onto the bottom and sides. Form the dough into a ball and place in an oiled bowl, then cover with plastic wrap or a clean kitchen towel. Place in a warm spot and let rise until it’s doubled in size, about an hour. (Give or take, depending on how warm or cool/drafty the space is.)

For the Filling

While the dough is resting, whisk together the softened cream cheese, sugar, flour, and cardamom until it is smooth. (You may use your stand mixer with the whisk attachment, a hand mixer, or a sturdy whisk and elbow grease!)
Add the egg, milk, vanilla, lemon zest, and salt, and whisk again until the mixture is smooth. Cover and set aside in the refrigerator until the dough is ready.

To Assemble and Bake

Prepare a sheet pan with parchment paper.
Once the dough has doubled in size, remove it from the bowl and place onto a floured countertop.
Roll into a 8-inch x 20-inch rectangle. Be sure to lift the edges occasionally as you roll the dough to ensure it’s not sticking to the counter. If it starts to stick, dust a little more flour onto the countertop.
To assemble, place the short edge of the rectangle parallel to the edge of the counter. Remove the filling from the refrigerator and spread two-thirds of it down the center of the dough, leaving a border of 1 inch unfilled around the edges.
Pull the left long edge over the filling and center, folding into thirds.
Spread the remaining third of the filling on top of the first fold. Then pull the right edge over that filling. Pinch the edge to seal it. Carefully and quickly flip the dough booklet over onto the parchment-lined sheet pan, seam side down.
Gently smoosh and rock the dough as needed to ensure the filling is evenly spread throughout. Bring the edges of the log together to form an oval and gently pinch the ends together to seal the ring completely.
Loosely cover the ring with a clean kitchen towel or plastic wrap (do not seal tightly) and return to the warm spot to rise for the second time.
Let the dough rise for 35-40 minutes. The dough should look puffy but not doubled in size. While the dough is rising, preheat your oven to 350°F and place the oven rack in the center position.
Once the dough has risen, use a pastry brush to coat with the beaten egg.
Place it in the oven and bake for 40-45 minutes, turning the pan halfway through baking. The dough should be golden brown and have a sheen to it.
Remove the King Cake from the oven and cool on the pan for 20 minutes. Once cool enough to handle, place onto a wire rack to cool completely, about another 30 minutes.

For the Glaze

While the cake is cooling, prepare the glaze by placing all the ingredients into a medium bowl and whisking until smooth. The glaze should be thick enough to pour, but not runny.
Pour the glaze over the top of the cooled cake, allowing it to flow down the sides.
Quickly garnish with a mixture of the sanding sugars or sprinkles. Let sit for 5 minutes to allow the glaze to set. Slice and serve.

Notes

How to Store

Room Temp: Keep your king cake covered in an airtight container on the counter for up to 2 days. It's the best way to store it, especially if it's already glazed.
Fridge: You can refrigerate it for up to 4 days, but I don't really recommend it. The fridge tends to dry out the bread. If you do refrigerate it, wrap it tight so it doesn’t get sad and stale.
Freezer: King cake freezes well, especially undecorated. Wrap the cake or slices in plastic wrap, then foil, and freeze for up to 2 months. Thaw at room temp, then glaze it fresh.
Tip: You can store leftover glaze in the fridge for up to 5 days and the filling for up to 2 days if you're making the king cake ahead (down in the FAQs I show you how). Just keep both in airtight container.

Nutrition information does not include the sanding sugars or jimmies.

Nutrition