With Mardi Gras right around the corner, it’s time to bring out all of our favorite Creole and Cajun recipes! Of course, my favorite dish at any party is dessert, so my mind goes straight to a traditional King Cake, which is the perfect way to top off any Mardi Gras celebration!
This coffee-cake like confection is a popular custom and is adorned in purple, green, and gold sprinkles and shaped like a ring. Traditionally, the King Cake started off as a simple ring of dough, but has since evolved to include a variety of different fillings. Each cake has a tiny plastic or porcelain baby hidden inside and the person who gets the slice with the baby in it hosts the next party! Of course, I am always scoping out the cake looking for the baby! Any excuse to host a party is always welcome!
This Cinnamon-filled King Cake recipe is one of the most delicious and quickest King Cake recipes out there. The quick rise yeast decreases the preparation time dramatically, so you can easily prepare your cake in a couple of hours. Follow this recipe and your King Cake will be the talk of the town (or office) and I promise you will leave people asking for more!
- 3 1/2 cups all purpose flour
- 1 package (2 1/4 teaspoons) Quick Rise yeast
- 1 cup milk (120º to 130º)
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 2 eggs
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened, cut into 12 pieces
- 2/3 cup packed light brown sugar
- 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
- 1 cup powdered (confectioners) sugar
- 1 tablespoon milk
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
- Dark green, purple, and yellow sprinkles
- Miniature plastic baby
- In the bowl of your stand mixer, mix 2 1/2 cups of flour and yeast using the paddle attachment on low for about 30 seconds.
- Heat the milk, salt and sugar in a small saucepan over medium heat until the sugar is dissolved and milk is between 120 degrees F and 130 degrees F.
- With the mixer on low, pour the milk mixture into the dry ingredients and mix until incorporated. Add eggs one at a time. Continue mixing until a shaggy dough forms.
- Remove the paddle attachment and add the dough hook. Mix in the remaining 1 cup flour a little at a time. Add the softened butter, a piece at a time. Knead until each piece of butter is fully absorbed.
- Knead for eight more minutes on low speed. If the dough is too sticky and is sticking to the sides of the bowl, add additional flour 1 tablespoon at a time. Every 2 minutes, stop the machine, scrape the dough off the hook, and then continue kneading.
- Remove the dough from the mixing bowl and lay it on a lightly floured surface. Knead a few times by hand to be sure it’s smooth and elastic.
- Form the dough into a ball and place the dough in a lightly greased bowl. Turn once so greased surface is on top. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate it for 1 hour. Prepare the filling.
- Once the dough is chilled, roll it into a 10 x 20 inch rectangle. Spread the filling on half of the long side of the dough. Fold the dough in half and cover the filling. Pat the dough firmly so the dough sticks together with the filing in the middle.
- Using a sharp knife or pizza cutter, cut the dough into three long strips (about 3 inches wide). Press the tops of the strips together and braid the strips. Press the ends together at the bottom. Gently stretch the braid so that it measures 20 inches long again and shape it into a circle. Press the ends together so it forms a ring. If you are including a baby, hide the miniature plastic baby in between the ends of the circle before sealing together in a ring.
- Place the ring on a parchment lined baking sheet. Cover the dough with plastic wrap and let it rise for one hour. The cake should double in size. While the dough is rising, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Bake the cake for 20-35 minutes, or until it is golden brown. Remove the cake from the oven and let it cool for 10 minutes on the baking sheet and then place it on a cooling rack. Allow the cake to completely cool before icing.
- While the dough is chilling, make the cinnamon filling. Combine the brown sugar and ground cinnamon. Then add the butter and mix well until fully incorporated.
- In a small bowl, mix the powdered sugar, milk and vanilla until smooth.
- Spoon the icing over top of the cake and immediately sprinkle on the sprinkles, alternating between the three colors.
If you’re looking for some trivia for your next Mardi Gras party, break out some of these little fun facts:
- Mardi Gras season begins on January 6th, which is the “Twelfth Night” after Christmas and known as the “Epiphany” to Christians. Jesus was first presented to the world and the three wise men on this day.
- The King Cake is baked around the world for Twelfth Night celebrations to honor the three kings. The cake is decorated in royal colors of purple to signify “Justice,” green for “Faith,” and gold for “Power.” The cake adorned in these colors resembles a jeweled crown honoring the Wise Men who visited Jesus on the Epiphany. As a symbol of Jesus, a tiny plastic baby is placed inside each King Cake.
- Mardi Gras Day, also known as Fat Tuesday, occurs on any Tuesday from February 3rd to March 9th. It is always the day before Ash Wednesday and falls 46 days before Easter.
Photos by Stephanie Drenka
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