This traditional Mardi Gras King cake recipe is worlds better than anything you can buy at the grocery store. This simple spiced yeast dough gets filled with a cinnamon sugar filling, twisted into a ring, and adorned with colored sugar. Add a tiny plastic baby to pull the tradition full circle!
Prep time: PT210M
Cook time: PT42M
Total time: PT252M
5 stars (4 reviews)
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- Place warm milk in a large bowl. Sprinkle the yeast and the granulated sugar on top of the water. Whisk with a fork, wooden spoon, or spatula and allow to rest and activate for 10 minutes.
- Once the yeast mixture is active and bubbly, add the eggs, melted butter, vanilla extract, and salt. Whisk to combine.
- Gradually stir in flour. If using a stand mixer, use your dough hook. If mixing by hand, continue to use a wooden spoon. Add the flour and blend until dough has mostly come together. It may still be shaggy, but it should pull away from the sides of the bowl fairly easily.
- Turn out dough on a floured surface and knead for about 8-10 minutes, adding flour about 1 Tablespoon at a time if the dough is too sticky, until smooth and elastic. Your dough should resemble the surface texture of PlayDoh when it is done. Place in a warm, greased bowl, turning the dough to coat the top. Cover with a towel and allow to double in size, about 2 hours.
- After dough has doubled, punch down dough and turn out onto a floured surface and allow it to rest while you make the cinnamon filling.
- In a medium size bowl, combine the granulated sugar, brown sugar, and cinnamon. Whisk or stir until well-blended. Set aside.
- Using a rolling pin, roll the dough out into a rectangle approximately 14" x 18" in size. Dough will be very elastic, so be patient and keep rolling. There is no need to rush this step.
- When you have your rectangle, slice it in half so that you have two rectangles 7" and 18" in size. Brush the melted butter evenly over the two pieces of dough, leaving about ½" border around the edges. Sprinkle the cinnamon-sugar evenly over the melted butter.
- Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat. Set aside.
- Working from the long side, roll each rectangle of dough into tight logs, then transfer the logs to the prepared pan. Pinch one end of each log together and alternate the logs over and under each other (similar to a braid) to form a twisted loaf of bread. Connect the starting and ending pieces together and form the logs into a circle.
- Cover with a towel and allow to rest and rise again for 1 hour.
- When you are ready to bake the bread, preheat the oven to 350ºF (177ºC).
- Bake the bread for 30-35 minutes. The loaf is done when it produces a hollow sound when you tap on it. Allow to cool completely on the baking sheet before decorating.
- In a medium size bowl, mix together the powdered sugar, 3 Tablespoons of the cream or milk, and vanilla extract. Stir until everything is combined. Mixture will be thick. If you want it thinner, add more liquid ½ Tablespoon at a time until you reach desired consistency.
- Pour or spread the icing over cooled bread and decorate with sanding sugar or sprinkles. Insert baby from the underside of the bread for someone to find! Bread stays fresh covered at room temperature up to 5 days or in the refrigerator up to 1 week. Un-iced bread freezes well, up to 3 months. Thaw at room temperature before decorating and serving.