What is a King Cake, you ask? I can best describe it as a celebratory confection that is similar to a coffee cake-cinnamon roll hybrid covered with sanding sugar in traditional Mardi Gras colors: green, purple, and yellow. There is much debate as to what, if anything, these delicious desserts should be filled with. The recipe below, courtesy of Sucré New Orleans, uses a whipped cream cheese filling, but we tend to use a pecan praline or occasional fruit filling depending on our tastes at the time. What is not debated, however, is the shape of a King Cake. They are always wreath-like in shape but can be braided or formed.
For nearly a decade now, we have been either making or purchasing a traditional King Cake for Mardi Gras in addition to enjoying a pot of my grandmother’s shrimp gumbo. While I have used various recipes in the past, none of them compare to this award-winning one from Sucré. In our household, we do follow the tradition of hiding a plastic baby within the cake to bring good luck to the one who finds it – as well as to decide who will be hosting the next Mardi Gras event!
Sucre’s Award-Winning Mardi Gras King Cake
Note: As much as we love the whipped cream cheese filling included in this recipe, we used a praline filling instead. so our pictures differ from those taken using the posted recipe.
Dough Ingredients
- 2/3 cup whole milk
- 5 tablespoons sugar, divided
- 1 1/2 teaspoons instant yeast
- 2 large eggs, room temperature
- 2 3/4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, cut into 1-inch pieces, room temperature, plus 1/2 tablespoon, melted
Dough Directions
- Combine flour, sugar, salt, yeast, and milk in a mixing bowl and mix on low speed till it comes together.
- As the dough comes together, add 1 egg at a time then add butter gradually.
- Continue to mix at medium speed till smooth and elastic. Do not over-mix.
- Place in a clean bowl and wrap with plastic wrap, keep at room temperature, and allow to double in size. When doubled, “punch down” to deflate, and wrap again to allow it to rise again. At this point, make the cream cheese filling.
Filling Ingredients
- 8oz cream cheese (1 pack)
- 1 egg yolk
- 1/8 cup sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- zest of 1 lemon
Filling Directions
- Combine all ingredients and mix till smooth. Will be divided on 2 pieces of dough.
King Cake Assembly
- Roll dough into an even rectangle about ¼” thick.
- Cut into 2 lengthwise and pipe or spoon cream cheese filling on the upper 1/3 of each piece.
- Sprinkle with cinnamon sugar (1/2 cup sugar + 1 tablespoon cinnamon) evenly. Roll each piece into a log and twist them together to form a braid. Shape into a ring sealing the ends well.
- Proof to double in size and bake in preheated oven at 360°F for approximately 20-25 minutes or till golden brown on the bottom surface. If the top is golden brown and the bottom is still not baked, cover the top with foil and turn the oven down to 325°F.
- Allow the cake to cool before glazing.
Glaze Ingredients
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- 1/2 cup milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Glaze Directions
- Mix all ingredients till smooth and coat the top of the cooled cake.
- Allow the glaze to dry before serving.
All images for this article were taken and edited by Krista.
Recipe courtesy of:
Sucré
3025 Magazine Street
New Orleans, LA 70115
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