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King Cake

No need to order in a King Cake to celebrate Mardi Gras when you can bake your own at home! This traditional recipe combines a rich brioche style dough with a sweet cinnamon and sugar filling.
King Cake
Yield 2 medium cakes or 8 mini cakes

Ingredients

Dough

  • 1 cup milk (heated to 110-115°F)
  • 1/2 cup granulated sugar
  • 1 (0.25oz) package (7g) or 2 1/4 teaspoons Platinum Yeast
  • 1 cup unsalted butter (melted)
  • 5 large egg yolks (slightly beaten)
  • 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
  • 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
  • 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg
  • 4 cups bread flour

Filling

  • 1/2 cup granulated sugar
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
  • 1/4 cup packed brown sugar

Icing

  • 2 cups powdered sugar
  • 1/4 cup whole milk
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • Colored sugar or sprinkles (green, gold and purple)

Instructions

  • In a large mixer, combine all the ingredients and mix until combined using the paddle attachment. Switch to dough hook attachment; knead dough until smooth and elastic, about 5-7 minutes, adding additional flour (1 tablespoon at a time) as needed to keep the dough from sticking to the sides of the bowl. Place the dough in a greased bowl, over and let rise until doubled in size, approximately 1 1/2 hours.
  • Remove the dough from the bowl and gently deflate. Divide the dough in half. Roll each half into a long rectangle, approximately 24x6-inches.
  • Combine the filling ingredients and sprinkle generously over both rectangles.
  • From the long edge roll the dough tightly and pinch the edges together to create a tight seam. If making the smaller king cakes, cut the strip into 6 inch segments. Take each segment and form into a ring gently pinching the ends together to seal. Place the ring(s) onto a parchment-lined sheet pan(s). Cover and allow to rise for 30-45 minutes.
  • Preheat oven to 375°F. Place the sheet pan(s) into the oven and bake for 30 minutes or until golden brown. Remove the cakes from the oven and allow to cool on a wire rack.
  • Combine the icing ingredients until smooth, thinning with additional milk if necessary and drizzle over cooled cake. Sprinkle with colored sugar or sprinkles and serve.

Notes

Photo by Matt Weber.