It’s King Cake season, and this recipe for classic king cake with rich cream cheese frosting will make sure that no matter how far you are from New Orleans, you can serve this whenever you get a craving. You don’t have to wait until Fat Tuesday… it’s also great on a Thursday or for Sunday brunch, or any day, really!

If you can make cinnamon rolls, you can make a king cake (and if you haven’t made them, don’t worry, we’ll go through it step-by-step together… you can do this!). This one has a traditional cinnamon sugar filling rolled up in a buttery, eggy yeasted dough, flavored with a hint of orange zest.

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Symbolism and King Cakes

Traditionally served between Epiphany (Twelth Night, or January 6th, also known as King’s Day) and Mardi Gras, there are as many variations of this rich rolled coffee cake as there are parades during Carnival season! The original king cakes, or galette des rois, are a much less gaudy and refined affair, with a rich almond paste or almond cream sandwiched between layers of flaky puff pastry. Those are elegant and also delicious, but we’ll make one of those another day. We’re making the more modern braided or twisted and colorfully iced confection that is what most people think of when they picture a king cake!

The colored sugar or icing and fève in the center of the cake have symbolic meanings, as does the shape of the cake, all tied with the biblical Three Kings whose visit kicks off the Carnival season. The oval shaped cake represents unity, the purple, royalty, and the green and gold represent faith and power. The plastic baby (or dried lima bean, or ceramic figurine, if you’re old-school) often hidden in the baked cake represent baby Jesus, and are supposed to bring good luck to whoever gets that piece.

Although, it might also mean you are now responsible for throwing the party next year, or at least providing the cake, so who’s to say if that’s actually good luck or not. And the frosting represents… a delicious breakfast cake? And that’s good fortune, indeed! Now let’s roll it up (the cake, of course) and laissez les bons temps rouler!

Classic King Cake Ingredients

King Cake Dough:

This is an enriched yeasted wheat dough, made with milk, melted butter, eggs, and sugar. I recommend using whole milk, salted or unsalted butter, fresh large eggs, and white sugar. If you use unsalted butter in your dough, you may want to increase the salt slightly.

This is a soft, sticky dough. You’ll need a well-floured work surface, but try to use minimal flour as you work. A bit more can help you work with this dough, but too much can make your cakes tough. Silicone nonstick baking mats on your work surface will help make rolling and shaping this dough, well, a piece of cake! Otherwise, you’ll want a bench scraper or spatula and a judicious application of bench flour.

Filling:

This is a classic cinnamon sugar filling, much like a cinnamon roll. Softened butter is creamed with sugar and spices, then spread on the rolled out dough before rolling it up and shaping it into the traditional snipped oval coffee cake shape. If you want a richer, sweeter cake, you can double the filling recipe.

Make sure your butter is very soft or this filling will be very difficult to spread (the dough is soft, and your filling should be softer). You can soften the filling over a double boiler, by putting it in a warm place, or using the defrost setting on the microwave until it’s easy to spread (but without melting it).

But you can get as creative as you like! Add other sweet spices to your filling (nutmeg, allspice, a hint of clove, or cardamom can be nice with the cinnamon), or swap this filling out for a frangipane almond cream (a mixture of vanilla pastry cream and almond paste), chocolate ganache, cream cheese danish filling, or fruit fillings like chunky fruit preserves or pie filling.

Cream Cheese Frosting:

This is an easy cream cheese frosting with a tangy, rich flavor. It’s perfect on this coffee cake, but also great on cookies, bundt cakes, and all sorts of sheet cakes, pumpkin bars, or other sweet treats.

It’s a little thin for frosting a layer cake, but you can tweak it with more cream cheese and butter and less milk to get a spreadable consistency. Store any leftover frosting in the refrigerator for up to a week, or freeze for up to three months.

You can leave the frosting plain and just decorate the cakes with green, purple, and gold colored sugar, or divide the frosting into three bowls and tint them with a bit of food coloring for a more dramatic cake.

Equipment Needed to Bake King Cake

Stand mixer with dough hook and paddle attachment (optional, but recommended):

This is easiest with a heavy-duty mixer. Use the dough hook to mix and knead the dough, and the paddle attachment for the filling and frosting.

You can also make the dough by hand, mixing it first with a wooden spoon or dough whisk, and then kneading it by hand, but it’s a very sticky, rich dough, so the mixer makes this a lot less messy.

Sheet pans & parchment or silicone liners:

You can use any cookie sheets or half-sheet pans for these. You can bake your cakes directly on buttered or non-stick pans, but if you have silicone baking pan liners, they’ll make rolling and shaping the soft dough and transferring it to the baking pans sooo much easier. Parchment will also work, but is a bit harder to use, as it’s light and more likely to stick to the dough rather than lay flat on your work surface.

I made these for years before I owned silicone baking sheets, but they definitely make the job easier!

How to Make King Cake

step one: scald & infuse milk

In a small saucepan, scald milk with the orange zest over medium low heat.
Bring it up to at least 170 F, but below a boil.
Turn off the heat and add the butter and let it melt.

step two: proof yeast and measure dry ingredients

In the bowl of your stand mixer or a large mixing bowl, proof the yeast in the warm water with one tablespoon of the sugar.
Measure the remaining dough ingredients while you let the milk mixture cool to lukewarm (less than 100 degrees if your other ingredients are cold, cooler if they’re warm).

step three: mix the dough

Add the eggs and sugar to the foamy yeast mixture in the mixing bowl and mix to combine. Pour in the warm milk mixture and mix again. Add the dry ingredients (flour, salt, nutmeg) to the bowl and mix until they’re combined.
Continue to knead with the dough hook or by hand for about ten minutes or until the mixture forms a soft, sticky, smooth dough. You may need to add an additional tablespoon or two of flour, but it should still be a sticky dough.
Turn dough out into a large buttered or oiled bowl, cover tightly, and let rise for about two hours or just until doubled.

step four: cinnamon sugar filling

Wash your mixer bowl, and make the cinnamon sugar filling.
Using a paddle attachment (or a wooden spoon if you are working by hand) cream together the softened butter, sugar, and cinnamon or other spices until they are smooth and uniform.
Cover and set aside in a warm place until the dough is ready.

step five: punch down dough

This step is also known as degassing- you’re squishing the dough, which is all inflated with CO2 because your yeast has been PARTYING on all the sugars in the dough (Mardi Gras? More like PARTY GRAS, ammirite?).
Letting the air out of the dough will make it easier to work with when you are shaping it, and also gives your yeast a boost so that they’re ready to puff up your dough again once it’s shaped.
Anyway, TMI… flour your hands and squish the dough down, or fold it over itself in the bowl.
Then divide it into two roughly equally sized balls of dough (in these photos, I’m making a double batch, which is why there are four sections of dough).

steps six to eight: roll and stretch dough

Place the first ball of dough on your work surface. You can do this on a clean, floured surface, or preferably on a silicone rolling mat or sheet of parchment, also lightly dusted with flour.
Using both hands, gently pat, pull, and stretch the dough out into a rectangular shape. Use your fingertips to press out any uneven areas and try to make it a roughly uniform thickness. You could use a rolling pin if that’s easier for you, but I find it just sticks to the dough and it’s easier to work with by hand.
Your rectangle should be about 10″ on the short side and 12-16″ on the long side. Make the long sides closest to you, similar to the shape of the mat in the photos.

steps nine-twelve: fill & roll dough

Spread half the cinnamon sugar filling onto the dough rectangle. You may want to spoon it out evenly across the dough, then spread it thin with a spatula or your fingertips.
Stop an inch or two from the farthest long edge- this will help you seal the dough when you roll it up.
Starting from the long edge of dough closest to you, gently roll the dough up into a tight cylinder.
Pinch the seam together, and roll and stretch the dough together to make a log of even thickness.

steps thirteen-sixteen:

Curl the dough around and press the two edges together. Pinch the dough tightly together to make an oblong ring. Use the parchment or silicone liner to transfer the cake to a sheet pan.
Using a pair of sharp kitchen scissors or a paring knife, snip partially through the ring of dough, and fan the slices outwards. Repeat the shaping with the second ball of dough and the remaining cinnamon sugar filling.
Let the cakes rise in a warm place for 45 minutes, or cover with plastic wrap and let them proof overnight in the fridge (pull them out to come up to room temperature at least 15-25 minutes before baking in the morning).

step seventeen: cream cheese frosting

I make this while the cake is baking, but you can do it whenever it’s convenient in the process for you. Measure the powdered sugar & salt into your mixing bowl, and either by hand or with the paddle attachment on your stand mixer, blend in the softened butter and vanilla extract.
Drizzle in 4 tablespoons of milk, and add an additional tablespoon or two if needed to make a thick frosting. Continue to beat until it is smooth and has no lumps.
Add the softened cream cheese in chunks as the mixer is running. Beat until the cream cheese is fully incorporated into the frosting.
If desired, you can divide the frosting into three bowls and tint them purple, green, and yellow with food coloring, or leave the frosting white and just decorate the tops with colored sugar and/or nonpareils.

step eighteen:

Bake the cakes for 35-45 minutes, rotating or swapping the pans in the oven halfway through baking so the tops and bottoms bake evenly.
Let the cakes cool slightly, for about ten minutes, but frost them while they’re still warm. I transfer my baked cakes off the silicone mats and onto a piece of clean parchment paper using a wide spatula. This gets rid of any burnt sugar from the filling that may have leaked out, and gives you a clean surface for the frosting.
Spread the icing over the tops of the still-warm cakes, and decorate with colored sugar and any sprinkles or nonpareils before the icing sets, or it won’t stick. If you tinted your frosting, alternate the colors on the top of the cake as you go around.
If you are adding a baby or other fève, insert it through the bottom of the cake after it’s baked, or preferably through the top before frosting the cakes and then cover the hole with icing (like in the snarky diagram below that I can’t take credit for, but I do think is hilarious).
Make sure your guests know to be careful not to bite into or choke on the baby, and don’t put them in cakes for small children, as it can be a choking hazard!

(don’t worry, it’s a joke, there are no actual dictators hiding in your king cake if baked as directed)

Storage & Serving Ideas

Serve this seasonal treat anytime between January and mid-February… traditionally anytime during Carnival season and before Lent. It’s a Mardi Gras party essential recipe, but also great for a sweet breakfast treat, a snack, or dessert. If you’re taking this to a party, you probably don’t have to worry about the leftovers- there won’t be any!

Your fresh king cakes are best the day they are baked, but keep well for several days. Wrap them or store in an airtight container to keep them from drying out, and preferably in the fridge or other cold place if you are keeping it more than a day since the frosting has cream cheese in it. You can also wrap any leftovers well and freeze for up to three months.

I like to portion leftovers into one or two person servings, wrap individually, and freeze for a quick breakfast treat or snack. Thaw them in the fridge or on the counter overnight, or warm gently on a plate in the microwave or toaster oven, and they’re almost as good as freshly baked. If you warm the leftover king cake, the icing will melt a bit, but it’s like a warm gooey cinnamon bun, and actually pretty delicious that way!

a ring-shaped king cake decorated with yellow, purple, and gold icing and colored sugar. Cartoon text says, "king cake" with a fleur-de-lis, and a banner of mardi gras beads hangs from the top of the image.

Mardi Gras King Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

Bake this classic king cake recipe & no matter how far you are from New Orleans, it's a Mardi Gras party in your kitchen! This one has a traditional cinnamon sugar filling rolled up in a buttery, eggy yeasted dough, flavored with a hint of orange zest, and topped with tangy cream cheese frosting and colorful sugar.

5 from 1 vote

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 45

Cook Time 35

Rising Time 2 45

Course Breakfast & Brunch, Dessert, Small Bites & Snacks

Cuisine American, Southern

YIELD king cakes

Ingredients

King Cake Dough

1 cup whole milk 8 oz
¼ cup salted butter 2 oz
1 tbsp orange zest (optional) zest of half an orange
4 tsp yeast 2 packets (1 tbsp + 1 tsp)
⅔ cup warm water
½ cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
5 ½ cups all purpose flour
1 ½ tsp salt (increase to 2 tsp if you use unsalted butter)
½ tsp nutmeg

King Cake Cinnamon Sugar Filling

½ cup softened butter 4 oz
½ cup granulated sugar
2 tsp cinnamon

Cream Cheese Frosting

3 cups confectioner's sugar
¾ tsp salt
3 tbsp softened butter
1 tsp vanilla extract
4-6 tbsp milk
6 oz softened cream cheese, cubed

Garnishes

green, purple and gold decorating sugar or nonpareils
food coloring to tint frosting optional
plastic or ceramic baby, plastic coin, or other feve decoration, or a dried lima bean optional

Instructions

Scald Milk & Mise Ingredients

In a one quart saucepan, scald the milk over medium low heat. You want to bring it up to at least 170 ℉ but below a boil. Turn the heat off, and add the butter and orange zest. Set aside and let the mixture cool to about 95℉.
While the milk mixture is cooling, get your other ingredients measured or assembled, and proof your yeast.
Measure out the flour (fluff the flour in the bag or spoon it into the measuring cup) and mix with the salt and nutmeg in a medium bowl.

Proof Yeast

In the stand mixer bowl or a large mixing bowl, add the ⅔ cup warm water, one tablespoon of the sugar, and the yeast. You don't technically need to proof instant yeast, as it's formulated to dissolve in the bread without activating it, but it will still give your dough a jumpstart on a healthy fermentation.

Mix King Cake Dough

To the stand mixer or mixing bowl with the proofed yeast, whisk and add the eggs, the rest of the sugar, and the lukewarm milk mixture and mix until combined. You may want to use the paddle attachment for this or mix by hand before switching to the dough hook to knead the dough.
Add the dry ingredients and knead for 10 minutes, or until you have a soft, supple, but somewhat sticky dough.
Transfer dough mixture to an oiled or buttered bowl, cover with plastic wrap or a tightly fitting lid, and let rise until doubled (about 2 hours).

Cinnamon Sugar Filling

While the dough is rising, make the cinnamon sugar filling. Either by hand or in your stand mixer with paddle attachment, cream together the sugar, softened butter, and cinnamon (or other spices if desired). Whip until the mixture is uniform and smooth. Set aside.

Cream Cheese Frosting

I make this while the cake is baking, but you can do it whenever it's convenient in the process for you. Measure the powdered sugar & salt into your mixing bowl, and either by hand or with the paddle attachment on your stand mixer, blend in the softened butter and vanilla extract.
Drizzle in 4 tablespoons of milk, and add an additional tablespoon or two if needed to make a thick frosting. Continue to beat until it is smooth and has no lumps.
Add the softened cream cheese in chunks as the mixer is running. Beat until the cream cheese is fully incorporated into the frosting.
If desired, you can divide the frosting into three bowls and tint them purple, green, and yellow with food coloring, or leave the frosting white and just decorate the tops with colored sugar and/or nonpareils.

Shape the King Cakes

Punch down the dough, and divide in half. On a well-floured work surface or preferably, a parchment sheet or silicone baking mat, press and pull the ball of dough into a rectangle, about 10"x16".
Spread half the cinnamon sugar filling onto the dough rectangle. You may want to spoon it out evenly across the dough, then spread it thin with a spatula or your fingertips. Stop an inch or two from the farthest long edge- this will help you seal the dough when you roll it up.
Starting from the long edge of dough closest to you, gently roll the dough up into a tight cylinder. Pinch the seam together, and roll and stretch the dough together to make a log of even thickness.
Curl the dough around and press the two edges together. Pinch the dough tightly together to make an oblong ring. Use the parchment or silicone liner to transfer the cake to a sheet pan.
Using a pair of sharp kitchen scissors or a paring knife, snip partially through the ring of dough, and fan the slices outwards. Repeat the shaping with the second ball of dough and the remaining cinnamon sugar filling.
Let the cakes rise in a warm place for 45 minutes, or cover with plastic wrap and let them proof overnight in the fridge (pull them out to come up to room temperature at least 15-25 minutes before baking in the morning). Preheat the oven to 375 ℉, and make the cream cheese frosting while the cakes are rising.
Bake the cakes for 35-45 minutes, rotating the pans halfway through baking so they bake evenly. Let them cool for about 10 minutes, and frost the cakes while they are still warm. Decorate them with green, purple, and yellow colored sugar, or use food coloring to tint the frosting, or both.

Notes

Decoration notes: If you are adding a plastic baby, coin, dried bean or other fève, insert it through the bottom of the king cake after it's baked, or through the top and cover the hole with icing.

Make sure your guests know to be careful not to bite into or choke on this, and don't put them in cakes for small children, as it can be a choking hazard!

Keyword coffee cake, comfort food, festive, holiday, Mardi Gras, yeast breads

Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

BAKE: Mardi Gras King Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

Symbolism and King Cakes