One of the Mardi Gras traditions is to celebrate with a King Cake. In fact, most people wouldn’t consider a Mardi Gras party complete without one. The origin of the King Cake goes back to the festival of Epiphany, which is celebrated in several European countries at the end of the Christmas season. Epiphany represents the three wise men who came to visit the Christ child and bring him gifts, hence the name “King Cake”, for the three kings. In other regions, King Cakes are associated with pre-Lenten celebrations such as Mardi Gras. In keeping with New Orleans tradition, the baking of King Cake begins on King’s Day, at the beginning of Mardi Gras season.
What Exactly Is King Cake?
So now that you know the history behind the King Cake, you might be wondering exactly what it is. King Cake is made from a cinnamon filled dough that is in the shape of a hollow circle. Picture it something like a very large doughnut. The cake is topped with a sweet glaze and sprinkled with colored sugars in the gold, purple, and green colors we associate with Mardi Gras. Purple represents justice, green represents faith, and gold stands for power. Some modern King Cakes also contain various fillings. The King Cake also contains a very “special ingredient”, which is a baby.
A Baby Inside The Cake
Yes, there is a baby in the King Cake. A tiny, plastic baby doll is placed inside the cake as a popular custom (do this by making a slit in the cake after baking and cooling thoroughly). Tradition states that whoever finds the baby in their piece will then host the next Mardi Gras party, or purchase or bake the next King Cake. In other instances, the finder of the baby is considered to be the king or queen of the party. For children’s parties, it is becoming a popular tradition to provide cupcakes decorated as mini King Cakes for each child. Each cupcake contains a baby, so that no one is left out and so that each child gets the chance to be the one to “find the baby”.
Recipes For Mardi Gras King Cake
The Internet is full of various recipes for making your own delicious King Cake. Here we take a look at a few of those great recipes. This recipe below is from Betty Crocker.
- 3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 pkg rapid rise yeast 2 1/4 teaspoons
- 1 cup milk
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 1 tsp salt
- 2 eggs
- 6 tbsp unsalted butter softened then cut into 12 pieces
- 2/3 cup light brown sugar packed
- 1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 4 tbsp unsalted butter softened
- 1 cup powered sugar
- 1 tbsp milk
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- Mix 2 1/2 cups flour and yeast in mixing bowl of stand mixer, using the paddle attachment, on low for about 30 seconds.
- Heat milk, sugar, and salt in a small saucepan over medium heat until sugar is dissolved and milk is between 120°F to 130°F.
- With mixer on low, pour in liquids and mix until blended. Add eggs one at a time. Continue mixing until a shaggy dough forms. Clean off paddle and switch to dough hook. Mix in the remaining 1 cup flour a little at a time, adding more or less flour as needed to make a soft dough. Add the softened butter, a piece at a time, kneading until each piece of butter is absorbed.
- Knead dough for eight minutes on low. The dough should completely clear the sides of the bowl. If it is too sticky, add additional flour 1 tablespoon at a time, mixing in thoroughly before determining if more flour is needed. If the dough seems too dry, spritz with water from a spray bottle a couple of times, mixing in thoroughly before deciding if more water is needed. Every 2 minutes, stop the machine, scrape the dough off the hook, and then continue the kneading process.
- Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead a few times by hand to be sure it’s smooth and elastic. Form the dough into a ball. Place dough into a greased bowl. Turn once so greased surface is on top. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour.
- While the dough is chilling, make cinnamon filling. In small bowl, combine the brown sugar and ground cinnamon. Combine butter with cinnamon mixture and mix well.
- Roll the chilled dough into a 10 x 20 inch rectangle. Spread the filling on half of the long side of the dough. Fold the dough in half covering the filling. Pat dough down firmly so the dough will stick together. Cut dough into three long strips. 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 again. Shape it into a circle/oval and press the edges together.
- Transfer the ring to a parchment lined or greased baking sheet. Cover the dough with plastic wrap and let it rise until doubled, about 1 hour. While the dough is rising, preheat the oven to 350º. Bake the cake until it is golden brown, 20 to 35 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool 10 minutes on baking sheet and then place it on a cooling rack to cool completely before icing. To hide the baby in the cake, if desired, make a small slit in the bottom of the cake and put the miniature plastic baby in after the cake has cooled.
- In a small bowl, mix powdered sugar, milk and vanilla until smooth (add additional milk if mixture is too thick or powdered sugar if too thin).
- Spoon icing over top of the cake. Immediately sprinkle on colored sugar, alternating between the three colors.
Other King Cake Recipes
Here are some other delicious King Cake recipes to try:
- Mardi Gras King Cake recipe by Jo at All Recipes
- Our Most Traditional King Cake Recipe by Kate Nicholson at Southern Living
- King Cake Recipe by Emeril Lagasse at Food Network
- Mardi Gras King Cake Recipe by Taste of Home
King Cake Video Tutorials
If you prefer to see the entire cake making process as opposed to just reading a recipe, here are some great video tutorials. The first goes along with the All Recipes Mardi Gras King Cake and takes you through the step by step process.
The second video tutorial is from the Emeril Lagasse Mardi Gras King Cake recipe. Emeril takes you through the whole cake making process while adding his special brand of humor.