If you’ve ever celebrated Mardi Gras (or wished you were in New Orleans during Carnival season), then you already know: King Cake is the star of the show. It’s soft, buttery, lightly sweet, swirled with cinnamon filling, and topped with a simple vanilla icing and the iconic purple, green, and gold sanding sugars.
This homemade King Cake recipe is a beautiful, traditional version that’s perfect for a Mardi Gras celebration—whether you’re hosting a party, bringing a festive dessert to share, or just want to bake something fun and seasonal at home. And because this recipe comes from America’s Test Kitchen: The Perfect Cake cookbook, you can count on it being a reliable, well-tested bake.
It’s the kind of cake that looks impressive on the table, but it’s actually very doable—especially if you break it into simple steps: mix the dough, chill, fill, shape, rise, bake, and decorate. Once the icing and colored sugar go on, it instantly becomes that classic Mardi Gras King Cake everyone recognizes.
What is King Cake?
A King Cake is a traditional Mardi Gras dessert that’s usually served from Epiphany (January 6) through Fat Tuesday. It’s typically a sweet yeast bread (similar to brioche), shaped into a ring, filled with cinnamon or cream cheese, and decorated with icing and purple/green/gold sugar.
Traditionally, a small plastic baby is tucked inside the cake (optional at home!)—and whoever finds it is said to have good luck and/or has to bring the next King Cake.
Ingredients Needed:
For the Dough
- All-purpose flour – the structure of the cake
- Instant yeast – makes the dough rise reliably
- Milk – adds softness and richness
- Sugar – lightly sweetens the dough
- Salt – balances the sweetness
- Eggs – richness + structure
- Butter – makes the dough tender and flavorful
More Ingredients Needed:
For the Cinnamon Filling
- Brown sugar – warm sweetness
- Cinnamon – classic King Cake flavor
- Butter – helps the filling spread and melt into the layers
For the Icing + Decoration
- Powdered sugar – smooth icing base
- Milk – thins the icing to the right consistency
- Vanilla extract – classic flavor
- Colored sanding sugar – purple, green, and gold for Mardi Gras
How to Make King Cake (Step-by-Step)
This recipe is easiest if you think of it in three parts: dough → filling + shaping → icing + decorating.
- Make the dough: You’ll start by mixing flour and yeast, then adding warm milk, sugar, and salt. Eggs go in next, then the remaining flour, and finally butter (a little at a time). The dough kneads until smooth and elastic.
- Chill the dough: Chilling for 1 hour makes the dough easier to roll and shape.
- Fill + shape: Roll the dough into a rectangle, spread the cinnamon filling, fold, roll into a log, then shape into a ring and seal the edges.
- Rise + bake: Let the shaped dough rise until doubled, then bake until golden brown.
Once fully cooled, spoon icing over the top and immediately sprinkle on the sanding sugars in alternating Mardi Gras colors.
Recipe Tips
- Use a thermometer for the milk if possible (120 to 130°F is the sweet spot).
- The dough should be soft but not sticky—add flour slowly if needed.
- Don’t rush the rise—King Cake needs that time to get fluffy.
- Cool completely before icing or the icing will melt right off of the warm surface.
- Want a neat look? Use a spoon to drizzle icing in ribbons around the cake.
- King Cake can sit covered at room temp for 1 day.
- Store for up to 4 days in the refrigerator.
- Freeze the cake (preferably un-iced) for up to 2 months. Thaw overnight and decorate before serving.
King Cake Filling Ideas (Fun Variations)
- Use a praline-style filling (brown sugar and pecans)
- Try a cream cheese filling (sweetened cream cheese + vanilla)
- How about a pecan cinnamon filling?
- A chocolate filling would be delicious.
- Strawberry jam mixed with cream cheese would make a great filling too.
What to Serve at a Mardi Gras Party:
A successful Mardi Gras party features classic Louisiana Creole and Cajun dishes that are often savory, spicy, and easy to serve for a crowd. Key staples include Gumbo, Jambalaya and Red Beans & Rice. Shrimp and Grits and Oysters Rockefeller often make an appearance during Mardi Gras. Po Boys, Fried Green Tomatoes and Crab Cakes are popular appetizers. King Cake and Bananas Foster are the perfect desserts. And don’t forget the Hurricane cocktails!
King Cake
Equipment
- Stand Mixer (for mixing and kneading dough)
- Candy Thermometer (for measuring the temperature of the liquid)
- Pastry Mat (for kneading and rolling dough)
- Rolling Pin (for rolling the dough)
- 12-Cup Bundt Pan (for baking the cake)
- Cooling Rack (for cooling the cake)
Ingredients
DOUGH:
- 3½ cups all purpose flour, divided
- 2¼ teaspoons instant yeast (one envelope)
- 1 cup milk
- ¼ cup granulated white sugar
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 large eggs
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened and cut into pieces
FILLING:
- ⅔ cup packed light brown sugar
- 1½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
ICING:
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- 2 tablespoons milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
PREPARE THE DOUGH:
- Mix 2½ 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 the mixer on low, pour in liquids and mix until incorporated. 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 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 determining if more water is needed. Every 2 minutes, stop the machine, scrape the dough off the hook, and then continue kneading.
- 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.
ADD THE FILLING AND SHAPE:
- 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 10×20-inch rectangle. Spread the filling on half of the long side of the dough. Fold the dough in half covering the filling. Pat the dough down firmly so the dough will stick together. Roll up the dough into a log- jelly-roll style. Shape it into a circle/oval and press the edges together.
- Spray a 12-cup bundt pan with baking spray. Transfer the ring to the pan. Cover the pan with plastic wrap and let it rise until doubled, about 1 hour. While the dough is rising, preheat the oven to 350℉. Bake the cake until it is golden brown, 20 to 35 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool 10 minutes, and then place it on a cooling rack to cool completely before icing.
ADD ICING AND DECORATIONS:
- 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 the icing over top of the cake. Immediately sprinkle on colored sugar, alternating between the three colors.
Notes
- For best results, use a thermometer to heat the milk to 120 to 130°F so the yeast activates properly.
- Let the cake cool completely before icing so the glaze doesn’t melt.
- Store covered at room temperature for 1 day or refrigerate up to 4 days.
- Freeze un-iced cake up to 2 months and decorate after thawing.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
