If you’ve ever celebrated Mardi Gras (or wished you were in New Orleans during Carnival season), you already know: King cake He is the star of the show. They’re soft, buttery, slightly sweet, filled with a cinnamon filling, and topped with a simple vanilla glaze and our famous purple, green, and gold sand sugars.

This homemade King Cake recipe is a beautiful, perfect traditional version Mardi Gras celebration– Whether you’re hosting a party, making a festive dessert to share, or just want to bake something fun and seasonal at home. Because this recipe comes from American Test Kitchen: The Perfect Cake A cookbook you can count on as a reliable, well-tested baking book.

It’s the kind of cake that looks impressive on the table, but is actually very doable—especially if you break it down into simple steps: mixing the dough, chilling, filling, shaping, rising, baking, and decorating. Once you keep the icing and colored sugar on, it instantly becomes that classic Mardi Gras King Cake everyone knows.

Decorated king cake for Mardi Gras on a cake plate

What is king cake?

King cake is a traditional Mardi Gras dessert that is typically served from Epiphany (January 6) until Fat Tuesday. It is usually sweet yeast bread (similar to Brioche) shaped like a ring, filled with cinnamon or cream cheese, and decorated with purple/green/gold icing and sugar.

Traditionally, a little plastic baby is placed inside the cake (optional at home!) – and whoever finds it is said to have good luck and/or gets to bring home the next king cake.

Ingredients shown for making king cake

Required components:

For the dough

  • All-purpose flour – Cake structure
  • Instant yeast – Makes dough rise reliably
  • Milk – Adds softness and richness
  • sugar – Sweeten the dough a little
  • salt – Balances the sweetness
  • egg – Richness + structure
  • Obesity – Makes the dough soft and delicious
8 pictures showing how to make king cake

More components required:

For the cinnamon filling

  • Brown sugar – Warm sweetness
  • Cinnamon – Classic King Cake flavour
  • Obesity – It helps the filling spread and melt into the layers
For decoration + decoration
  • Powdered sugar – Soft ice base
  • Milk – Thinns the ice to the correct consistency
  • Vanilla extract – Classic flavour
  • Colored sanding sugar -Purple, green and gold for Mardi Gras

How to make a king cake (step by step)

This recipe is easier if you think of it in three parts: Dough → filling + shaping → decorating + decorating.

  1. Make the doughWe start by mixing the flour and yeast, then add the warm milk, sugar and salt. Next go in the eggs, then the remaining flour, and finally the butter (a little at a time). Knead the dough until it becomes smooth and elastic.
  2. Cool the doughRefrigerating for an hour makes the dough easier to roll and shape.
  3. Fill + shape: Spread the dough into a rectangular shape, then spread the cinnamon filling, then fold it, roll it into a log, then shape it into a ring and close the ends.
  4. rise + bakeLeave the dough until it doubles in size, then bake it until it turns golden brown.
Two pictures showing how to decorate a king cake

Once completely cool, spoon icing over the top and immediately sprinkle with sanding sugar in alternating Mardi Gras colors.

King cake with a large slice taken from it on a cake stand

Recipe tips

  • Use a milk thermometer if possible (120 to 130 degrees F is the ideal point).
  • The dough should be soft but not sticky, add flour slowly if necessary.
  • Don’t rush it to rise – the King Cake needs this time to become fluffy.
  • Cool completely before applying ice or the ice will melt right off the warm surface.
  • Want an elegant look? Use a spoon to spread the frosting in ribbons around the cake.
  • King Cake can stay covered at room temperature for up to 1 day.
  • Store for up to 4 days in the refrigerator.
  • Freeze the cake (preferably not frosted) for up to 2 months. Thaw overnight and garnish before serving.
Spoon holding a slice of king cake

Ideas for king cake filling (various shapes)

  1. Use praline filling (brown sugar and pecans)
  2. Try the cream cheese filling (sweetened cream cheese + vanilla)
  3. How about a cinnamon-pecan filling?
  4. The chocolate filling will be delicious.
  5. Strawberry jam mixed with cream cheese would make a great filling too.
A slice of king cake on a plate

Preparing the dough:

  • Mix 2 1/2 cups of flour and yeast in a mixing bowl using the paddle attachment, on low speed for about 30 seconds.

  • Heat the milk, sugar, and salt in a small saucepan over medium heat until the sugar dissolves and the temperature of the milk is between 120°F to 130°F.

  • With the mixer on low speed, add the liquids and mix until combined. Add eggs one at a time. Continue mixing until a shaggy dough forms. Clean the paddle and switch to the dough hook. Mix in the remaining cup of flour a little at a time, adding more or less flour as needed to make a soft dough. Add the melted butter, one piece at a time, and knead until each piece of butter is absorbed.

  • Knead for eight minutes on low speed. The dough should completely clear the sides of the bowl. If it is too sticky, add additional flour a tablespoon at a time, mixing well before determining if more flour is needed. If the dough seems too dry, mist it with water from a spray bottle several times, mixing well before determining if more water is needed. Every two minutes, stop the machine, scrape the dough off the hook, and continue kneading.

  • Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead it several times by hand to make sure it is smooth and elastic. Form the dough into a ball. Place the dough in a greased bowl. Flip once so the greased surface is on top. Cover the bowl with a plastic lid and leave it in the refrigerator for an hour.

Add filling and shape:

  • While the dough is cooling, make the cinnamon filling. In a small bowl, combine brown sugar and ground cinnamon. Combine the butter with the cinnamon mixture and mix well.

  • Roll out the cooled dough into a 10 x 20-inch rectangle. Distribute the filling over half of the long side of the dough. Fold the dough in half to cover the filling. Roll out the dough firmly until the dough sticks together. Roll the dough into a jelly roll shape. Shape it into a circle/oval shape And press the edges together.

  • Spray a 12-cup baking pan with baking spray. Transfer the ring to the pan. Cover the pan with plastic wrap and let rise until doubled, about 1 hour. While the dough is rising, preheat the oven to 350°F. Bake the cake until golden brown, 20 to 35 minutes. Remove from the oven and let it cool for 10 minutes, then place it on a cooling rack to cool completely before decorating.

Adding embellishments and decorations:

  • In a small bowl, mix the powdered sugar, milk, and vanilla until smooth (add more milk if the mixture is too thick or powdered sugar if it’s too thin).

  • Spoon icing over cake. Immediately sprinkle with colored sugar, alternating between the three colors.

  • For best results, use a thermometer to heat the milk to 120 to 130 degrees F so the yeast can activate properly.
  • Let the cake cool completely before decorating so the glaze doesn’t melt.
  • Store covered at room temperature for 1 day or refrigerate for up to 4 days.
  • Freeze uniced cake for up to 2 months and decorate after thawing.

Submission: 1service, Calories: 391Kcal, Carbohydrates: 66g, protein: 7g, fat: 12g, Saturated fat: 7g, Polyunsaturated fats: 1g, Monounsaturated fats: 3g, Trans fats: 0.4g, Cholesterol: 59mg, Sodium: 221mg, Potassium: 127mg, Fiber: 2g, sugar: 37g, Vitamin A: 374IU, Vitamin C: 0.02mg, Calcium: 55mg, iron: 2mg

Nutritional information is automatically calculated and should only be used as an estimate.