Super Easy King Cake Recipe (WOW GOOD!)
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Celebrate Mardi Gras with a slice of colorful and scrumptious king cake, thanks to this incredibly easy king cake recipe.
Alright, folks, it’s confession time here at Southern Plate. You see that king up there? Well, that was the first time in my entire life that I’ve ever made a or had a bite of one. After tasting this though, it will NOT be the last time! I’m already craving more and plan on making it for breakfast (without all the sprinkles though).
Now for those of you who have also never made a king , let me tell you this was INCREDIBLY EASY to make! Texture-wise it is kind of like a coffee or a , only without the oh-my-gosh sweetness, which is why I liked it so much. If you like desserts (or coffee treats) with just a touch of sweetness that is a little filling, this one is perfect. Now, if the sprinkles and such turn you off, ignore the glitter and make it for breakfast. It is truly life changin’ y’all. You’ll thrill your family and have a new favorite!
A Mardi Gras tradition
Some of you are probably surprised that I’ve never had a king cake before. I’ve never in all my born days celebrated Mardi Gras, even though the original Mardi Gras celebration took place in my beloved Alabama. Mobile still has a Mardi Gras celebration each year and I’ve read that it is actually very family-friendly.
The traditional colors of the king cake For Mardi Gras
Now purists (because I’m sure there are Mardi Gras purists out there in Southern Plate land) will notice that the colors on my king cake are a little varied from the traditional. Each color on the cake symbolizes something and since I made the cake in my kitchen, I used different colors to symbolize different things. Hey, your kitchen, your rules!
Traditional king cake colors:
Purple– to symbolize Justice
Green – to symbolize Faith
Gold – to symbolize Power
Here is what I chose the colors to stand for:
Green – to symbolize Faith
Gold – to symbolize Power
Pink – to symbolize that the grocery store didn’t have purple and I didn’t want to go all over tarnation looking for it.
Now let’s get to baking…
King cake recipe ingredients
- Frozen white bread dough
- Cream cheese (click here for our homemade cream cheese recipe)
- Confectioners’ sugar
- Lemon extract
- Sprinkles
Plus to dust surfaces and the rolling pin.
How to make this king cake recipe step by step
Let your bread dough thaw completely.
Tip: If the loaf is frozen and you don’t have time to thaw…
I seldom think to do this ahead of time, so I set my loaf on a plate in the microwave and microwave it for thirty seconds. Then I flip it over and do another thirty seconds and then let it sit a bit to finish thawing. It thaws much faster this way, but if your microwave cooks a little fast you will want to do less time.
Okay, now roll that out on a lightly floured surface, using extra flour on your rolling pin to keep it from sticking.
Rhodes Bread Loaf Recipe says to roll it out to about 10×18 inches. I say to roll it out about that or until you get close enough and are tired of fooling with it!
Now, in a mixing bowl place your cream cheese and powdered sugar.
Now add your lemon extract.
In a stand mixer, mix that up until it is all smooth and creamy, scraping down the sides.
Plop that cream cheese filling right on the thaw and rolled dough.
Spread the cream cheese mix onto the dough.
Now roll that dough up and pinch its edges closed. I also brush some water over the final edge before pinching it closed to help with the seal.
Next form a ring like this and pinch the ends together. You may need to brush with some more water to seal it.
Now some instructions will tell you to spray the before setting it on the ring. But I spray the ring where the wrap will be touching it to keep it from sticking to the wrap when it rises. Set the on a , cover with the wrap, and let it sit for 45 to 60 minutes.
Here is our risen dough.
Tip to get the dough to rise
What I often do is start my oven and let it preheat for just a minute or so and then I turn it off. Open the door to just make sure it is only warm in there and then place your dough in there to rise.
Bake that dough for 30 to 35 minutes and look at that beauty!
Next, let’s make the . You’ll need , and the flavoring of your choice. See the card for suggestions. I like to add flavoring but you could add or more extract. Do whatever cranks your tractor!
Add all the ingredients to a medium-size .
Stir until smooth and creamy.
If not yet good enough to drizzle, add 1/2 teaspoon of water at a time to get it to the consistency you want.
Drizzle that icing over the cake.
It will look something like this. If you wanted this to be a simple coffee cake-type treat you could stop here and serve.
But if you want the traditional king cake, well then, let’s get those sprinkles (whether they’re store-bought or colored sugar prepared at home)…
Start sprinkling in alternate colors.
Keep going!
There you have it! This king cake recipe is now ready to serve.
If you like, take some to family and friends or just enjoy yourself with a cup of your favorite drink.
Storage
You can store your king cake in an airtight container in the fridge for up to one week or in the freezer for one week.
Recipe Notes
- You’re going to need an obscene amount of sprinkles if you want to make this into a king c But as I said, I’ll be making it again and again without the sprinkles so if you want to leave them off go for it. If you want to add festive sprinkles or sanding sugar and have some on hand but they are the wrong color, just invent your own festival and say those are what your colors stand for. No sense in spending extra money here if we don’t have to. Alternatively, if you want to stick to tradition, you can make your own sprinkles. It’s so easy to make at home. Just place white with a few drops of food coloring in an airtight container and shake to combine.
- I really do recommend buying the extract though because that little hint of just makes this recipe. Use if you’re in a pinch!
Recipe FAQs
Where did the king cake tradition come from?
It looks like it came over from France and was brought to New Orleans in 1870. If you are interested in learning more about king cake history. check out this article.
What is the king cake baby?
Traditionally, a small porcelain baby that symbolized Jesus was hidden in the king cake. A way for New Orleans residents to celebrate their Christian faith, the person who found the king cake baby would have good luck for the year. Today, people often place small plastic babies within the cake once cooked. You can find them on Amazon or at your local party store.
Why is the king cake oval?
King cakes are oval-shaped to symbolize the unity of faiths. For more on the tradition around king cakes, you might find this article interesting.
Ingredients
For the king cake:
- 1 roll frozen bread dough thawed
- 8 ounces cream cheese softened
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon lemon extract
For the icing:
- 1-1/2 cups confectioners' sugar
- 3 tablespoons milk more if needed but stir this amount first, you’ll be surprised how far this goes!
- 1 teaspoon clear butter or vanilla flavoring
Instructions
- On a lightly floured surface, roll out your dough to a rectangle of about 10 x 18 inches. Add extra flour to your rolling pin so it doesn't stick. It doesn’t have to be exact, close enough works!1 roll frozen bread dough
- In a large bowl, combine cream cheese, powdered sugar, and extract and mix until creamy and well blended. Spread the cream cheese mixture over the dough to within an inch of each side. Roll up longways (to make a long log) and brush the final edge with water before pressing it into the log to seal.8 ounces cream cheese, 1 cup powdered sugar, 1 teaspoon lemon extract
- Take log and form into a circle, pressing the ends into each other and brushing with water if needed to seal together. Spray top lightly with cooking spray and cover with plastic wrap. Set in a warm place to rise for 45 minutes to an hour.
- Remove wrap but leave the dough on the baking sheet and bake it in a 350-degree oven for 30-35 minutes. Allow to cool.
- Mix confectioner’s glaze (sugar, milk, and either butter or vanilla flavoring) and drizzle over the top of the cake with a spoon. Immediately sprinkle colored sprinkles over the glaze if desired. Allow the cake to sit until the glaze hardens.1-1/2 cups confectioners' sugar, 3 tablespoons milk, 1 teaspoon clear butter or vanilla flavoring
Nutrition
*Since I first made this king cake last week, I’ve made three more to give people!
You may also like these cake recipes:
Red Velvet Bundt Cake Recipe Sooo Good!
Chocolate Pound Cake with Fudge Glaze
“I’d rather be positive and get 50% percent good results
than stay negative and get 100% bad results.”
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I’m so glad to have you as part of my Southern Plate Family and appreciate all of your kindness and support!
Gratefully,
Stacey Lynn
Fellow south Louisiana girl here, and I have to agree with Windy from above! I made this today and it was so good! I did make a slight change, and that was that I didn’t use the cream cheese filing (I’ve never been much of a filled king cake kind of girl, I prefer them “plain”) So what I did was roll it out as directed and then slather some melted butter on, then covered it with a good shakin’ of cinnamon sugar! Then rolled it up and baked it! Soo good! A tip for the colored sugar is to make your own, real easy just put some granulated sugar in a bag, add a few drops of food coloring liquid or gel, and shake it up! Much cheaper than the grocery store! I’ve let the kids make their own mini king cakes out of cinnamon rolls before, but would have never thought to use frozen bread dough to make a whole king cake!! Thanks for this awesome and easy recipe!
I am so glad to hear that you liked it Katie and thank you so much for the tip on making colored sugar.
I tried this recipe but made my own dough since I didn’t feel like going to the grocery store. It was mostly made out of whole wheat flour because, again, I was too lazy to go to the grocery store. Thank goodness for my Kitchenaid or it would have never gotten made!
I’ve lived in Louisiana all of my life and this is the first King Cake I’ve ever made. It was quite tasty and everyone loved it so thank you for the wonderful idea!
I made this again today for my in-law’s party. Oh my goodness I love it! Thanks again!
I am so glad you liked it enough to make it again!!
I’m not sure the best way to reach you, you were my inspiration to start my blog and I would love to feature this recipe this month. I would of course include a link to your recipe and I would just take pictures of me trying out your recipe. Thank you!
No, I must thank you, because this recipe has made me a STAR! I sent extras to neighbors, which prompted me to bake one for my daughter’s class, which prompted them to hail me an extraordinary baker (haha)…. which I didn’t deny… mainly because I wasn’t willing to reveal how easy this king cake is. 🙂 So the love is DEFINITELY mutual… with gravy on top! 🙂
Clearly, those folks calling you awesome know what they’re talking about!
Welp, I’m a native Louisiana girl too, and I’ve gotta tell some of my “kin” on here to lighten up, Cher! If you want a from-scratch dough and traditional cinnamon filling with the twists all you gotta do is run down the street and pick one up from the bakery (since no Louisiana bakery would be without 3 dozen of these in the shop during Mardi Gras). OR, you can put yourself in the kitchen kneading and sweating till you’re convinced that enough “tradition” went into the recipe. For me and my family, we like to shake things up and we’re crazy for some cream cheese (my Mississippi man will knock someone down for a cream cheese danish). Therefore, I think this is an awesome addition to our Mardi Gras months (since we start with the cakes on Three Kings Day), and gives us some variety. I also think the use of frozen dough is brilliant. Kudos on an awesome recipe!
Windy,
I love you!
Gratefully,
Christy
P. S. Did I mention that I love you?
Words don’t describe how delicious and easy this is !!! I used lemon juice in place of lemon extract….it was fine. This rates up there with Jordan rolls and dish pan cookies. BTW… I share February 28th with Ricky !!
I’ve been attending a girls night out for the past 11 years EVERY Thursday. We celebrate Mardi Gras every year and have had a real King Cake once! Now, we will be having one from now on! Thank you so much!