King Cake

In a parade of beautiful Mardi Gras desserts, a king cake is the grand marshal leading the way! With its colorful coat of shiny gold, royal purple, and bright green sparkling sugar, this cake is a definite head-turner. If you've ever wished you could enjoy cinnamon rolls in cake form, this king cake recipe is your dream come true. Celebrating Mardi Gras at home? Start with a round of hurricane cocktails, chow down on some jambalaya, and finish the feast with this king cake! It's a Mardi Gras menu that's the next best thing to catching beads on the streets of New Orleans.

What is king cake?

King cake is a ring-shaped cake made famous by the rowdy fun of Mardi Gras, but its roots are religious. It's traditionally prepared for the feast of Epiphany in January, and is only supposed to be eaten until Mardi Gras (Fat Tuesday), the gratuitous celebration before many religious people give up certain foods for Lent, the period before Easter. Although it has been through many changes over the years, modern king cake (which gained its popularity in Louisiana) is made from a yeasted dough, rolled up with cinnamon and sugar, drizzled with a sweet glaze, and covered with colorful sparkling sugar. green, gold, and purple sparkling sugar.

How do you decorate a king cake?

You don't have to be a pro baker to make a fantastic-looking king cake! Classically, king cakes are decorated with gold, green, and purple sanding sugar, as those are traditional Mardi Gras colors. You can sprinkle on the sugar in any design you like, but doing thick stripes of alternating colors as shown in this recipe is plenty easy. If you're not a perfectionist, have kids help decorate the cake. You can't mess this up, and even if it is a bit messier than you'd prefer (compliments of tiny hands), it'll still taste great! 

What does a king cake taste like?

A king cake tastes a whole lot like a cinnamon roll—so if you love those, then you're sure to love king cake. The best part is the bright colored sugar that adorns the top! 

What's the deal with the baby?

Traditionally, a miniature plastic baby is baked into a king cake. The baby is a nod to the "king" of the season, baby Jesus. It’s considered good luck to get a slice of king cake with the baby in it. Many commercial bakers have stopped putting a plastic baby inside, opting instead to place the baby on top and allow customers to hide the baby themselves, due to it being a possible choking hazard. While you can absolutely order plastic babies online and hide one in these cakes, a safer option is to tuck a whole almond into the cake before baking for a food-safe, no-warning-label-required treat. 

What's the best way to store king cake?

Since this king cake recipe makes two, you'll likely have some leftovers! You could gift one to a neighbor, but this cake is so delicious, you may want to save both for yourself. To keep leftovers fresh, wrap them tightly in plastic wrap and store them on the countertop at room temperature. King cake will stay fresh for up to three days, though it's undeniably best the day it's made. Done snacking? Here's an idea: Slice the cake up and transform it into the best French toast ever.