I miss New Orleans this time of year. While the city always exudes a certain flair, there’s a special energy in the air in the days leading up to Mardi Gras. It’s a time when the Big Easy comes alive. A feast for all the senses. It comes alive with the jazzy sounds of marching bands, colorful parades, and embellished costumes. And then there’s the food…soul-soothing, delicious foods like, Jambalaya, Red Beans & Rice, Gumbo, and the beloved and always anticipated New Orleans King Cake.
But what really makes this city pulse, is its people. With a knack for being both easygoing and jovial, it’s no wonder why people travel from all over the world to get a taste of carnival time in New Orleans. Mardi Gras is a great family holiday. The streets come alive with music and good vibes. And not to worry, the “skin for beads exchange” usually only goes on in the French Quarter, so locals know to avoid it during that time (unless they’re into that sort of thing).
With over 50 parades throughout the city (each with its own name & theme) over the span of 2-3 weeks, it’s a fun and memorable time for kids and parents alike. Kids look forward to what beads, toys, trinkets, or treats they might catch from float riders. Very young kids sit atop specially-made wooden seats attached to ladder tops for good parade views (that’s my middle daughter above when she was 2…she’s a teenager now).
On to the cake – The New Orleans King Cake has its roots in 19th century France. While several other European countries have their own versions (Roscón de Reyes in Spain, for example), it was the French who brought it to the Crescent City. The King Cake, known as galette de Rois in France, is baked to celebrate the Christian feast of the Epiphany (Three Kings Day). Also known as Twelfth Night (on January 6), it marks the visit of the wise men to baby Jesus twelve days after his birth.
In New Orleans, bakeries all over town have their own renditions. Thousands of King Cakes are baked and sold starting on Twelfth Night and ending on Mardi Gras Day. One of the reasons locals get so excited about King Cake is that most bakeries stop King Cake production once the Lenten season begins on the day after Mardi Gras (Ash Wednesday). So, unless you know how to make one yourself, you’ll have to wait a whole year until the next Twelfth Night. Lucky for us, I have a stellar recipe inspired by my favorite King Cake maker in New Orleans, Sucré Bakery. I found a couple of Sucré recipes online that I modified to come up with this one.
Having a major sweet tooth and having lived in New Orleans, I’ve probably consumed my weight in King Cakes throughout the years. Many are overly sweet with thick icings and sandy sugar on top…not for me. This one is tender and lightly spiced with cinnamon and has just the right amount of sweetness from its cream cheese filling and thin glaze.
The King Cake is similar to a big danish. It’s made with a brioche-like, yeasty dough that is allowed to rise a few times prior to baking. I like my King Cakes pretty straightforward and traditional, meaning minimal fillings. So, this version is filled only with sweetened cream cheese and cinnamon sugar. In New Orleans, I’ve seen filling options ranging from apple and strawberry to praline and chocolate. The ingredients here are pretty basic ones that you may already have in your kitchen including, flour, sugar, yeast, eggs, milk, butter, vanilla, cinnamon, cream cheese, and powdered sugar. In the photo above, the dough ingredients are on the left and the filling & glaze ingredients are on the right.
This simple dough comes together in about 5 minutes in a mixer. It is covered and allowed to rise to about double its size. It is then punched down and allowed to rise a second time. Next, it’s kneaded just a little, formed into a rectangle, and sliced lengthwise into two long, even sections. Each of these will be filled with cream cheese filling and sprinkled with cinnamon sugar. The sections are rolled up individually and sealed at all the edges before being twisted together. The last step is to form the braided dough into a ring, joining and pinching the ends well. It is allowed to rise a third and final time and then baked for 20 minutes.
Once baked and cooled a bit, the cakes are glazed with a powdered sugar-milk mixture and decorated in the traditional colors of Mardi Gras – purple (for Justice) , green (for Faith) and gold (for Power). I used edible pearl dust, but you could use sprinkles too. Last, but not least, the baby…
You can’t have a King Cake without a baby. A small plastic baby, originally representing baby Jesus, hides inside every baked cake (although many bakeries now place it on the side for liability reasons). If you get the slice with the baby, tradition crowns you king for the day and you have to buy the next King Cake. I have a small collection of Mardi Gras babies in my spice cabinet. My daughters think they’re creepy…because they have names.
Although this recipe is not one you can throw together in an hour, if you like to bake, I encourage you to try it. Following these step-by-step instructions, I promise, you can do it. Every time I make King Cake, I stare down at the cake and can’t help but feel a little sense of pride that I made one in my little home kitchen.
The New Orleans King Cake is so much more than just a delicious treat. It’s a symbol of the awesome spirit of a city that holds true to its enduring traditions. It is dear to my heart as well as my belly and it brings back happy memories of carnival time in the Big Easy. Happy Mardi Gras everyone and as they say in New Orleans, Laissez les Bon Temps Rouler. Let the good times roll!
This post is dedicated to my husband, a native New Orleanian, who inspires me to cook all the amazing foods of his beloved city.
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New Orleans Chicken & Sausage Jambalaya
New Orleans King Cake
A traditional New Orleans King Cake with a light, tender dough that is flavored with cinnamon sugar and sweet cream cheese filling
Dough
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 5 Tablespoons granulated sugar
- 2 1/4 teaspoons instant yeast (1 packet)
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2/3 cup whole milk, warmed
- 2 large eggs, room temperature
- 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature & sliced into 1/2 inch pieces (1 additional Tablespoon of butter needed to grease the bowl)
Cream Cheese Filling
- 8 oz cream cheese
- 1 egg yolk
- 4 Tablespoons granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- zest of 1 lemon, finely grated
Cinnamon Sugar Mixture
- 3 Tablespoons granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Glaze
- 1 cup powdered sugar, sifted
- 1 1/2 Tablespoons whole milk
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract (I used clear vanilla extract)
Dough
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Grease a medium-sized bowl with 1 tablespoon softened butter. Set aside to be used for dough to rise in.
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Using a different bowl and a mixer (a dough hook is best, but a regular paddle attachment is ok too) on low speed, mix together flour, sugar, yeast, salt, and warmed milk until combined.
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Increase mixer speed to medium and add eggs one at a time until mixed in. Add sliced, room temperature butter gradually and continue to mix until all butter is incorporated (this may take several minutes) and dough is sticky, elastic, and comes away from the side of the bowl. Remove dough from mixing bowl and hand-knead for about 5 minutes on counter. Sprinkle very lightly with flour if it is sticking.
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Place dough in prepared, greased bowl and cover tightly with plastic wrap. Allow to rest and double in size in a warm place for at least 1 1/2 hours.
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Once doubled in size, punch dough down and allow to rise again in the same manner for another hour or so until doubled in size again. Make the cream cheese filling during this rise.
Cream Cheese Filling & Cinnamon-Sugar Mixture
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Mix together all cream cheese filling ingredients and place in a medium-sized plastic zipper bag (using a bag is optional, but helpful). Set aside.
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In a separate small bowl, mix together cinnamon-sugar mixture ingredients. Set aside.
Assembly – Rolling & Filling
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This recipe makes one large or two smaller king cakes. If you want to make two (as I have here), split the dough in half at this point and keep the second half covered as you roll the first.
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Place a rectangular piece of parchment paper on your counter and sprinkle lightly with flour. Roll dough into a long rectangle, about 1/8 of an inch in thickness. Using a sharp knife or a pizza wheel, slice the dough in half lengthwise, as in the photo.
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Snip the corer of the plastic bag and pipe (or spoon) a thick line of cream cheese filling lengthwise an inch away from the top edge of each dough rectangle (see photo). Sprinkle both all over with cinnamon sugar. (Remember to save half of the filling and cinnamon-sugar for the second king cake, if you are making two)
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Roll each dough rectangle into a log starting at the top to encase the filling. Seal each log at all seams and ends by pinching the dough together tightly.
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Twist/braid both dough logs together and then join ends to form a ring. Pinch ends together. (Repeat steps 2-4 with reserved dough if making two). Place on a large parchment-lined baking sheet.
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Cover with plastic wrap and allow to rise and double in size, for 1-2 hours. Placing in a warm place helps it rise faster. This is the final rise before baking.
Baking & Glazing
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Place oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 350 degrees.
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Bake king cake(s) uncovered for 18-20 minutes or until light golden brown.
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Allow to cool at room temperature for about 45 minutes. Make glaze while cakes cool.
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Mix all glaze ingredients together and keep covered until ready to use.
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Brush glaze on king cake(s) with a pastry brush or drizzle on with the help of a spoon. Decorate as desired with sprinkles or pearl dust.
This recipe makes either 2 small King Cakes or 1 large one.
Best eaten the same day it’s made. Store covered at room temperature.
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