Celebrating with a New Orleans Style King Cake

This New Orleans style King Cake is made from a cinnamon spiced yeast dough. Rolled out and stuffed with a praline filling, the dough is then shaped into a circular loaf before baking and decorating with vanilla icing and colorful sugars. As this festive cake is shared, each person searches for the “baby” that is hidden inside. Whoever finds it in their slice receives a small gift and/or the responsibility of hosting the next gathering during the Mardi Gras season.

A braided King Cake drizzled with Vanilla Icing and sprinkled with Decorator Sugar rests on a wire rack with three kings on camels in the background.

The Feast of the Epiphany

In the first week of the new year, my family often celebrates Epiphany. Epiphany marks the end of the Christmas festivities and the beginning of a new season in the church calendar. This holiday, also called Three Kings Day, celebrates the revelation of God’s saving grace to the whole world, as told in the Gospel of Matthew.

The story goes something like this. At the time of Jesus’ birth, God drew wise people from distant lands to embrace the coming of the Christ child. God set a star in the night sky to guide those attentive magi to a barrier breaking truth: God’s redemption and peace is offered to the people of every nation. God came to dwell among us all!

Twelfth Night

Epiphany often falls during the workweek and since we are already back to our pre-holiday routines we often mark the occasion on Twelfth Night, or Epiphany Eve. While our time may be limited by weekday demands, we like to set a festive table. Sometimes that includes English Crackers with paper crowns at each place setting. Then, after dinner, we share a King Cake for dessert. 

At our house this is the day that the figures of the three wise men and their camels are placed beside the baby Jesus in our nativity set. With all of the pieces of the Christmas story gathered into view the season of Christmas draws to a pleasant conclusion. It sums up the brilliant truth of the Christmas story and invites us to walk with it in the new year, to remain open to where it will take us. It asks us to embrace God’s gift as we get back to the routines of our everyday life. 

I can relate to that. With one last look at the splendor of the season, by January 6th I am ready to let go of any remaining Christmas decorations and breath in the calm space of midwinter hibernation. The darkest days of the year are now behind us and each day gives us minutes more daylight from dawn to dusk as the sun climbs higher in the sky. The year is fresh and Epiphany reminds me to recognize that we are living in a brand new year. 

Unfortunately, this year January 6 found us on I-5 dodging traffic on the drive home from Seattle. We ate on the road. Then, when we got home, my husband was busy packing to go out of town the next day. Twelfth Night and Epiphany passed by without our usual celebration.

A King Cake for Epiphany

While we weren’t able to celebrate Epiphany on January 6, the season of Epiphany officially lasts through Fat Tuesday, the day before Ash Wednesday and the beginning of Lent. In the New Orleans area, in particular, I am told that King Cakes are popular from Epiphany until Mardi Gras, or Fat Tuesday. Well, I may not live in New Orleans, but I’ve lived in the Mississippi Delta Region, and we are still weeks away from Fat Tuesday Pancake Dinners and our preparation for Lent. So I decided to go ahead and make a King Cake anyway.

I spent some time looking for new ideas on how to prepare a King Cake. Among other things, I found some interesting information about the origins of Mardi Gras. I was also inspired to add a praline filling to my usual King Cake. This idea came from a fun cupcake recipe I found at Cupcake Project.

Generally, however, I found agreement on the basics. All of my sources confirmed that a New Orlean’s style King Cake is similar to a tea ring. It is made from a yeast dough, often braided and traditionally shaped in a ring or oval. Perhaps the shape is meant to represent Christian unity. Or it may reflect the circular route taken by the Magi to avoid King Herod.

Vanilla frosting sprinkled with colored decorator sugar tops a King Cake. The colors used are the colors of Mardi Gras. Purple symbolizes justice, green is for faith, and gold denotes power. Perhaps the three colors also represent the three kings or the three gifts they brought to the baby Jesus.

A braided King Cake drizzled with Vanilla Icing and sprinkled with Decorator Sugar sliced and served on a white dessert plate with three kings on camels in the background.

King Cake Traditions

When a King Cake is cut, each guest anxiously awaits their piece to see if the “baby” can be found inside. This, no doubt, symbolizes the search of the three kings to find the Christ child. Sometimes the one who discovers the “baby” receives a small gift. I often have a star-shaped ornament, or other trinket, for the guest who finds it. Other traditions obligate the finder to host the next seasonal celebration or provide the King Cake for the next party. In any case the “baby” is supposed to bring good fortune to the person who finds him.

It is nice to have at least a small gathering of people to share a King Cake. It is most fun when someone finds the “baby” in their first slice of cake. The “baby” might be a small plastic baby if you can find one. Instead of searching for a plastic baby I often us a large whole almond or pecan half. This year, since my cake included a praline filling I was afraid a nut might not be noticed. On a whim I decided to use a piece of chocolate candy instead. A chocolate kiss is a good size. A chocolate coin, a square of chocolate or even a malted milk ball works well. Whatever you choose to symbolize the baby tell your guests what they are looking for. Then enjoy their anticipation as they search for it with every bite.

Sage Advice

I do have one bit of advice. Especially if you are using a plastic baby in your King Cake, you will want to heed this “Very Important Tip” I discovered long ago – “Do not put the baby in the cake when you bake it. It will melt. Put it in afterwards.” Even if you use a chocolate candy this is a good idea. Chocolate also melts and might run out giving away its secret location.

To make my King Cake I used a sweet cinnamon-spiced yeast dough that is a family favorite. It is adapted for use in a bread machine but can also be mixed by hand, if you prefer. The Praline Filling is a simple brown sugar pecan paste, much like the streusel topping for a coffee cake. This filling is likely to ooze out during baking. As long as you grease your baking pans, or line them with parchment paper, the oozing praline should clean up easily. Simply break it away from the finished loaf when it has cooled.

To finish the cake, gently turn it upside down and cut a small slit in the bottom with a sharp knife. This is where you will insert the “baby” you have chosen. After slipping it into the opening turn the cake right side up and place it on a serving plate. Now, drizzle your King Cake with Vanilla Icing and sprinkle it with the colored sugar.

Enjoy!

King Cake

Course: Bread, Breakfast, DessertCuisine: AmericanDifficulty: Medium
Servings

8

servings
Prep time

30

minutes
Baking time

25

minutes
Rising time

2

hours 

30

minutes

Made from a sweet yeast dough stuffed with cinnamon praline filling, this festive cake is topped with vanilla icing, colorful decorator sugar, and includes a hidden surprise.

Ingredients

  • Sweet Yeast Dough
  • 2/3 cup warmed milk (165g)(approximately 115-120 degrees)

  • 1/4 cup warm water (59g)

  • 1 -2 tablespoons butter (28g or 1 oz), softened

  • 1 egg

  • 3 2/3 cup flour (480g or 17 oz)

  • 1/4 cup sugar (50g or 1.75 oz)

  • 3/4 teaspoon salt

  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

  • 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

  • 1 Tablespoon of yeast

  • One almond, walnut half, chocolate candy or plastic baby

  • Praline Filling
  • 1/4 cup flour (32g or 1.2 oz)

  • 1/2 cup coarsely chopped pecans (50g or 2 oz)

  • 1/4 cup butter, softened (56g or 2oz)

  • 1/2 cup brown sugar (100g or 3.5oz)

  • 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon

  • Vanilla Icing
  • 2 cups confectioners’ sugar (250g or 8.5 oz)

  • 1/3 cup heavy cream (80g))

  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

  • Purple, Green and Yellow decorative sugars

Directions

  • Place the ingredients for the Sweet Yeast Dough in a bread machine. The ingredients are listed in the order suggested by the manufacturer of my machine but recommendations vary so follow the order suggested for your machine. Set your machine to the ‘manual’ setting so that you can take the dough out, when ready, and shape it by hand.

    (The dough can also be prepared in the traditional way as follows:
    Mix the dry ingredients in a large bowl. Heat the milk, water and butter over low heat until warm, 115 to 120 degrees. Add mixture to the dry ingredients, along with the egg, and stir until a dough forms. Turn the dough onto a well floured surface and knead for approximately 10 minutes, until the dough is smooth and elastic. Place the dough in a greased bowl, turn once. Cover with a towel and let it rise in a warm place until double, approximately 1 – 1 1/2 hours. Continue as follows…)
  • In a small mixing bowl, mix together the ingredients for the Praline Filling until it forms a paste. Set aside.
  • When it is ready, take the Sweet Yeast Dough out of the bread machine and divide it into two equal portions (about 406g each). Cover it with a towel and allow it to rest for 10 minutes.
  • Roll each portion into a 18 x 8 inch rectangle. Spread half of the Praline Filling across half of each dough rectangle as pictured below:Praline filling is spread on a half of the rectangle of dough to begin making a King Cake.
  • Fold the dough in half, lengthwise, as pictured below. Then roll the dough out slightly, to press the filling in the middle, till it forms a rectangle roughly 20 x 5 inches.
    The rectangle of dough has been filled and rolled flat before cutting the dough into strips to begin braiding.
  • Using a pizza cutter or knife, cut the dough into three equal strips. Beginning in the middle, braid these strips to each end.Braiding the filled dough to make a King Cake.
  • Form the braid into an oval and pinch the strips together to join them in a continuous braid. (This part can be a little tricky, but the finished cake will be blanketed in icing, so any rough spots can be easily covered.) Place the cake on a greased baking sheet, with a small glass bowl in the middle of the shape, if desired, to prevent the dough from coming together in the center when it rises and bakes.The trickiest part of forming a braided ring of dough is joining the ends of each strand in the braid before proofing.
  • Cover the cake with a towel and place in a warm, draft free location to rise until nearly double, (approximately 1 hour).
  • Bake at 350 degrees for approximately 25 minutes, (check after 20 minutes), or until golden brown.
    A braided King Cake baked to a golden brown.
  • Cool cake on wire rack. When completely cool, Turn the cake over and cut a small slit in between the braided strips to insert the “baby”. A small plastic baby can be used if you have one. You can also use a whole almond, a walnut or pecan half or a piece of chocolate candy (I have used a square of dark chocolate candy, a chocolate kiss, or a malted milk ball.)Inserting a chocolate
  • Turn the cake right side up on a serving plate. Mix together the ingredients for the icing until smooth. Drizzle the Vanilla Icing over the cake. (Or place the icing in a Ziplock baggie, snip a 1/4 inch slit in a lower corner of the bag and pipe the icing in a back and forth motion over the top of the cake.) Sprinkle green, yellow and purple decorator sugars alternately over the icing. A braided King Cake drizzled with Vanilla Icing and sprinkled with Decorator Sugar rests on a black wire rack on a wooden board.
  • Serve and enjoy!

Recipe Video

Notes

  • The recipe I first published here used twice as much praline filling. I recently tried the cake using just half of the original filling. When I hardly noticed the difference I updated the recipe. For a richer cake, as previously described, just double the amount of the ingredients used for the Praline Filling above.
A slice of Kings Cake served on a white dessert plate beside a cup of Fudgy Hot Chocolate

Other Cakes for Three Kings Day

If you are looking for something different to bake for Twelfth Night or during the season of Epiphany you might like:

  • A French style Galette des Rois made from frozen puff pastry with a delicious Almond Filling.
  • An Eggnog flavored Twelfth Night Cake decorated with hand-crafted Chocolate Stars.
  • Or keep it simple with this Cinnamon Coffee Cake. Just add a whole almond or pecan half to the batter before baking to serve as the hidden “baby.” Still fun, I have made this cake as our King Cake on several occasions.

11 Comments

  1. I've been making this for my friends Mardi Gras party for the last three years. She won't let anyone else make it. Thanks for making me look good!

  2. Unidentified

    after finding your recipe, which i chose out of many online, i have baked quite a few king cakes. it was not easy to find one with the desirable praline filling, which it seems my new orleans crew prefers. even funnier, i'm not from there and pulled this cake off while just about every single person i have met from new orleans has always bought their king cake!

    i'd like to add i made some adjustments with mine. i wasnt up for the challenge of the braided pattern and instead chose the more traditional "jelly roll" style. it came out very good, however, the recipe needed some adjusting for this style. i cut the praline filling recipe in half. for the frosting i used milk instead of cream- and less of it. purple decorative sugar isn't easy to find so i went ahead and made my own.

    everyone from new orleans who has tried this cake LOVED it and quite a few said it was just as good as back home- that should say it right there. thumbs up!

  3. tienda espia

    So this is the technique! I have tried making these loops but they look more and more disgusting after every tries – I think practice does not make perfect this time!

  4. I found this the other day when I was looking for king cake recipes. DELICIOUS!! I had never made king cake before. I made a few changes to accommodate my youngest son’s food allergies (powdered egg replacer, soy milk, and I left out the nuts in the filling), and I was very pleased with the result. My husband said it looked and tasted the way a King Cake should! (Oh, and I hid a little candy cane inside.) I’ve bookmarked your site, and I hope to try some more of your recipes soon.

  5. Hah! I just reread this post when I saw the link on your sidebar. I completely forgot that I had read it last year until I saw that I had already commented on it. So.. my new comment for this year is that I really like the chocolate instead of plastic baby idea. That’s a very cool idea.

  6. Thanks for the post. I was googling recipes for a King’s Cake recipe and you came up – small world, I live in SW Washington too. Can’t wait to try the recipe this week.

  7. Great post! Glad you liked my tips. I saw Alanna last night and she told me to come and check this out. She says, “Hi.”

  8. Rebecca/CUpS

    Wow! I haven’t seen anything like this since my grandmother’s ‘tea ring’. Looks just like this, but the filling was a bit different… raisins and the like mixed in. I love how you finished off the frosting. Most yummy looking and fit for a king! Thanks for sharing.

    Rebecca

  9. Katia Mangham

    The king cake looks amazing! You did a wondeful job. I am going to give king cake a try soon.

  10. My whole family will attest to the FACT that this is absolutely delicious! The only drawback… Well, it was just so beautiful one hated to cut it open! That and my kids (my dh is included in this category) were in a rush to find the “baby”. Great fun for everyone! Now our 11 year old is in charge of the next cake!

  11. Patricia Scarpin

    This looks beautiful and clearly is a labor of love, Lisa. What a great baker you are!

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