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Quick and Easy King Cake

Quick and Easy King Cake

Mixed, baked, and frosted in just over an hour: Quick and Easy King Cake. No problem. And just in time for Mardi Gras or Kings Day.

Quick and Easy King Cake | @tspcurry

With Mardi Gras in just a few days, this year certainly calls for a Quick and Easy King Cake. What makes it ‘quick and easy’? Basically, it’s a no-yeast, buttermilk sweet dough. But more on that in a minute. First, a few facts on King Cake:

It is typically baked between Kings Day (Epiphany on January 6) and Mardi Gras by New Orleans bakeries and other King Cake-loving folks (me and my friend, Rebekah!)

According to this NPR article, the little plastic baby that is/was baked inside symbolized baby Jesus on King’s Day (Epiphany) the day the Three Kings/Three Wise Men visited him. There are all sorts of interesting and funny stories on how this plastic baby was baked in the cake…and now typically is not baked inside.

Baby Jesus in King Cake

King Cake is generally:

  • Not really ‘cake’ – but a yeast bread with a cinnamon/sugar-filling
  • Shaped into a braided ring
  • Frosted with creamy white frosting
  • And sprinkled with gold, purple and green colored sugar

My King Cake started at noon on Kings Day! I decided to surprise my kids with a King Cake as an after school snack. At 3:00 PM when they walked through the back door, there were shouts of surprise all around. There, sitting on the kitchen table was the brightly-colored cake.

This King Cake is quick and easy because:

  • It contains no yeast – so there is no rise time.
  • Buttermilk bread dough that I adapted so it could be pressed out, then rolled up.
  • Baked it in a pretty beveled bundt pan to simulate the braiding.

King Cake baked and frosted in a little over an hour: Quick & Easy King Cake for Mardi Gras | @tspcurry

And my version is healthier! It has about a ton less butter and sugar. But it must still be sprinkled with sugar on top; this is because tasting the dusting sugar first on your tongue makes the cake seem extra SWEET (sweeter, actually, than adding more sugar inside).The traditional Mardi Gras sweet homemade in a little over an hour: Quick & Easy King Cake via @tspcurry Click To Tweet

May your Mardi Gras be sweet!

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Quick and Easy King Cake | @tspcurry

Quick and Easy King Cake


  • Yield: 8-12 servings 1x

Description

King Cake in a little over an hour? Yup! Thanks to a special type of dough – and a secret way to bake this Mardi Gras favorite.


Ingredients

Scale
  • 3 tablespoons brown sugar
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1/8 teaspoon Kosher salt
  • 1 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1 1/2 cup whole wheat pastry flour + about 1/4 cup or more for shaping dough
  • 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
  • 1 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/4 teaspoon table salt
  • 1 1/4 cup buttermilk
  • 3 tablespoons + 1 teaspoon unsalted butter, melted, divided
  • 1 tablespoon 1/3-less-fat cream cheese
  • 12 tablespoons milk
  • 3/4 cup confectioners sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
  • Green, purple, and gold colored sugars for dusting

Instructions

  1. Grease a bundt pan well with butter and flour or baking spray containing flour.
  2. Combine brown sugar, cinnamon and Kosher salt in a small bowl.
  3. In a large mixing bowl, using a fork, stir together all-purpose flour, 1 1/2 cup whole wheat flour, granulated sugar, baking powder, soda, salt.
  4. In a small bowl, whisk together buttermilk and 2 tablespoons melted butter. Add buttermilk mixture to flour mixture and stir with a large wooden spoon until all flour is incorporated.
  5. Turn onto a well floured (with whole wheat flour) surface, dust with more flour.Using your hands shape and pat dough into a 16 x 5 – inch rectangle. Brush with 1 tablespoon melted butter. Sprinkle with sugar/cinnamon mixture – leaving 1/2-inch border. Fold dough over filling. Cut into three pieces for easy transfer into bundt pan. Transfer to bundt pan and gently press seams back together. Brush top of dough with remaining 1 teaspoon of butter.
  6. Bake in a heated 425-degree oven for about 25 minutes or until edges are barely golden. Let cool in pan for 5 minutes. Flip pan over and turn onto a cooling rack or a serving plate (depending on where you want your icing to pool!)
  7. Whisk together cream cheese, milk and confectioners sugar – adding more sugar or milk depending on consistency desired. Drizzle over warm cake.
  8. Sprinkle with colored sugar

Have you ever eaten (or baked) King Cake? Do you have other favorite Mardi Gras treats? Let us know – we love the food in New Orleans like these Baked Beignets!

Karen

Tuesday 5th of March 2019

Thank you. This recipe turned out really well. This will now be my annual king cake recipe! :)

Deanna Segrave-Daly

Wednesday 6th of March 2019

Yay - so glad to hear!

Mrs. Hude

Sunday 26th of February 2017

This cake is a winner! I need to make a bunch for a big Mardi Gras party at our parish, and after doing some testing, my husband, who's family hails from LA, heartily approved of this cake. Thanks so much!

Serena Ball

Sunday 26th of February 2017

Oh my goodness, this totally makes my day Mrs. Hude. Thanks for letting me know. I'm honored by the #CakeLove by your LA-native husband.

Lauren O'Connor

Friday 24th of February 2017

Love this healthier version of King cake. The first and only time I had, I got the little baby. lol! I'm so delighted that you posted this because I'm so excited to be going to New Orleans for the upcoming Today's Dietitian Symposium. Reminding me I've gotta book my air travel. : )

Serena Ball

Sunday 26th of February 2017

Oh good Lauren! Here's hoping you get to make the cake on Tuesday...and have a fab time in NOLA...AND get to eat a piece of cake then too! (I think they make it year round there!)

Elizabeth Shaw

Friday 29th of January 2016

OMG I am loving this- so interesting! I had never know that, I feel like a bad Catholic hah! I love the impromptu body in your cake too!

Serena Ball

Monday 1st of February 2016

Ha! It is a rather 'impromptu' body isn't it?! It came from my kids' doll house...after a good bath in some dish soap which my 3 yr old gave the 'baby.'

Dietitian Jess

Friday 29th of January 2016

Love this! We used to buy the grocery store one but I think this would be a fun recipe to make once I have kids- pinning!

Serena Ball

Friday 29th of January 2016

Thanks Jess. They don't make them in stores way up north here! (: Did your grocery store version come with the plastic baby?!

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