The beginning of January sees a yearly tradition begin to flood every store and bakery in Louisiana: it’s time for King Cake! A famous and delicious treat, the traditional Louisiana king cake is an enriched brioche dough flattened out and filled with cinnamon and sugar before being rolled up and baked in a circle or oval shape, then topped with a glaze and decorated in purple, green, and gold. A centuries old tradition is modernized in typical New Orleans fashion with bold flavors and even bolder colors.
While typically associated with New Orleans and Mardi Gras, the king cake has become more popular and known around the country these days. Starting in January, many bakeries and grocery stores in several Gulf Coast states begin selling these treats nonstop. Even though a lot of people associate king cake with Mardi Gras, Fat Tuesday is actually the last day king cakes are usually sold or eaten. Because of its growing popularity though, some bakeries have started selling king cakes year-round, similar to the popularity of hot-cross buns outside of Easter.
The history and tradition of king cake have a lot of religious ties to Christianity, but you don’t need to be a Christian or know the whole history of this dessert to enjoy it. The reason behind its short consumption season though, has to do with the Christian Epiphany season, or Epiphanytide. This typically starts on Jan 6th and ends on the day before Ash Wednesday.
Jump to:
- 📜 The History and Origin of King Cake
- 👼 Why the Baby in King Cakes?
- 🎭 The Shape and Colors of King Cake
- 🥘 Ingredients for Traditional Louisiana King Cake
- 🔪 How to Make a Traditional Louisiana King Cake
- 📖 Louisiana King Cake Variations
- 💭 Frequently Asked Questions
- 🍽 Equipment
- ❄️ Storing King Cake and Making Ahead
- 📋 Recipe
- 💬 Comments
📜 The History and Origin of King Cake
King cake, also known as three kings cake, can be traced all the way back to Roman times as early as the 3rd century. Maybe not with the same name, but a round cake with a dry bean hidden inside would be eaten during Saturnalia and the person that found the bean would be king for a day.
Even the more modern-day king cake is a tradition hundreds of years old. Some version of this dessert is eaten throughout Christian countries in Europe, North America, and South America. The common denominator throughout most traditional king cake recipes is that it is usually eaten during Epiphany season, and it includes a hidden fève, or trinket of some kind. These can vary from a bean, a coin, a pea, a nut, or a porcelain or plastic baby or character.
The name itself, king cake, or three kings cake, comes from the biblical magi, or the three wise-men that were said to have visited baby Jesus with gifts. This is celebrated on the “Twelfth Night” which is the eve of Epiphany and the last day of the Christmas season. Depending on where you live and how your church counts the days, this is typically on Jan 5th or 6th. This kicks off the Epiphany season which lasts until Ash Wednesday, which falls 46 days before Easter. Ash Wednesday is the start of Lent, in which many Christian faiths follow certain fasting and abstinence traditions, so people tend to celebrate with sweet treats like a king cake up until that time.
The king cake tradition in Louisiana has a few varying origin stories but was likely brought to the area in the 1870s from French settlers. Even though it has French origins in Louisiana, our traditional Louisiana king cakes are aesthetically closer to the Spanish versions than the French “galette de rois”.
👼 Why the Baby in King Cakes?
One of the most common practices in king cakes around the world is the hidden fève within a king cake. The word is French and translates to “fava bean”, which was one of the original items hidden inside king cakes. This tradition dates all the way back to the 3rd century and is still used today and the person that finds the hidden item is considered king or queen for the day.
The tradition dates back hundreds of years, but the item hidden and what it means can vary from region to region. The most common traditions say that the person that finds the hidden item gains good luck or good fortune for the year. The lucky finder is also considered king or queen for the day or another set amount of time. Another popular tradition, especially in the United States, is that the person that finds the baby is supposed to host the next party and supply the king cake for it. Be careful when cutting the cake though, as it’s also considered bad luck to cut into the hidden baby.
The hiding of a plastic baby is a relatively new practice that has roots in New Orleans. As the king cake tradition became more and more popular, a commercial bakery called McKenzie’s began adding small porcelain babies inside their king cakes in the 1950s. This eventually was replaced with more readily available plastic versions with some other countries following suit. There’s some slight controversy over whether it’s supposed to symbolize baby Jesus or not, but that’s the commonly accepted thought.
The plastic baby can be baked directly into the traditional Louisiana king cake or inserted from the bottom after cooking and before decorating. Many commercial bakeries have started adding them on top as a decoration instead, letting people choose whether to hide it them themselves. Some people were turned off at the idea of a piece of plastic being baked with their cake, but the change is more likely because of it being a possible choking hazard and bakeries trying to avoid a lawsuit.
🎭 The Shape and Colors of King Cake
Other than northern France, a few French-speaking regions, and Greece, most king cakes are usually circular or oval shaped to resemble a crown. Many are decorated with colorful fresh or dried fruits as well. The version in Louisiana resembles the Spanish, round versions and is decorated in the three colors of purple, green, and gold.
These colors were chosen to represent Mardi Gras by the Rex parade all the way back in 1872 and have been used to decorate traditional king cakes ever since. The colors also have a meaning behind them: purple represents justice, green for faith, and gold for power.
🥘 Ingredients for Traditional Louisiana King Cake
This recipe is for a basic and traditional king cake from scratch, but the ingredients can vary wildly depending on where you get one and personal tastes. Scroll down for some common variations in king cakes. At its core, a traditional king cake recipe is a sweetened brioche bread rolled with a cinnamon and sugar filling that tastes like a cinnamon roll but baked as a whole log instead of being sliced into rolls.
Flour – Normal all-purpose flour works fine here for the structure.
Yeast – Since the dough is basically a brioche bread, you’ll use yeast as the rising agent. I use instant yeast in the recipe, even though I bloom it in the instructions. I always recommend blooming yeast to be certain it’s still good before spending more time and money to find out the hard way that it’s not working.
Milk – Almost any milk will work fine here, but whole milk is best. The milk is heated to activate the yeast, and you’ll use a few tablespoons later for the icing as well. The milk helps to enrich the brioche dough and give more flavor than water alone would.
Sugar – I use white sugar, light brown sugar, and powdered sugar here. I prefer white granulated sugar for the dough and use light brown sugar in the filling. When blooming the yeast, add a spoonful of the ¼ cup of white sugar you’re using for the dough, this helps to activate the yeast. The powdered sugar will be used for the icing.
Butter – Use unsalted butter in both the dough and the filling. It doesn’t need to be room temperature because you’ll be melting it for both applications.
Eggs – Two whole, large eggs are added to the dough for moisture and flavor.
Seasoning – The dough gets a little bit of kosher salt and nutmeg for flavor, while the filling adds cinnamon to the brown sugar for flavor. The nutmeg is optional, and some recipes add or replace it with cinnamon in the dough, but I like the flavor it adds to the dough. Also optional, but I like to add a splash of vanilla extract to the icing, about ½ a teaspoon.
Sanding Sugar – The finishing touch for a Louisiana king cake is the traditional colors of purple, green, and gold. Darker colors show up better, but feel free to use whatever you can find. Sanding sugar is more coarse than granulated sugar and holds up better to heat and moisture. You should be able to find it in most grocery stores where they sell sprinkles and cake decorating stuff.
🔪 How to Make a Traditional Louisiana King Cake
Start by heating the milk until warm, around 110°F, then add your yeast and a spoonful of the white sugar and set aside. Allow the yeast to bloom for at least 5 minutes until it looks bubbly or foamy. If this doesn’t happen, the yeast is probably bad.
Meanwhile, melt the butter in a heatproof cup or bowl in the microwave for 20-30 seconds. Set aside to cool. In a large mixing bowl, add the flour, kosher salt, and nutmeg and whisk to fully combine and set aside.
After the yeast has bloomed, add it to the bowl of a stand mixer with a dough hook attachment, or a large mixing bowl if mixing by hand. Mix the eggs and then add them to the bowl along with the melted butter and the rest of the white sugar and mix on low speed for a minute or two to combine.
Add the flour mixture in 2-3 batches while mixing on low speed, scraping down the bowl occasionally. Turn the speed up slightly and allow the dough to knead for 5-10 minutes, until the dough comes away from the sides of the bowl and feels tacky but not sticky. If mixing by hand, mix until a shaggy dough forms and turn out onto a lightly floured surface and knead by hand for 10-15 minutes until a soft but not sticky dough comes together.
Place the dough on a lightly floured surface and finish kneading by hand for a minute or so and form into a ball. Lightly oil a large bowl and place the dough inside, rolling around to coat the entire surface. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap or a damp towel and set in a warm, draft-free place to rise until doubled, about 1-2 hours.
After the dough has doubled in size, make your filling. Melt the butter in a heatproof container in the microwave for 20-30 seconds and set aside. Mix the brown sugar and cinnamon together in another bowl and set aside. Punch the dough down and turn it out onto a lightly floured surface. Begin stretching and shaping the dough into a rough rectangle shape. Add some flour to a rolling pin and roll the dough into a large rectangle, roughly 10” x 22”. If the dough resists and keeps pulling back, let it rest for 5-10 minutes and try again.
Once the dough is shaped, brush the top with the melted butter and then sprinkle on the cinnamon-sugar mixture, leaving a ½” gap near the edges. Begin rolling the dough up from the long side like a jelly roll until you have a long log shape. Pinch the edge into the dough to seal as best you can. Now pull the ends together and form a large round circle or oval shape and gently move onto a baking sheet lined with a silicone mat or parchment paper. Push the ends together and pinch to seal them. Cover loosely with plastic wrap or a clean towel and let rise a second time, about 30-45 minutes.
While the dough rises a second time, preheat your oven to 350°F/180°C. Once the oven is heated and the dough has risen again, place in the oven and cook for 25-30 minutes, until the top has browned, and the bread has cooked. It should be around 190°F/88°C internally. Allow to cool on the baking sheet a few minutes, and then move to a cooling rack and let it cool almost completely before adding icing. Once the king cake has cooled, make your icing.
Combine the powdered sugar with 2 tablespoons of milk and a ½ teaspoon of vanilla extract. Stir until a thick but pourable icing forms. If the icing feels too loose, add more sugar a tablespoon at a time, if it feels too thick, add more milk a teaspoon at a time. Pour the icing over the top of the king cake, using the back of a spoon if needed until fully covered with some icing going down the sides. Now add your sanding sugar in wide bands, alternating colors until you’ve covered all the king cake. Serve and enjoy.
📖 Louisiana King Cake Variations
While this recipe shows a basic and traditionally shaped and flavored New Orleans king cake, there are many alternatives out there that are quite popular.
Alternative King Cake Shaping
Cut Top – While one large roll is easy to make, it does carry the risk of puffing up in the oven and exploding. One common change is to make it as above, but then add slits. Once you’ve rolled out the dough and placed it on a baking sheet, use a sharp knife or scissors to cut slits in the dough, about ⅓ of the way deep and spaced 1-2” apart all the way around the king cake, then bake as normal.
Twisted – Another common variation is the twisted braid. After rolling out the dough into the large rectangle, cut in half lengthwise and then add the cinnamon-sugar filling. Roll both of the doughs up as before and set them next to one another. Gently twist the pieces together until you have one long spiral shape, bend into a circle or oval and bake as above.
Braided – This version looks pretty but is obviously the most complicated variation. As above, after rolling the dough into a rectangle, cut lengthwise into 3 equal strips. Add the cinnamon-sugar mixture and roll up from the long side until you have 3 long pieces of dough. Set each piece side by side lengthwise, then pull the ends together and crimp into one piece. Begin braiding the dough, over and under, until you have one long braided king cake. Shape into a circle or oval as before and bake as usual.
Alternative King Cake Flavoring
Cream Cheese – One of the most popular alternatives is added cream cheese to a king cake. Some recipes melt the cream cheese with the butter and adding it into the dough itself, but most of the time it is added as a filling. Instead of the butter and cinnamon-sugar mixture, use a block of cream cheese mixed with powdered sugar and some vanilla extract. If making a cream cheese filled king cake however, you’ll want to store it in the refrigerator.
Nuts – Another hugely popular variation is a pecan-praline filled king cake. You can also experiment with other nut fillings like almonds or walnuts, or plain pecans.
Fruits – A fruit filling is also popular. They add sweetness without added sugar, and the most common choices are blueberries, strawberries, cherries, raspberries, and apple for fillings. These are also commonly added to cream cheese filled versions.
Zulu – A somewhat modern spin on the traditional Louisiana king cake that has its own name is the Zulu King Cake. Created in the 1990s by Ambrosia Bakery in Baton Rouge, LA, the Zulu king cake is filled with cream cheese and chocolate chips, then topped with a fudgy chocolate icing and covered in coconut shavings.
💭 Frequently Asked Questions
This can vary a lot depending on the bakery and options, but a traditional Mardi Gras king cake is a pastry or brioche style bread filled with cinnamon and sugar. They usually taste very similar to a cinnamon roll.
Traditionally, the king cake season kicks off around Jan 5th or 6th, coinciding with the Christian Epiphany season, also known as the 12th day of Christmas. The season ends the day before Ash Wednesday, also known as Fat Tuesday (Mardi Gras) or Shrove Tuesday.
The tradition goes back centuries, and can vary from a bean, coin, pea, nut, etc. Porcelain and now plastic babies are a more modern trend. Traditionally, finding the item meant the person would have good luck or prosperity for the next year. They may also be called king or queen for the day, and a common tradition says that you must host the next king cake party and provide the cake.
The colors on traditional Louisiana king cakes mimic the colors of Mardi Gras. Purple represents justice, green for faith, and gold for power.
🍽 Equipment
You probably have everything you'll need to make this king cake, but there's two items I'd like to mention.
Pastry Mat - Depending on your work surface, you may want something to roll the dough out on. This pastry mat is large and handy, and similar in feel to the silicone baking mats I always recommend. It rolls out easily and cleans up nicely as well.
King Cake Baby - These can be a pain to find depending on where you live. Some arts and crafts stores may have them, but if you can't find them locally, Amazon has a good selection available. This set includes and bunch of plastic babies and Mardi Gras beads for decorating with.
❄️ Storing King Cake and Making Ahead
While best served and consumed the day it is made, you can also store king cake in an airtight container at room temperature for 2-3 days, or up to a week refrigerated. If you make one with a cream cheese filling however, I recommend storing leftovers in the fridge only.
While not recommended, you can also freeze a cooked king cake for 2-3 months. Allow to cool completely and if decorated, allow the icing to fully set. Wrap tightly in plastic wrap and place in an airtight container. Allow to come to room temperature before serving, 2-3 hours.
If you need to make it ahead of time, you can make the dough and before the first rise, set in an airtight container and refrigerate overnight or up to two days. Allow to come to room temperature for at least 1-2 hours before rolling out and baking as normal.
📋 Recipe
Traditional Louisiana King Cake
Ingredients
Dough:
- ½ cup whole milk, warm
- 1 packet of yeast
- ¼ cup white granulated sugar, divided
- 3 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
- 2 large eggs
Filling:
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
- ⅔ cup light brown sugar, packed
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
Icing:
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 2 tablespoons whole milk
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
Directions
- Start by heating ½ cup whole milk until warm, around 110°F, then add your packet of yeast and a spoonful of the white sugar and set aside. Allow the yeast to bloom for at least 5 minutes until it looks bubbly or foamy. If this doesn’t happen, the yeast is probably bad.
- Meanwhile, melt 6 tablespoons of butter in a heatproof cup or bowl in the microwave for 20-30 seconds. Set aside to cool. In a large mixing bowl, add 3 ½ cups all-purpose flour, 1 teaspoon kosher salt, and ½ teaspoon nutmeg and whisk to fully combine and set aside.
- After the yeast has bloomed, add it to the bowl of a stand mixer with a dough hook attachment, or a large mixing bowl if mixing by hand. Mix the 2 eggs and then add them to the bowl along with the melted butter and the rest of the ¼ cup of white sugar and mix on low speed for a minute or two to combine.
- Add the flour mixture in 2-3 batches while mixing on low speed, scraping down the bowl occasionally. Turn the speed up slightly and allow the dough to knead for 5-10 minutes, until the dough comes away from the sides of the bowl and feels tacky but not sticky. If mixing by hand, mix until a shaggy dough forms and turn out onto a lightly floured surface and knead by hand for 10-15 minutes until a soft but not sticky dough comes together.
- Place the dough on a lightly floured surface and finish kneading by hand for a minute or so and form into a ball. Lightly oil a large bowl and place the dough inside, rolling around to coat the entire surface. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap or a damp towel and set in a warm, draft-free place to rise until doubled, about 1-2 hours.
- After the dough has doubled in size, make your filling. Melt 4 tablespoons butter in a heatproof container in the microwave for 20-30 seconds and set aside. Mix ⅔ cup of brown sugar and 2 teaspoons cinnamon together in another bowl and set aside. Punch the dough down and turn it out onto a lightly floured surface. Begin stretching and shaping the dough into a rough rectangle shape. Add some flour to a rolling pin and roll the dough into a large rectangle, roughly 10” x 22”. If the dough resists and keeps pulling back, let it rest for 5-10 minutes and try again.
- Once the dough is shaped, brush the top with the melted butter and then sprinkle on the cinnamon-sugar mixture, leaving a ½” gap near the edges. Begin rolling the dough up from the long side like a jelly roll until you have a long log shape. Pinch the edge into the dough to seal as best you can. Now pull the ends together and form a large round circle or oval shape and gently move onto a baking sheet lined with a silicone mat or parchment paper. Push the ends together and pinch to seal them. Cover loosely with plastic wrap or a clean towel and let rise a second time, about 30-45 minutes.
- While the dough rises a second time, preheat your oven to 350°F/180°C. Once the oven is heated and the dough has risen again, place in the oven and cook for 25-30 minutes, until the top has browned, and the bread has cooked. It should be around 190°F/88°C internally. Allow to cool on the baking sheet a few minutes, and then move to a cooling rack and let it cool almost completely before adding icing.
- Once the king cake has cooled, make your icing. Combine 1 cup of powdered sugar with 2 tablespoons of milk and a ½ teaspoon of vanilla extract. Stir until a thick but pourable icing forms. If the icing feels too loose, add more sugar a tablespoon at a time, if it feels too thick, add more milk a teaspoon at a time. Pour the icing over the top of the king cake, using the back of a spoon if needed until fully covered with some icing going down the sides. Now add your sanding sugar in wide bands, alternating colors until you’ve covered all of the king cake. Serve and enjoy.
Sharon says
I live in Texas right near the Louisiana/Texas border on the coast. We have King Cake in all the bakeries and grocery stores here. I can’t wait to try and make one at home this year. Going to try this one today. Sounds delicious!!!
Chris Pezzana says
Hope it turns out great for you! Since early Jan, my Facebook feed has been full of King Cakes from all the bakeries in Louisiana, and there's some really creative and different flavors out there. If you buy one from the store, just remember the rule: the knife stays in the box until the king cake is gone!
Lola says
I'm Catholic and never heard of King Cake. how fascinating its origins; and thanks to your delicious food blog, we can even get mini history lessons.
kidding aside, I appreciate so much the attention to detail and how much you've put into making your recipes and the writing(!) - very extra. 🍺
Chris Pezzana says
Thanks, I'm glad you liked the history stuff. I try to include that info with international foods and regional dishes that have a history to them. King Cakes are huge around the Gulf Coast states, but they're slowly spreading further and further around the US. I'm in VA now and I know 1-2 grocery stores here freshly bake them during the season.