Easy King Cake Recipe 2024

This cake is linked to the biblical story of the Three Kings. It is also called King Cake. It is made with a sweet, buttery, rich brioche bread dough that is layered with cinnamon butter and topped with vanilla crème anglaise. This one has been eaten until Mardi Gras.

A King Cake, also called a "three kings cake," is linked to King's Day or the twelfth night of Christmas. On January 6, people eat "Fat Tuesday" to celebrate the Epiphany, the day in history when the three wise men or kings came to Bethlehem and brought gifts for baby Jesus. Celebrating it in different ways in different cultures is a part of many cultures' customs. It is said that this recipe for king cake is linked to the celebrations of Mardi Gras. This bread is baked with a small plastic doll inside, so when it's cut, someone will get it by chance.

What is a king cake? What does a king cake mean?

It is a round, sweet dessert, cake, or bread that is the main event of the Epiphany, a historical Catholic holiday that takes place on January 6th. Today, though, you can find it in many different kinds of events around the world. It is said to have come from France and Spain in the Old World. In the Middle Ages, it became linked to the Epiphany. Eater says that the custom changed even more when it was brought to the New World with Catholicism and Christianity.

Kings cake from around the world:

Every year on the same day in France, they make Galette de Rois, a sweet made of almond puff pastry and a bean called a "feve" that is hidden inside. Rosca de reyes is a ring-shaped sweet bread that is served in Spain and Latin America. It can have a light layer of icing on top or candied fruit. Brazil has a ring-shaped bread called Bolo rei that is filled with sweet fruit and nuts. Vasilopita is a Greek and Cypriot pastry that is often served on New Year's Day and all the way through December 12th. It looks like a French galette and is baked with a coin inside. The Bulgarian dessert Banista is often served on New Year's Eve and other special days, but it's mostly served all season long until January 6th.

What is so special about king cake?

This type of king cake is popular in the United States. It is also known as Louisiana style king cake. It is a round or oval confection that is buttery, soft, and very rich, and it is covered in vanilla icing and colored sprinkles. Before the dough is baked, a toy, like a plastic baby, is normally hidden inside it.

Why is king cake so expensive?

Kings cake is meant to be very rich, with nuts, fruits, sugar, butter, eggs, and spices. In the past, these materials were not cheap or easy to find. The cake was also traditionally decorated with ornaments to show how grand it was. These days, people make king's cake with plastic toys, fake jewelry, and everyday items.

Why is it called kings cake?

From Kings Day (January 6) until the night before Mardi Gras, it is served to honor the coming of the three kings and their crown jewels.

What do the colors of the king cake mean?

The colors on this king cake are important for a reason. Faith is shown by green, justice by purple, and power by gold or yellow.

King cake is a circle, but why?

No matter what kind of candy is made to celebrate, it is always shaped like the king's crown, either in a circle or an oval. It also has a lot of decorations on top to make it feel like a party.

What culture is king cake from?

Kings cake is eaten at many different kinds of events around the world. But it comes from the Catholic holiday of the Three Kings, which is marked on January 6, which is the 12th day of Christmas.

 

Is king cake a sweet?

Most of the time, yes. Even if the recipes are different, they are usually sweet enough to eat as dessert. This recipe makes a rich brioche bread dough that is swirled with cinnamon butter, like a big cinnamon roll. It is covered with vanilla icing, but I made a vanilla lemon icing to balance out the sweetness.

How do you make king cake? What's the story behind the King cake and the Baby?

A small plastic baby is often baked into the recipe as a trinket that must be in every king cake. When the cake is cut, the person who gets the trinket becomes "King" or "Queen" for a day and has to bring the next year's king cake. But also, finding the item is a sign of luck and wealth.

What ingredients do you need to make King Cake?

We need to make brioche dough, cinnamon filling, and icing for the top of the cake. To make it easy to prepare, we will talk about each part separately and offer a few alternatives. A lot of these items are easy to find and probably already in your pantry.

Dough for brioche 

We need flour, sugar, salt, butter, milk, egg, yogurt, and quick yeast to make the dough. But you can also use bread flour or self-rising flour. I used all-purpose flour to make this bread. To make this gluten-free, use a gluten-free flour mix that has xanthin gum in it. This will help the dough stick together and give it that stretch. If you don't want to use eggs, you can use 50gm of yogurt instead of the egg, but the egg gives it that beautiful golden color. To make this recipe lactose-free, you'll need to use plant-based milk and butter.

Filling with cinnamon

But first, heat some butter and add some brown sugar and cinnamon powder to this recipe. We mix the parts together and use it as needed. Do not think that you can skip or switch the brown sugar in this recipe.

Adding icing 

I used vanilla and lemon in my filling to make it less sweet. To make this sauce, you can only use icing sugar; you can't use any other kind of sugar here. Something else we need is salt, vanilla flavor, and lemon juice. To add color to the top, you can use colored sugar sprinkles if you have them, but I didn't, so I used purple, green, and yellow food coloring instead. There are different kinds of food gels that could be used. If you think the glaze needs more icing sugar to thicken it, feel free to add it.

What equipment do you need to make King Cake?

In a stand mixer with a hook attachment, I made this king cake. You can use a big bowl with a spatula and knead the dough by hand as well. When I roll out the dough on silicon or wax paper, it's easier to work with. I also spread the dough out with my hands instead of rolling it out. We need a few bowls to mix the filling and glaze together. I used an offset spoon to spread the filling out. The cake is baked on a baking sheet in the oven. For the bread, I like to put a small round dish in the middle to make sure it bakes into a circle instead of two halves.

How do I make a King Cake?

Put the flour, sugar, yeast, and salt in the bowl of a stand mixer. Add the milk, butter, yogurt, and egg, and use a dough hook to mix it all together. Start by mixing it on low speed, and then slowly turn it up. Mix this on medium speed for 5 to 8 minutes, or until the dough looks soft and stretchy. Do this step without a mixer if you have one. Use a big bowl and a wooden spoon to knead the dough together. This should take 12 to 15 minutes. Put the lid on the dough and let it rise for an hour, or until it has doubled in size.

Put everything for the cinnamon stuffing in a bowl and mix them together. Then set it aside. Warm the oven up to 180℃ and put wax paper or parchment paper on a baking sheet. Place the risen dough on top of another piece of parchment paper or a silicon mat. Using your fingers, spread it out thinly, about 1/4 inch thick, but keep the shape of a rectangle. Cover the dough with the cinnamon filling and make sure it covers all the corners. Start rolling the dough slowly, with the longer side facing away from you. Keep going until you have a log-shaped shape. If you are working on a silicon mat, quickly move the dough from the paper to the baking sheet with your hands.

 To make the round shape, turn into a crescent. Join the two sides together, cover it, and let it sit for a while. With scissors, cut slits in the top of the dough. Bake for 25 to 28 minutes, or until the dough is golden and risen. Ten minutes to cool it down. In a bowl, we mix the icing sugar, vanilla, and lemon juice until the icing is smooth. If it's too slushy, add more sugar, and if it's too stiff, add more lemon juice. At this point, the glaze should be ribbon-like when we lift the whisk from the bowl. Then, use the green, yellow, and purple paint to divide it into 4 bowls. Once the cake has cooled a bit, glaze it with the white and the other three colors. Wait five minutes for the glaze to set before cutting and serving. 

How to decorate and store King Cake?

The white icing goes on top of the cake after it has been cool for at least 10 minutes. The yellow, green, and purple icing are then added around it. We don't mix the icings together; instead, we let their colors and general look define them. Wait a little while before cutting it up and serving it with tea or coffee. This will last up to 4 days in the fridge if you put it in a container that doesn't let air in. After that, it will start to dry out. This can also be frozen for up to 10 days. When you're ready to eat it, take it out of the freezer, let it thaw, and heat it up in the microwave for 20 seconds.

CHOICE TO MAKE AHEAD

Before baking, you can make the dough, fill it, and shape it, then wrap it in plastic wrap and put it in the fridge overnight. The next morning, take it out and let it come to room temperature before baking. In a bowl, we mix the icing sugar, vanilla, and lemon juice until the icing is smooth. If it's too slushy, add more sugar, and if it's too stiff, add more lemon juice. At this point, the glaze should be ribbon-like when we lift the whisk from the bowl. Then, use the green, yellow, and purple paint to divide it into 4 bowls. Once the cake has cooled a bit, glaze it with the white and the other three colors. Wait five minutes for the glaze to set before cutting and serving.