Mardi Gras King Cake Recipe

Mardi Gras King Cake Recipe

Mardi Gras King Cake Recipe – Königskuchen

This is a Mardi Gras King cake recipe with a German twist. During the Carnival festivities the Germans always enjoy their doughnuts, in New Orleans during the Mardi Gras festivities there is the King cake with or without a little baby hidden.

Ingredients for Mardi Gras King cake recipe:

  • 750 g (1.65 lb.) of all purpose flour
  • 2 pouches of dry yeast rapid rise
  • 4 tablespoons of sugar
  • 250 ml (8.45 oz) of milk
  • 125 g (4.4 oz) of butter
  • 1 ½ teaspoons of salt
  • 4 eggs size xl
  • ½ teaspoon of nutmeg
  • 2 tablespoons of oil
  • 1 egg yolk
  • 2 tablespoons of evaporated milk
  • 100 g (3.52 oz) of dark brown sugar
  • 2 teaspoons of cinnamon
  • 5 tablespoons of soft butter (for filling)

Preparation of the cake:

Mix flour, yeast, sugar, nutmeg, and salt in the mixing bowl of your stand mixer. Add lukewarm milk (25 seconds in the Microwave), melted butter, and the eggs. Start on low speed, mixing the ingredients into a dough. Brush a second bowl with oil and place the dough in the bowl. Brush the dough on top as well, before covering the bowl with a kitchen towel. Let the dough rise for about 2 hours.

Making Dough King Cake Recipe      

When the dough has doubled in size, sprinkle flour on a surface before placing the dough on the surface. Sprinkle flour on top of the dough and roll it to a square about 22 inches x 12 inches. Spread the soft butter onto the dough and sprinkle the cinnamon and dark brown sugar on top of the butter.

                     Preparation of King Cake Recipe

Roll the dough with the filling, make the roll into a ring and close the ring. Make sure you squeeze the dough roll on the two ends together to ensure the ring is fully closed/sealed. Place the ring either in a buttered coffee cake pan (11-inch) or around an empty tin can on a baking sheet covered with baking paper. The seam of the cake ring should face the bottom of the baking pans (see pictures below). Cover the cake and let it rise for another 20 minutes. Mix the egg yolk with the condensed milk and brush onto the dough. Make a few cuts on top of the dough.

Preheat the oven to 180°C – 190°C — 360°F – 375°F. Place the cake on the middle rack and let it bake for about 25 – 30 minutes. Take the cake out and flip it onto a cooling rack.

Finishing King Cake Recipe      

Decoration of the King cake:

To make the icing, mix three cups of confectioner sugar, 2 teaspoons of vanilla extract, and 6 tablespoons of water and mix until smooth. Spread the icing on top of the cake using a spoon and let it run along the cake. Sprinkle green, yellow, and purple decoration sugar on top of the icing to your liking.

To try the German doughnuts click here, the Black and White Cookies click here, and the Homemade Waffles click here.

Mardi Gras King Cake Recipe