Mardi Gras King Cake Cheese (Printable View)
A colorful cake with creamy cheese filling and festive sugar toppings inspired by Mardi Gras traditions.
# What You’ll Need:
→ Dough
01 - 1 cup warm milk (110°F)
02 - 2¼ tsp active dry yeast (1 packet)
03 - ½ cup granulated sugar
04 - 4 cups all-purpose flour
05 - ½ cup unsalted butter, melted and cooled
06 - 2 large eggs
07 - 1 tsp salt
08 - ½ tsp ground nutmeg
09 - ½ tsp ground cinnamon
→ Cream Cheese Filling
10 - 8 oz cream cheese, softened
11 - ¾ cup powdered sugar
12 - 1 tsp vanilla extract
→ Topping
13 - 2 cups powdered sugar
14 - 2–3 tbsp milk
15 - ½ tsp vanilla extract
16 - Purple, green, and gold colored sugars
# Cooking Steps:
01 - In a large bowl, combine warm milk, yeast, and 1 tablespoon of sugar. Let sit for 5 minutes until foamy.
02 - Add the remaining sugar, melted butter, eggs, salt, nutmeg, and cinnamon. Mix well.
03 - Gradually add flour, mixing until a soft dough forms. Knead for 8–10 minutes until smooth and elastic.
04 - Place dough in a greased bowl, cover, and let rise in a warm place for 1 hour or until doubled in size.
05 - Beat cream cheese, powdered sugar, and vanilla extract until smooth.
06 - Punch down dough, then roll out on a floured surface into a 10x20-inch rectangle.
07 - Spread the cream cheese filling evenly over the dough, leaving a 1-inch border.
08 - Roll up the dough tightly from the long side, pinching seams to seal. Shape into a ring and transfer to a parchment-lined baking sheet, seam side down. Pinch ends together to seal the ring.
09 - Cover and let rise for 45 minutes until puffy.
10 - Preheat oven to 350°F.
11 - Bake for 25–30 minutes or until golden brown. Let cool completely on a wire rack.
12 - Mix powdered sugar, milk, and vanilla extract to make a thick glaze. Drizzle over cooled cake.
13 - Immediately sprinkle with purple, green, and gold sugars in alternating sections.
# Expert Tips:
01 -
- The cream cheese filling takes this from good dinner bread to cant stop eating dessert status
- Those purple green and gold sugars make it absolutely stunning and instantly festive
- Its surprisingly forgiving even if your bread baking confidence is shaky
02 -
- Hiding the plastic baby inside after baking instead of before prevents any safety concerns and still keeps the tradition alive
- If your kitchen runs cold, try letting the dough rise in your oven with just the light on for warmth
- The glaze sets quickly, so have your colored sugars ready before you start drizzling
03 -
- Room temperature ingredients are your secret weapon for seamless incorporation
- A kitchen thermometer takes all the guesswork out of that warm milk temperature