Mardi Gras King Cake (Printable View)

Tender brioche dough wrapped around rich cream cheese and adorned with vibrant Mardi Gras sugars.

# What You’ll Need:

→ Dough

01 - 4 cups all-purpose flour
02 - 1/2 cup granulated sugar
03 - 2 1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast
04 - 1 teaspoon fine sea salt
05 - 3/4 cup warm milk (about 110°F)
06 - 1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted
07 - 2 large eggs, room temperature
08 - 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
09 - 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

→ Cream Cheese Filling

10 - 8 ounces cream cheese, softened
11 - 1/2 cup powdered sugar
12 - 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

→ Egg Wash

13 - 1 large egg
14 - 1 tablespoon milk

→ Icing & Decoration

15 - 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
16 - 2–3 tablespoons milk
17 - 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
18 - Purple, green, and gold colored sanding sugar

# Cooking Steps:

01 - In a large bowl or stand mixer, combine warm milk, yeast, and 1 tablespoon sugar. Let stand 5–10 minutes until foamy.
02 - Add melted butter, remaining sugar, eggs, vanilla, nutmeg, and salt. Mix until incorporated.
03 - Gradually add flour, mixing until a soft, slightly sticky dough forms. Knead 7–10 minutes until smooth and elastic.
04 - Transfer dough to a greased bowl, cover, and let rise in a warm spot until doubled, about 1–1.5 hours.
05 - Beat cream cheese, powdered sugar, and vanilla until smooth and creamy.
06 - Punch down dough and turn onto a lightly floured surface. Roll into a 10x24-inch rectangle.
07 - Spread cream cheese filling in a strip along one long edge, leaving a 1-inch border.
08 - Roll up jelly-roll style to enclose filling. Pinch seam and ends to seal. Shape into a ring and transfer to a parchment-lined baking sheet.
09 - Cover and let rise until puffy, about 45 minutes. Preheat oven to 350°F.
10 - Whisk egg with 1 tablespoon milk and brush evenly over cake surface.
11 - Bake 25–30 minutes until golden. Cool completely on a wire rack.
12 - Whisk powdered sugar, milk, and vanilla until smooth but pourable.
13 - Drizzle icing over cooled cake, then immediately sprinkle with alternating stripes of purple, green, and gold sugars.
14 - Optional: Insert a plastic baby figurine into the cake from underneath before serving.

# Expert Tips:

01 -
  • The cream cheese filling stays perfectly creamy without oozing everywhere, which took me three failed attempts to achieve.
  • The dough is forgiving enough that you can reroll it if your rectangle looks more like a map of an imaginary country.
02 -
  • If you want to hide the plastic baby, push it into the bottom of the cooled cake from underneath, never bake it inside or you will melt plastic into your beautiful work.
  • The dough should feel slightly sticky when you finish kneading, resist the urge to add more flour or your cake will be dense and sad.
03 -
  • Roll your dough on parchment paper so you can lift and transfer it directly to the baking sheet without the ring falling apart.
  • Make your icing thick enough to hold the sugar in place but thin enough to drizzle, think honey consistency, and work quickly before it sets.

Go Back