Mardi Gras King Cake Cream Cheese (Printable View)
A festive sweet bread with creamy filling and vibrant sugar colors, perfect for Mardi Gras celebrations.
# What You’ll Need:
→ Dough
01 - 1 cup warm milk (110°F)
02 - 2¼ teaspoons active dry yeast (1 packet)
03 - ½ cup granulated sugar
04 - ½ cup unsalted butter, melted
05 - 2 large eggs, room temperature
06 - 4 cups all-purpose flour
07 - ½ teaspoon salt
08 - ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
09 - ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
→ Cream Cheese Filling
10 - 8 oz cream cheese, softened
11 - ½ cup powdered sugar
12 - 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
→ Egg Wash
13 - 1 large egg
14 - 1 tablespoon milk
→ Icing
15 - 2 cups powdered sugar
16 - 2–3 tablespoons milk
17 - 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
→ Decoration
18 - Purple, green, and gold colored sugars
# Cooking Steps:
01 - Whisk warm milk and yeast in a large bowl. Let stand for 5 minutes until foamy.
02 - Add sugar, melted butter, eggs, salt, nutmeg, and cinnamon to the yeast mixture. Mix thoroughly.
03 - Gradually incorporate flour 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 location for 1 hour until doubled.
05 - Beat cream cheese, powdered sugar, and vanilla extract in a medium bowl until smooth and creamy.
06 - Punch down risen dough and roll on a floured surface into a 10x20-inch rectangle.
07 - Spread cream cheese filling evenly over dough, leaving a 1-inch border around edges.
08 - Roll dough tightly from the long side, pinching seam to seal. Form into a ring and pinch ends together.
09 - Place shaped ring on a lined baking sheet. Cover and let rise for 45 minutes.
10 - Preheat oven to 350°F.
11 - Whisk egg and milk together. Brush mixture evenly over the risen cake.
12 - Bake for 25–30 minutes until golden brown. Cool completely on a wire rack.
13 - Whisk powdered sugar, milk, and vanilla extract until smooth and pourable.
14 - Drizzle icing over cooled cake. Immediately sprinkle colored sugars in alternating sections while icing is wet.
15 - Insert a small plastic baby or dried bean into the cake from the underside after baking, if desired.
# Expert Tips:
01 -
- The cream cheese filling keeps everything incredibly moist while adding just the right tang to balance all that sweetness
- Watching people hunt for the baby in their slice brings more joy to a breakfast table than almost anything else I know
02 -
- Insert the plastic baby from the underside after baking so it does not melt or create an obvious bulge
- Let the cake cool completely before icing or you will end up with a runny mess that slides right off
03 -
- Grate fresh citrus zest into the cream cheese filling for brightness that cuts through all that rich sweetness
- Warm your colored sugars in a low oven for ten minutes beforehand to help them stick better to the icing