Easy King Cake Recipe
This Easy King Cake Recipe uses frozen bread dough as a shortcut to create a soft, cinnamon-swirled Mardi Gras classic with minimal effort. Inspired by the traditional New Orleans King Cake recipe, it’s meant for celebrating Carnival season at home.
Servings: 10
Ingredients
For the cake
- 1 loaf frozen white bread dough thawed
- 2 tablespoons melted butter
- ⅓ cup brown sugar
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
For the glaze
- 1 ½ cups powdered sugar
- 3 tablespoons milk
- ½ teaspoon almond extract or vanilla extract
For decoration and serving
- Purple, green, and gold sanding sugar
- Plastic baby optional for serving
Instructions
For the cake
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Roll thawed dough into a 10-inch by 16-inch rectangle on a lightly floured surface.
- Brush with melted butter. Combine brown sugar, cinnamon, and salt. Sprinkle evenly over the dough, leaving about 1 inch around the entire rectangle.
- Roll tightly into a log. Transfer to baking sheet and form into a ring, pinching together the ends.
- Cover loosely and let rise for 30 minutes, until slightly puffed. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F during rise time.
- Bake on the middle rack for 22 to 24 minutes, until golden brown. Cool completely.
For the glaze, decoration and serving
- Whisk powdered sugar, milk, and almond extract together in a medium bowl. Drizzle over cake.
- Top with colored sugars in alternating stripes. Let set up a bit before slicing.
- Insert plastic baby from the bottom, if desired. Slice and serve.
Notes
- This recipe uses Rhodes brand Thaw, Rise & Bake White Bread.
- To thaw the dough: Place 1 frozen loaf into a greased bread pan and cover with plastic wrap. Thaw according to package directions, overnight in the refrigerator or in a warm place on the counter.
- Store leftover king cake covered on the counter for up to a day or in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
- If you prefer to make your own dough, you can use this Yeast Dinner Roll recipe. It results in an even more tender crumb.
- Want more than a cinnamon-sugar filling? Try adding chopped pecans or a cream cheese filling.
- To make cream cheese filling: Mix together 8 ounces softened cream cheese, 1 cup powdered sugar, 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour and a splash of almond extract. Spoon or pipe the filling near the edge of the dough before rolling it into the center and forming the king cake shape.