Are you looking for ways on how to throw a twist in your family gathering or party events? Try this Mardi Gras King Cake recipe as a way of breaking the great news of the party to the group! It is a dessert and a twist in the party as one.

Mardi Gras King Cake at www.chefkimihou.com

What is Mardi Gras King Cake?

Generally, parties and gatherings are not complete without desserts, right? Indeed, it is a must-have. Along with these desserts, it is also nice to create something fun and inflict surprises in events. Well, this is what Mardi Gras King Cake offers.

Mardi Gras King Cake is a dessert popular in the United States. In particular, this cake tradition is from New Orleans. The twist inside this king cake is that it has a small plastic baby hidden inside the cake. And whoever gets this small plastic baby inside will be the host of the next party or gathering. Fun right? Everyone will get the chance to host the party when serving this dessert.

Aside from the twist and fun that this cake offers, it is also festive in colors that make it more attractive. Moreover, the cake is soft, fluffy, and delicious. This will definitely be one of the crowd’s favorite.

What is the Equipment You’ll Need?

There are some tools that you have to prepare prior to making the king cake. Personally, as you Chef, I have recommendations on where to get the best tools needed and you might want to check it yourself and grab them too.

Here are the tools that you will need:

Stand Mixer & Paddle Attachment. This will help you make your mixing easier and faster. You can get your own mixer here.
Bench Scraper. The tool needed for scrapping the sides of the container to make sure everything is well incorporated. Here is a good scraper to suggest.
Small Bowls. These will be your containers for some ingredients and you can have your good bowls here.
Liquid measuring cup. This will be used to measure liquid components and get your nice cups here.
Dry Measuring Cups. On the other hand, these cups are for dry ingredients. Grab them here.
Fork or small whisk. This one is used either to prick the cake or mix the batter. You can get it here.
Pastry Brush. This is used to brush the glaze of the cake and I recommend having this.

What are the Ingredients to Prepare?

Likewise, there are ingredients to prepare. For this recipe, there will be three sets of ingredients to prepare. One set for the dough, the second is for the filling, and the third is for the icing.

For the dough, here are the components to set:

Warm milk. One cup
Instant rise yeast. One cup.
Melted butter. Just ¼ cup.
Granulated sugar. One cup and a tablespoon must be separated.
Large eggs. Two pieces.
Salt. Just ½ teaspoon.
All-purpose flour. Four cups.
Olive oil. Two teaspoons.

On the other hand, these are for the filling:

Brown sugar. ⅔ cup.
Cinnamon. Two teaspoons.
Softened unsalted butter. Six tablespoons.
Chopped pecans. ½ cup.

Lastly, for the icing:

Powdered sugar. 1.5 cups.
Milk. 1.5 tablespoons.
Vanilla. ½ teaspoon.

How to Make the Mardi Gras King Cake?

First, while preheating the oven to 200 degrees, remove egg from fridge and place into a bowl of warm water for 5 minutes to bring it up to room temperature. While doing so, add warm milk, yeast and sugar to a bowl and stir with a fork or whisk. Let sit for 5 to 10 minutes. Subsequently, remember that if the yeast does not begin to bubble or grow in size, throw it out and start over.

After 10 minutes, pour yeast mixture, eggs, melted butter into the bottom of the stand mixer or whisk by hand. Mix until combined, then add flour, sugar, salt, and flour.

Then, turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead for 5 to 7 minutes. After the dough ball is nice and smooth, place 2 tablespoons of olive oil in the bottom of a large bowl and place dough on top. Cover and let rise in a warm place (preferably near the oven) for 60 minutes.

What do I do after it rests?

After 60 minutes, punch dough down to release the air. More so, turn out onto a lightly floured surface and knead once again for 1 to 2 minutes. Roll the dough out into a large rectangle, about 20 inches long. Brush on softened butter, cinnamon, and brown sugar. Cover the entire dough.

Next, sprinkle on pecans (this is optional). Tightly roll the dough long ways and if you need to use a bench scraper because your dough is sticking, use one.

Following that, roll the dough similarly to a jelly roll. Moreover, transfer to a parchment-lined baking dish bring the two ends together in a circle or oval shape, and seal with water or milk. Likewise, cover and let rise for an additional 60 mins. Brush with milk before baking. Bake in a 375-degree oven for 25-30 mins or until golden brown and let the cake cool for 15 to 20 minutes.

To make the glaze, combine powdered sugar, milk, or water and vanilla in a bowl and stir until smooth. Icing should be thick but pourable.

Traditionally a plastic baby is added to the cake at this point. Cut a small slit into the inside or outer side of the dough and slide in the plastic baby. Also, drizzle or pour glaze over the King cake. Sprinkle with green, yellow and purple sanding sugar. Serve and enjoy

Chef’s Notes:

As your Chef, I have a few tips for you to remember while making the king cake. First, in kneading, use the taco method. Fold over and press together. Fold over and press together.

Also, butter can be brushed on melted or softened. The butter can also be mixed with the brown sugar and cinnamon as a paste and added to the dough as well.

Lastly, the plastic baby is optional, but in New Orleans, the host of the party adds the baby to the cake so that as it is served, whoever gets the slice with the baby will be the following year’s host.