King’s Cake
Ingredients
Active Dry Yeast
Granulated Sugar
Whole Milk
Melted Butter, cooled
Egg Yolks
All Purpose Flour
Salt
Ground Nutmeg
Grated Lemon Zest
Filling
Cream Cheese or Neufchatel,
room temperature
Powdered Sugar
Lemon Glaze
Powdered Sugar
Lemon Juice
Whole Milk
Sprinkles for topping
Makes 1 Cake
½ ounce
4 ounces
8 ounces
4 ounces
5 each
1# 5 ½ ounces
3 grams
3 grams
1 lemon
½ cup
1 cup
½ cup
4 cups
2 teaspoons
1 teaspoon
1 teaspoon
8 ounces
3 ounces
½ cup
12 ounces
1 ½ ounces
½ - 1 ounce
2 cups
1-2 lemons
1-2 tablespoon
1. Warm whole milk with granulated sugar in the microwave for about 1 ½ minutes – until it reads 110
degrees F. Stir well to dissolve the sugar. Add the active dry yeast and stir. Let sit until foamy – about
10 minutes.
2. Meanwhile weigh out all of the dry ingredients into the bowl of an electric mixer (if your mixer has a
dough hook attachment) or combine in a large bowl. Please keep in mind that tough doughs like King’s
cake may wear out weaker mixers. Please take care when using your electric mixer.
3. Gently whisk the melted butter into the egg yolks. Then gently whisk the yeast mixture into the
melted butter and egg yolk mixture until completely mixed. Then combine the liquid ingredients into
the dry ingredients and whisk together until most of the ingredients are wet.
4. At this point you can put your dough on the mixer and mix on low speed with the dough hook for 11
minutes or knead it by hand until the dough is smooth, tender, and supple.
5. After the dough has been kneaded, place in a large lightly oiled bowl. Lightly covered the entire
dough with oil. Cover the entire bowl with a damp non-terry cloth towel (a smooth kitchen towel with
no fibers for the dough to get stuck to) and leave in a warm room for about 2 hours until it has doubled
in volume.
6. In a bowl, cream together the cream cheese and powdered sugar. Prepare a sheet pan by spraying it
with non-stick pan spray and lining it with parchment paper. Prepare a metal coffee can (about 2 lbs) or
a 6” cake ring by greasing the outside very well.
7. After the dough has risen, turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and punch it down. Roll
the dough out into a 6 x 30 inch rectangle. Spread the filling along the middle of the rectangle leaving
an inch border on the top and bottom margins of the rectangle and a ¼ inch border on the edges. Take
the top edge of the rectangle and fold in down to the bottom edge (aka fold it hot dog style) and seal
the seam with the heel of your palm. Work the dough into a cylinder shape (like a French baguette)
making sure the seam ends up on the bottom.
8. The two ends should still be open. Using a little water as glue, insert one end of the cylinder into the
open end of the other end (like a snake eating its own tail). Do your best to smooth the seams together
with a little water being careful not to get the dough too wet or to create a weird texture. The dough
should still be smooth.
9. Place the ring on the prepared sheet pan, then place the greased cake ring in the center of the dough
ring. The cake ring will help preserve the shape of the king cake while baking. Cover the entire sheet
pan with a damp non-terry cloth. Allow to rise for 45 minutes in a warm room.
10. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. After your dough has sat for 45 minutes, remove the cloth.
Prepare a simple egg wash with 1 egg, a teaspoon of water, and a pinch of salt and whisk together very
well. Dip a pastry brush into the egg wash, and covered your entire king cake ring in egg wash. This will
make your dough shiny, brown, and appetizing. This is optional. If you are looking for a dull matte finish
do not use egg wash.
11. Bake the dough at 350 degrees F on the middle rack for 30 minutes. To promote even heating,
place an empty sheet pan on the rack directly below the king cake.
12. Remove from the oven and cool completely. Meanwhile, combine the ingredients for the glaze
together and whisk well. Adjust the consistency with more lemon juice or more milk. It should be runny
but thick. If it’s too thick it won’t roll down the sides. If it’s too runny, it will roll down the sides and off
the cake creating a mess on the table. After your cake has cooled, carefully pour glaze on the top of
your king cake allowing it to carefully roll down the sides.
13. While the glaze is still wet, add yellow/gold, purple, and green sprinkles around the cake in a color
blocking pattern. Use lots of sprinkles as this cake is supposed to be gaudy and festive. For an added
finish, fill the center of the cake with sprinkles and the bottom edge around the ring (this will also act as
a dam to keep the icing from slip off the cake cardboard. You may need a large cake cardboard to plate
this cake – 13-14 inches.)
14. Cake is best when served immediately and is easiest cut with a serrated knife. To store, it must be
refrigerated because of the cream cheese filling. Serve warmed either by the microwave or in the oven
or at room temperature. Keep in mind your sprinkles will melt when warmed.