Authentic Mardi Gras King Cake Recipe

Ingredients

• 1 cup milk
• 0.25 cup butter
• 0.67 cup warm water (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)
• 2 (.25 ounce) packages active dry yeast
• 0.5 cup white sugar, divided
• 2 eggs eggs
• 1.5 teaspoons salt
• 0.5 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
• 5.5 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 cup packed brown sugar
• 0.67 cup chopped pecans
• 0.5 cup all-purpose flour
• 0.5 cup raisins
• 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
• 0.5 cup melted butter
• 1 cup confectioners' sugar
• 1 tablespoon water
• 1 plastic baby doll
• purple, green, and gold sanding sugar

Instructions

1. Get all of your ingredients ready.
2. For the dough: Warm the milk in a saucepan over medium heat, stirring often, until it steams and small bubbles appear, around 5 minutes. Take off the heat and mix in the butter until melted and fully combined, about 2 minutes. Let the mixture cool to room temperature, about 15 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, in a large bowl, combine warm water, yeast, and 1 tablespoon of sugar. Allow to sit until foamy, about 10 minutes.
4. Add the cooled milk mixture, eggs, salt, nutmeg, and the remaining 7 tablespoons of sugar to the yeast mixture. Whisk until combined, about 30 seconds.
5. Using an electric mixer with a dough hook attachment, gradually add the flour to the yeast mixture, 1 cup at a time. Mix on medium speed until the dough comes together, about 3 minutes.
6. Place the dough on a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic, adding more flour as needed, 8 to 10 minutes.
7. Put the dough in a lightly oiled bowl, turning to coat. Cover with a damp cloth or plastic wrap. Let rise in a warm spot until doubled in size, about 1 ½ hours. Once risen, punch it down and divide it in half.
8. Place the dough on a lightly floured surface. Roll each half into a 10x16-inch rectangle, dusting the surface and rolling pin with flour if necessary.
9. For the filling: In a medium bowl, mix together brown sugar, pecans, flour, raisins, and cinnamon. Pour melted butter on top and mix until it's crumbly.
10. Spread the filling evenly over the dough, about 1 cup per cake. Use your hands or a spatula to press it into the dough.
11. Starting at one of the long ends, tightly roll each dough rectangle into a log.
12. Bring the ends of each roll together, pinching the seams to create 2 oval-shaped rings. Place each ring, seam side down, on a large baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Use scissors to make cuts 1/3 of the way through the rings at 1-inch intervals.
13. Cover with plastic wrap or a damp towel, and let rise in a warm place until doubled in size, 30 to 45 minutes. In the meantime, preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
14. Bake both rings in the preheated oven, placing them in the upper and lower thirds. Bake until golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, or a thermometer reads 190 F, about 25 minutes. Rotate the sheet trays 180 degrees and switch their positions halfway through baking for even browning. Some filling might leak.
15. Remove the cakes and carefully insert 1 doll into the bottom of each warm cake. Let cool slightly, about 30 minutes.
16. For the glaze: In a small bowl, whisk together confectioners' sugar and 2 tablespoons of water until smooth. Add another 1 tablespoon of water if needed to reach the desired consistency.
17. Spread the glaze evenly over the tops of both warm cakes.
18. Immediately sprinkle sanding sugar over the glaze, if desired.

Nutrition

• Calories: 437 kcal
• Fat Content: 14 g
• Fiber Content: 2 g
• Sugar Content: 35 g
• Sodium Content: 141 mg
• Protein Content: 7 g
• Cholesterol Content: 48 mg
• Carbohydrate Content: 73 g
• Saturated Fat Content: 6 g
• Unsaturated Fat Content: 0 g