| Level: | Advanced |
| Total: | 12 hr 55 min |
| Prep: | 45 min |
| Inactive: | 11 hr 30 min |
| Cook: | 40 min |
| Yield: | 12 servings |
Ingredients
- 1/3 cup milk
- 1 package active dry yeast
- 2 1/2 cups bread flour, plus more for dusting
- 2 large egg yolks, plus 2 eggs
- 3 tablespoons granulated sugar
- Finely grated zest of 1 lemon
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
- 1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter, melted and cooled, plus more for greasing the bowl
- 1/2 cup golden raisins
- 1/4 cup bourbon
- 3/4 cup packed dark brown sugar
- 2/3 cup toasted pecans, chopped
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 2 teaspoons grated orange zest
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 dry bean or plastic King Cake baby (available at party-supply stores or mardigrasday.com)
- 1/2 cup confectioners’ sugar
- Purple, green and gold sanding sugar, for decorating
Instructions
- For the cake:
- Heat the milk in a saucepan until scalding; transfer to a food processor, add the yeast and pulse to combine. Add 1/2 cup flour and the egg yolks; process to combine. Pour the remaining 2 cups flour evenly over the yeast mixture; do not process. Put the lid on; set aside for 90 minutes.
- Add the 2 whole eggs, granulated sugar, lemon zest, salt and nutmeg to the food processor; process to make a slightly textured dough, about 1 minute. With the machine running, slowly add the butter to make a smooth, sticky dough. Transfer the dough to a lightly buttered bowl and cover tightly with plastic wrap; let rise in a warm place for 3 hours. Turn the dough out onto a clean surface and knead briefly; form into a ball and return to the bowl. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 8 hours or overnight.
- For the filling:
- Plump the raisins in the bourbon in a small saucepan over medium heat. Remove from the heat and add the brown sugar, pecans, vanilla, cinnamon, orange zest, salt and the bean or plastic baby; mix until combined and set aside.
- On a floured surface, roll the dough into a 20-by-7-inch rectangle, with the long edge facing you. Spoon the filling in an even layer over the dough, leaving a 1-inch border along the top and bottom. Fold the bottom and then the top edge over the filling to make a tight roll; pinch to seal. Transfer the roll seam-side down to a parchment-lined baking sheet; tuck one end into the other to form a ring. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and set aside in a warm place until the roll doubles in size, about 2 hours.
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Bake the cake until firm and golden brown, about 40 minutes. Cool on a rack.
- For the glaze: Mix 3 tablespoons water with the confectioners’ sugar; brush 3 tablespoons glaze over the cake. Sprinkle with bands of colored sugar; drizzle with more glaze.
Nutrition Facts
| Serving Size | 1 of 12 servings |
| Calories | 399 |
| Total Fat | 18 g |
| Saturated Fat | 8 g |
| Carbohydrates | 52 g |
| Dietary Fiber | 3 g |
| Sugar | 27 g |
| Protein | 7 g |
| Cholesterol | 88 mg |
| Sodium | 251 mg |
Reviews
Best tasting king cake I’ve ever made.
Just don’t add the raisins or pecans.. they DO NOT belong in a true Mardi Gras King Cake!!!
Loved it and took the advice from one of the reviews & added a 1/2 lb of cream cheese to the filling and doubled the filling.
great recipe. The cake comes out perfect, with a nice crispy crust. I doubled the filling as others recommended, and I kneaded in a half pound of cream cheese in the filling as well. Everyone was moaning over it…there were plenty of kisses for the chef after this one…
This was perfect as is. My colleages have devoured it. I have never used a bean before but I used a large dried lima aund it was easy to identify. This was more convenient than trying to find a plastic baby.
Excellent! A wonderful dough to work with and to eat. A very airy, light dough. I baked it for 35 minutes and it was cooked through and too dark. Next time I would bake it for 35 minutes and tent it with foil during the last 10 minutes. I didn’t double the filling and it was fine. Using the food processor worked out. I actually liked this method better as opposed to using the Kitchen Aid mixer.
This is very good recipe. BTW, I bake King Cake every year for many years and have never had a baby melt.
Oh My Goodness was this cake/bread GOOD or what!!! I dont think I’ll be able to wait till next year to make it again. Got lots of compliments.
I followed it as close as I could. Used a Food Processor and realized I should have used my KitchenAid. Used Brandy instead of Bourbon and used ground Nutmeg instead of fresh. This filling might not be authentic but it was out-of-control good. I did use WARM milk for the yeast and doubled the filling as others here recommended. And I’m glad I did.
Try this recipe, you won’t regret it.
I followed it as close as I could. Used a Food Processor and realized I should have used my KitchenAid. Used Brandy instead of Bourbon and used ground Nutmeg instead of fresh. This filling might not be authentic but it was out-of-control good. I did use WARM milk for the yeast and doubled the filling as others here recommended. And I’m glad I did.
Try this recipe, you won’t regret it.
I thought this king cake was very good! I have been making king cakes for a couple years now since my best friend is from NOLA and doesn’t get to make it home very often. I have not had a traditional New Orleans king cake but these are good.
One alteration I made was that I only cooked it for 30 minutes. My oven doesn’t usually run hot but at 30 minutes it was done.
Also I am confused why people are so upset about the filling. I watched a special about a bakery in NOLA that specializes in King Cakes and they showed a plethora of filling options. I think the filling is an opportunity to make it your own. I did omit the raisins but otherwise I followed the recipe to the letter.
Happy Mardi Gras!
I made this for a Mardi Gras party, and it came out delicious. The dough was very simple to make and was tender, flaky, and slightly chewy. The filling was also fantastic. I did not have bourbon, so I used Jack Daniels whiskey instead, which worked fine. I omitted the raisins after reading many complaints about them being an inauthentic addition. Next time I will double the filling because it was skimpy on the filling to begin with and some of it also leaked out during cooking.