Mardi Gras King Cake (Printable)

Tender brioche-style cake with cinnamon swirl and vibrant icing, ideal for festive celebrations.

# What You'll Need:

→ Dough

01 - 3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
02 - 1/2 cup whole milk, lukewarm
03 - 1/4 cup warm water
04 - 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
05 - 1/3 cup granulated sugar
06 - 2 large eggs, room temperature
07 - 2 1/4 tsp active dry yeast (1 packet)
08 - 1/2 tsp fine sea salt
09 - 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
10 - 1 tsp vanilla extract

→ Cinnamon Swirl Filling

11 - 1/2 cup light brown sugar, packed
12 - 2 tbsp unsalted butter, melted
13 - 1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

→ Icing & Decoration

14 - 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
15 - 2–3 tbsp milk
16 - 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
17 - Purple, green, and gold sanding sugar

# Directions:

01 - Combine warm water, a pinch of sugar, and yeast in a small bowl. Let stand until foamy, about 5 minutes.
02 - Whisk together milk, eggs, softened butter, sugar, salt, nutmeg, and vanilla in a mixing bowl. Add the foamy yeast mixture.
03 - Gradually add flour, mixing until a soft dough forms. Knead by hand or with a dough hook for 8–10 minutes until smooth and elastic.
04 - Place dough in a greased bowl, cover, and let rise in a warm place until doubled in size, about 1–1.5 hours.
05 - Punch down dough and turn onto a lightly floured surface. Roll into a 10x20 inch rectangle. Mix brown sugar and cinnamon, brush rectangle with melted butter, and sprinkle mixture evenly.
06 - Roll up tightly from the long side to form a log. Pinch seam to seal. Transfer to a parchment-lined baking sheet and shape into a ring, pinching ends together. Optionally hide a plastic baby inside.
07 - Cover and let rise until puffy, about 45 minutes. Preheat oven to 350°F.
08 - Bake 25–30 minutes until golden brown. Cool completely on a wire rack.
09 - Stir powdered sugar, milk, and vanilla until smooth and pourable. Drizzle over cooled cake. Immediately sprinkle colored sugars in sections for the traditional Mardi Gras look.

# Cooking Tips:

01 -
  • The brioche dough is incredibly tender, worth every minute of the rising time
  • That cinnamon sugar swirl creates ribbons of gooey sweetness throughout every slice
  • Decorating with the traditional purple green and gold sugars feels like painting edible confetti
02 -
  • Temperature matters: milk that is too hot will kill the yeast, while too cold will not activate it properly
  • Do not rush the rising time, as this develops both flavor and texture in the dough
  • The baby or bean should be tucked into the underside of the cooled cake, not baked inside
03 -
  • Use kitchen shears to trim any uneven edges before rolling for a neater swirl
  • Work quickly once the dough is rolled out, as the butter can soften and make the filling tricky to contain

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