Name: Super Easy King Cake
Prep time: 60 min
Cook time: 35 min
Ingredients: 1 roll frozen bread dough (thawed); 8 ounces cream cheese (softened); 1 cup powdered sugar; 1 teaspoon lemon extract; 1-1/2 cups confectioners' sugar; 3 tablespoons milk (more if needed but stir this amount first, you’ll be surprised how far this goes!); 1 teaspoon clear butter or vanilla flavoring

Celebrate Mardi Gras with a slice of colorful and scrumptious king cake, thanks to this incredibly easy king cake recipe.

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Alright, folks, it’s confession time here at Southern Plate. You see that king cake up there? Well, that was the first time in my entire life that I’ve ever made a king cake recipe or had a bite of one. After tasting this recipe though, it will NOT be the last time! I’m already craving more and plan on making it for breakfast (without all the sprinkles though).

Now for those of you who have also never made a king cake, let me tell you this was INCREDIBLY EASY to make! Taste-wise it is kind of like a cinnamon coffee cake or a cinnamon roll, only without the oh-my-gosh sweetness, which is why I liked it so much. If you like desserts (or coffee treats) with just a touch of sweetness that is a little filling, this one is perfect. Now, if the sprinkles and such turn you off, ignore the glitter and make it for breakfast. It is truly life changin’ y’all. You’ll thrill your family and have a new favorite!

A Mardi Gras tradition

Some of you are probably surprised that I’ve never had a king cake before. I’ve never in all my born days celebrated Mardi Gras, even though the original Mardi Gras celebration took place in my beloved Alabama. Mobile still has a Mardi Gras celebration each year and I’ve read that it is actually very family-friendly.

The traditional colors of the king cake For Mardi Gras

Now purists (because I’m sure there are Mardi Gras purists out there in Southern Plate land) will notice that the colors on my king cake are a little varied from the traditional. Each color on the cake symbolizes something and since I made the cake in my kitchen, I used different colors to symbolize different things. Hey, your kitchen, your rules!

Traditional king cake colors:

Purple– to symbolize Justice

Green – to symbolize Faith

Gold – to symbolize Power

Here is what I chose the colors to stand for:

Green – to symbolize Faith

Gold – to symbolize Power

Pink – to symbolize that the grocery store didn’t have purple and I didn’t want to go all over tarnation looking for it.

Now let’s get to baking…

King cake recipe ingredients

Frozen white bread dough
Cream cheese (click here for our homemade cream cheese recipe)
Confectioners’ sugar
Lemon extract
Sprinkles

Plus flour to dust surfaces and the rolling pin.

How to make this king cake recipe step by step

Let your bread dough thaw completely.

Tip: If the loaf is frozen and you don’t have time to thaw…

I seldom think to do this ahead of time, so I set my loaf on a plate in the microwave and microwave it for thirty seconds. Then I flip it over and do another thirty seconds and then let it sit a bit to finish thawing. It thaws much faster this way, but if your microwave cooks a little fast you will want to do less time.

Okay, now roll that out on a lightly floured surface, using extra flour on your rolling pin to keep it from sticking.

Rhodes Bread Loaf Recipe says to roll it out to about 10×18 inches. I say to roll it out about that or until you get close enough and are tired of fooling with it!

Now, in a mixing bowl place your cream cheese and powdered sugar.

Now add your lemon extract.

In a stand mixer, mix that up until it is all smooth and creamy, scraping down the sides.

Plop that cream cheese filling right on the thaw and rolled dough.

Spread the cream cheese mix onto the dough.

Now roll that dough up and pinch its edges closed. I also brush some water over the final edge before pinching it closed to help with the seal.

Next form a ring like this and pinch the ends together. You may need to brush with some more water to seal it.

Now some instructions will tell you to spray the plastic wrap before setting it on the ring. But I spray the ring where the wrap will be touching it to keep it from sticking to the wrap when it rises. Set the dough on a baking sheet, cover with the wrap, and let it sit for 45 to 60 minutes.

Here is our risen dough.

Tip to get the dough to rise

What I often do is start my oven and let it preheat for just a minute or so and then I turn it off. Open the door to just make sure it is only warm in there and then place your dough in there to rise.

Bake that dough for 30 to 35 minutes and look at that beauty!

Next, let’s make the icing. You’ll need confectioners’ sugar, milk, and the flavoring of your choice. See the recipe card for suggestions. I like to add butter flavoring but you could add vanilla or more lemon extract. Do whatever cranks your tractor!

Add all the icing ingredients to a medium-size mixing bowl.

Stir until smooth and creamy.

If not yet good enough to drizzle, add 1/2 teaspoon of water at a time to get it to the consistency you want.

Drizzle that icing over the cake.

It will look something like this. If you wanted this to be a simple cinnamon coffee cake-type treat you could stop here and serve.

But if you want the traditional king cake, well then, let’s get those sprinkles (whether they’re store-bought or colored sugar prepared at home)…

Start sprinkling in alternate colors.

Keep going!

There you have it! This king cake recipe is now ready to serve.

If you like, take some to family and friends or just enjoy yourself with a cup of your favorite drink.

Storage

You can store your king cake in an airtight container in the fridge for up to one week or in the freezer for one week.

Recipe Notes

You’re going to need an obscene amount of sprinkles if you want to make this into a king cake. But as I said, I’ll be making it again and again without the sprinkles so if you want to leave them off go for it. If you want to add festive sprinkles or sanding sugar and have some on hand but they are the wrong color, just invent your own festival and say those are what your colors stand for. No sense in spending extra money here if we don’t have to. Alternatively, if you want to stick to tradition, you can make your own sprinkles. It’s so easy to make colored sugar at home. Just place white sugar with a few drops of food coloring in an airtight container and shake to combine.
I really do recommend buying the lemon extract though because that little hint of lemon just makes this recipe. Use lemon juice if you’re in a pinch!

Recipe FAQs

Where did the king cake tradition come from?

It looks like it came over from France and was brought to New Orleans in 1870. If you are interested in learning more about king cake history. check out this article.

What is the king cake baby?

Traditionally, a small porcelain baby that symbolized Jesus was hidden in the king cake. A way for New Orleans residents to celebrate their Christian faith, the person who found the king cake baby would have good luck for the year. Today, people often place small plastic babies within the cake once cooked. You can find them on Amazon or at your local party store.

Why is the king cake oval?

King cakes are oval-shaped to symbolize the unity of faiths. For more on the tradition around king cakes, you might find this article interesting.