King Cake Recipe (Beginner Friendly)

Make the dough:

1. In a small saucepan over medium-low heat, warm up the milk, sugar, and salt long enough to dissolve the sugar, and warm it up to 120-130F. If it's hotter than that, let it cool down to that temperature range before you pour it into the flour and yeast.
2. In the bowl of the stand mixer, add 2 ½ cups of flour and the yeast. Give it a mix using the paddle attachment, on low for about 30 seconds.
3. With the mixer on low, add the milk mixture, once cooled down to the right temperature, and vanilla, until it's incorporated. Add the eggs, one at a time, and mix until a stringy/shaggy dough forms.
4. Switch the paddle attachment to the dough hook and slowly add the remaining 1 cup of flour, adding a little more if needed to make a soft dough.
5. Add the softened butter, a few pieces at a time, while kneading until each piece is absorbed. Then, knead on low speed for 10 minutes, adjusting the dough moisture if needed by adding ¼ teaspoon to the sides or a few sprays of water with a misting bottle, and stopping the machine to scrape the sides if needed.
6. Transfer the dough out of the stand mixer bowl onto a floured surface. Knead it a few times with your hands until it's smooth and elastic enough to be shaped into a round ball of dough.

First rise:

1. Grease the sides of a large bowl with butter, a little oil, or spray, and place the dough inside. Cover with plastic wrap and let it rise until it's doubled in size, about 1 to 1.5h on the counter -this can vary based on the ambient temperature.
2. Meanwhile, make the cinnamon filling in a small bowl by combining the brown sugar, cinnamon, and softened butter with your hands, to create a crumbly cinnamon mixture.

Shape and fill the dough:

1. Remove the dough from the bowl onto a floured surface and knead it a few times. Shape it into a large rectangle, about 10x16 inches in size.
2. Distribute the cinnamon sugar filling over the rectangular dough.
3. Beginning on one of the long ends, roll the dough into a log. Lift the log and transfer it onto a parchment-lined baking sheet. Shape it into a ring, pinching the seams lightly to seal the ends. With scissors, cut slits along the top of the ring, to let the steam out while baking.

Second rise:

1. Cover the baking sheet and the shaped dough with a large, clean kitchen towel or with plastic wrap and let it rise for 45 minutes.

Bake the King Cake:

1. Preheat the oven to 350F and position the top baking rack in the middle of the oven. You don't want the king cake too high, see notes for high-altitude baking.
2. Bake the king cake in the preheated oven for 30-35 minutes until the top is golden and the internal temperature of the king cake is between 180F and 190F. You can use a meat thermometer for this. Remove it from the oven and let it fully cool down before icing.

Decorate the King Cake:

1. Mix the icing ingredients in a bowl.
2. Transfer the cooled king cake onto a tray, board, or platter you plan on using to serve it on.
3. Hide the baby, if using, in the cake by lifting it from the bottom and pushing the king cake baby into the king cake.
4. Pour the white icing generously over the king cake, and sprinkle with colored sugars.

Storage:

1. Keep the King Cake on the counter up to overnight if planning on serving it the next day. Store leftover king cake or slices by wrapping them with plastic wrap or inside an air-tight container for up to 3 days. If it feels a little dry, microwave each slice for 10 seconds before serving.