How to Bake a New Orleans Traditional King Cake

How to Bake a traditional king cake?

Do you want to bake the best king cake ever? Forget about buying a traditional king cake online and receiving a stale delivery from New Orleans, now you can bake a fresh, authentic king cake in your very own home. Just follow these step-by-step instructions and you will get a soft king cake to include in your list of Mardis Gras food ideas. Or try another seasonal favorite – Polish Paczki, or donuts, also used to celebrate the onset of lent. New to bread baking? Start with 12 Steps to Bread Baking – a guide to perfect bread.

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What is a traditional king Cake?

A King Cake, sometimes called a 3 Kings Cake or Mardis Gras Cake, is a sweet cake made traditionally during the carnival season. The season lasts from Epiphany (January 6th) to the start of Lent, typically falling late February or early March (4 weeks before Easter). The cake’s origins are from Europe. However, in the last century it has become synonymous with New Orleans and Mardis Gras. So much so, that New Orleans bakeries send these cakes to destinations all around the world. Anyone from New Orleans will readily fill you in on their emotional ties to this ubiquitous carnival party cake decorated in lively colors.

What’s behind those Colors?

Traditional King Cake colors include the following: Gold, Green and Purple. The colors are typically associated with royalty and respectively stand for power, faith and justice. Want to learn more about the King Cake tradition? I suggest one of these two articles: Southern Living’s The Real Meaning Behind The Mardi Gras King Cake or Eater’s The King Cake Tradition, Explained.

How to Bake a Soft but Authentic King Cake?

I use three methods to achieve a very soft but authentic King Cake. The first method I used is a modified Tahngzog method. I cooked a portion of the liquid and starch together (I call it modified because I also include the butter in my Tahnzog). The second method I used to achieve the softest and best king cake is to substitute potato flakes for a portion of the flour. Potato helps to make soft bread dough. Potato is a starch but once baked, it retains a lot more moisture than does flour. The third method I used is a simply syrup glaze. I put it on the King Cake as soon as it is removed from the oven. The glaze itself serves dual purpose. It helps to add and retain moisture and it adds an orange flavor to the cake.

SHARING IS CARING

Did you enjoy this post and recipe? Please share with your friends! Or better yet, bake one of these lovely traditional King Cakes and invite your friends for a Mardis Gras Party! Who will get the baby and be King for the day? So, so fun. Thanks for sharing and thanks for visiting! Bake One, Share One, Great Bread for All!

Print Recipe

5 from 3 votes

TRADITIONAL NEW ORLEANS KING CAKE

This recipe makes one traditional king cake (3 Kings Cake, Mardis Gras Cake). Serves 12 people. It's a perfect addition to Mardis Gras food ideas for a carnival party. Why order a king cake online when you can bake your own?!

Prep Time1 hour hr 30 minutes mins

Cook Time25 minutes mins

Proofing Time1 hour hr 30 minutes mins

Total Time3 hours hrs 25 minutes mins

Course: Breakfast, breakfast for dinner, brunch, Dessert, lunch

Cuisine: Christian, European, New Orleans

Keyword: 3 Kings Cake, Authentic King Cake, Best King Cake, carnival, carnivale, King Cake, King Cake Online, Mardis Gras, Traditional King Cake

Servings: 1 Cake

Author: Christina

Equipment

• Digital Scale metric
• Bowls various sizes, as needed
• 1 Saucepan medium
• Electric Mixer paddle and dough hook attachments
• Plastic wrap or kitchen towel
• Rolling Pin
• Bench Scraper (or knife)
• Parchment Paper
• Baking Sheet half sized sheet pan
• Pastry Brush

Ingredients

Tahnzog

• 90 ml Full Fat Milk (1/3 Cup + 1 T)
• 85 g Butter, Unsalted (6 T)
• 60 g Bread Flour (1/2 cup)

Bread Dough

• Tahnzog from above cooled to 100°F/38°C
• 150 ml Water, 100°F/38°C (scant 2/3 cup)
• 2 tsp Yeast
• 30 g Sugar (2.5 T)
• 2 ea Eggs
• 40 g Potato Flakes (1/2 cup)
• 1/2 tsp Sea Salt
• 340 g Bread Flour (2 ¾ cup)

Filling

• 150 g Brown Sugar (⅔ cup)
• 2.5 tsp Cinnamon, ground
• 2 T Butter, Unsalted
• pinch Sea Salt

Sugar Syrup

• 50 g Granulated Sugar (¼ cup)
• 80 ml Water (⅓ cup)
• 1 tsp Orange Extract

Confectioners Sugar Glaze

• 200 g Confectioners Sugar (1¾ cups)
• 2 T Water
• 1 tsp Vanilla Extract

Sanding Sugars

• Green Sanding Sugar
• Yellow Sanding Sugar
• Purple Sanding Sugar

Instructions

Mis En Place (weight ingredients and get equipment ready)

• Prepare a saucepan and an electric mixer with dough hook. Using a digital scale weigh ingredients for the Tahnzog and the Dough. Set aside.
  

Tahnzog

• Combine the milk and butter in a saucepan. Heat over medium heat until melted. Add flour and continue to stir for 3 minutes. Remove from the heat and allow to cool to 100°F/38°C.
  

Dough

• Mix water and yeast with a pinch of sugar. Set aside for 5-10 minutes to bloom.
• Pour yeast mixture, sugar, and potato flakes into the mixer bowl. Mix together with paddle attachment until all flakes are hydrated.
  
• Add eggs and tahnzog, mix until combined. Switch to dough hook.
  
• Add sea salt and flour, mix on low speed for 2 minutes.
  
• Switch speed two for 6-8 minutes until dough is thoroughly mixed (sticks to bottom of bowl and climbs the dough hook). Dough will be sticky to fingers when touched.
  
• Lightly coat a bowl with oil, scrape dough onto work surface, knead into a ball.
  
• Place the ball into the oiled bowl and cover tightly with plastic wrap or a damp kitchen towel.
  
• Set dough aside to bulk proof until doubled.
  
• Remove dough from bowl, punch dough down, and knead a few times into a ball. Place back into the bowl to proof a second time until doubled. Repeat one more time.
• While dough is proofing, scale ingredients for the filling and mix together the cinnamon, brown sugar, and salt. Allow butter to come to room temperature.
• Prepare half sheet pan with parchment paper sprayed with oil (or prepared with butter). Don't skip the oil as your king cake may stick.
• Prepare a work surface with a light coating of oil. Once dough has proofed twice, remove dough to the prepared work surface.
• Flatten dough with a rolling pin into a 12 x 24 in (30 x 60 cm) rectangle.
  
• Smear 75% of the dough with softened 2T of butter.
• Sprinkle butter with the filling and press down slightly.
  
• Roll the dough away from you to form a cylinder. Use a little water to pinch the cylinder tightly closed.
  
• Turn cylinder over so the seam is on the bottom and then turn it around so it is perpendicular to you.
  
• Starting 1" (2.5 cm) from the top of the cylinder, cut it in half long ways down the center.
  
• Starting at the top, twist the two halves together to the bottom.
  
• Move the twisted dough to the prepared sheet pan. Form the dough into a 10"(25 cm) circle. Pinch ends together.
  
• Cover the prepared dough with plastic wrap or a damp kitchen towel. Set aside to double in size.
• Prepare the simply syrup. Mix sugar and water and heat over medium-high heat stirring continuously until it thickens/reduces by half. Remove from the heat and mix in 1 tsp of orange extract. Set aside.
• Preheat oven to 350°F. Once dough has doubled, remove plastic wrap and place into the preheated oven. Bake for 15 minutes, turn tray 180° and bake for 15 more minutes (30 minutes total). Your king cake is done when a digital thermometer inserted into the center reaches 190°F (90°C).
  
• Using a pastry brush, coat the baked king cake with the simple syrup as soon as it is removed from the oven. Move to a cooling rack.
• Prepare the sugar glaze. Scale the powdered sugar into a bowl. Mix in the water and vanilla extract until smooth.
• Once king cake is cooled, decorate one section at a time by coating with the sugar glaze and sprinkling with the first of three colors.
  
• Repeat with the sugar glaze on another section, sprinkling with the second of three colors. Repeat again and sprinkle with the third color. Repeat and alternate colors until the entire cake is decorated.
  
• If using a plastic baby, insert it into the bottom of the cake once it is cooled.
  
• Slice, Share with Friends, and Enjoy!