This King Cake with Cream Cheese Filling will transport you straight to New Orleans during Mardi Gras season with its sweet dough, soft baked cream cheese filling, and a luscious brown sugar cinnamon filling. It’s the perfect bite!
If you’re looking for other recipes to add to your Mardi Gras party, try my King Cake Beignets, Ramos Gin Fizz, New Orleans Seafood File Gumbo, and Red Beans and Rice.
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- Latest Recipe Video:
- What is Mardi Gras in New Orleans?
- What do they put inside king cakes?
- Have you ever questioned why there is a miniature doll inside king cake?
- Key Ingredients
- How to Make King Cake with Cream Cheese Filling Recipe
- Pro Recipe Tips and Tricks
- FAQs
- More Mardi Gras Party Food Recipes
- Before You Begin
- 📖 Recipe
As a New Orleanian, I’ve eaten my way through several types of king cakes, moist, dry, too sweet, not sweet enough, in various shapes, with tons of icing to no icing, and with spray-painted icing. I’ve had them traditional with no filling (my favorite), cream cheese filled, barbarian cream filled, stuffed with chocolate, fruit filling, coconut, and pecan praline.
Regardless of the king cake, the most important thing is to have a buttery, tender, and sweet dough with a cinnamon flavor covered with icing.
What is Mardi Gras in New Orleans?
As the countdown to Mardi Gras begins, King Cake season commences between Twelfth Night and Fat Tuesday – a moveable holiday relative to Easter. Tourists from around the globe come together in New Orleans at this time of year for one purpose: indulging in Mardi Gras!
The iconic king cake pastry is awaited each season by locals and visitors lining up outside their favorite bakeries to get their favorite king cake until they’re no longer served once the Lenten season begins (you can buy king cakes all year long in New Orleans).
As you gaze upon the mesmerizing beauty of a traditional king cake, it’s hard not to get lost in its brioche dough, cinnamon filling, cream cheese, fruit fillings, and vibrant sugary icing. This delightful pastry is truly an experience unique to New Orleans food and culture for both your eyes and taste buds!
Top places to get king cake in New Orleans from a locals perspective.
- Loretta’s Authentic Pralines
- Dong Phuong Bakery Restaurant
- Haydel’s Bakery
- Mandy Randazoo
Here’s the Ultimate King Cake Guide from NewOrleans.com. They’ll show you the range and elevation of King Cakes in New Orleans.
What do they put inside king cakes?
They put a miniature doll inside of king cakes. It is a Mardi Gras tradition celebrated annually in New Orleans, Louisiana, and Mobile, Al.
Have you ever questioned why there is a miniature doll inside king cake?
For many years, Mardi Gras and king cake have been intertwined in the cultural traditions of New Orleans. This scrumptious practice was inspired by an ancient biblical tale referencing the Three Wise Men bearing gifts to baby Jesus.
It symbolizes luck for those fortunate enough to get it in their slice; they will be required to provide another king cake before carnival season ends! So don’t forget that if you find that tiny baby nestled inside your portion during celebrations, it’s on you to initiate yet another round of festivities with more delicious food!
Key Ingredients
Before you start whipping up this king cake recipe, look at this list of ingredients to ensure you have everything you need.
All-Purpose Flour
I always use unbleached all-purpose flour for baking, and the extra protein in the powder makes it great for bread and rolls.
Yeast
Incorporating yeast will create luscious, velvet layers that you won’t be able to resist. I use fast active dry yeast.
Butter Shortening
Shortening provides the king cake with a longer lasting moistness and tenderness than butter could ever offer
Cream Cheese
This is not the time to use low-fat cream cheese; go all in with quality cream cheese like Philadelphia.
Cinnamon Sugar
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Like the iconic cinnamon roll, king cakes are traditionally filled with a delectable combination of brown sugar and cinnamon.
Vanilla Extract
We will add vanilla to the king cake dough, cream cheese filling, and icing. Always use pure vanilla extract.
King Cake Baby
The original baby was a bean, but as the Mardi Gras tradition grew, a small plastic baby was incorporated into the Mardi Gras king cake tradition.
Powdered Sugar
We need this to make our icing/glaze. Plus, the icing will act as the glue for the colored sanding sugar.
Colored Sanding Sugar
Traditional king cakes are coated in an array of vibrant colors, including purple, green, and yellow/gold sanding sugar.
How to Make King Cake with Cream Cheese Filling Recipe
The key to making a king cake is organization and patience. This is a labor of love, but with a bit of grace, you’ll be eating homemade king cake in no time. Also, keep about ½-3/4 cup of flour for your hands and for rolling out the dough. Lightly dust your palms to prevent the dough from sticking to your hands.
One important tip, if you’re a rookie or novice with yeasted doughs, give yourself grace and have fun because you’ll make mistakes shaping your first few king cakes.
King Cake Dough:
I first like to preheat my oven to 170°F/ warm, then turn it off as soon as it reaches temperature; this is my home proofing box. Professional kitchens use proofing boxes to help yeasted doughs rise, and yeast needs to be kept between 80°F – 90°F to rise properly.
Add yeast and warm milk to your stand mixer bowl. Wait until the yeast blooms, about 5-10 minutes. Add sugar, kosher salt, shortening, egg, vanilla extract, cinnamon, and half the flour, connect the dough hook attachment and mix on low for 30 seconds. Add remaining flour and mix on low for 5 minutes; stop the stand mixer to scrape the sides of the bowl to help all the flour get mixed. Your dough should be soft to touch.
On a lightly floured surface, knead the dough 20 times until the dough is smooth. You could mix it for an additional 2 minutes to do the same job, but I like to get my hands dirty. Pop into a lightly greased bowl, cover with plastic wrap and pop in the warm oven for 30 minutes to 1 hour until the dough is slightly larger in size.
Cinnamon Sugar Mixture:
Mix brown sugar, cinnamon, and kosher salt in a medium bowl.
Cream Cheese Filling:
Mix cream cheese, sugar, flour, egg yolks, and vanilla in a medium bowl until smooth. Place in a piping bag or into a quart-size storage bag, and cut ¾ -1 inch off the tip for a homemade piping bag.
Shaping the king cake:
This step can be simple by connecting the two ends and shaping the dough into a giant circular, oval, or rectangular cinnamon roll. If you want to play with your food, follow the braiding technique below and watch the youtube short below.
Preheat the oven for proofing again. On a lightly floured surface, roll dough to ¼ inch thickness and form into a circular shape (a little larger than a medium pizza 12-inch). Brush with oil and spread the cinnamon sugar mixture evenly over the dough.
Cut into 3 equal length strips and pipe cream cheese mixture down the middle (this will be the time to add any cherry or strawberry fruit filling). Push the cinnamon sugar in ½ inch from the sides. Brush both sides of the dough with egg wash, don’t worry about getting some cinnamon sugar on your brush. Fold one edge over the cream cheese, tuck and roll the dough like a cinnamon roll.
Gently press the ends of each dough into the center roll. Fold the right over the center, then fold the left over the right, repeat until the end, then press the edges together. Transfer to a parchment or foiled-lined baking sheet and bring the two ends together, forming a circle.
Cover with a towel and rest for 30 minutes in the oven. Turn oven to 350°F; Brush with egg wash before baking. Bake for 25-27 minutes until golden brown.
Cool the king cake for 20 minutes before placing the baby inside a secret spot.
Icing:
While the king cake cools, in a large bowl, whisk together powdered sugar, milk, vanilla, and salt until smooth, runny but thick; then pour evenly over the king cake.
Sprinkle the yellow sanding sugar in a cross shape on top, bottom, left, and right. Then repeat with the remaining colors. Enjoy immediately or cover with plastic wrap and keep in a cool place.
New Orleans Tip: Once you use a knife on a king cake, it remains with it until the cake is gone. Do NOT change knives unless it falls on the floor.
Whoever gets the baby has to provide the next king cake, so send them this blog link.
Pro Recipe Tips and Tricks
Here are a few notes I had for this New Orleans Mardi Gras classic!
- No stand mixer? No, worries, use a large bowl to combine dough until a soft dough ball forms. Then continue following the recipe.
- If needed, you can swap the flour for a gluten-free version or bread flour. I recommend King Arthur or Bob’s Red Mill Gluten-Free 1-to-1 Baking Flour.
- Feel free to use any milk or non-dairy milk you want for this recipe.
- Brush the rolled out dough with 4 tablespoons of melted butter instead of the oil. It’ll add a great buttery cinnamon sugar flavor to the final results.
- Looking to serve a larger crowd? Double the recipe for an even bigger and more impressive king cake that can feed up to 20-24 people! After all, there’s no better way to kick off a celebration than with this delicious treat.
- Why not make your own sanding sugar? Using a plant-based food coloring, such as this healthy food-grade option, is the way to go! Follow the package directions to make the colors.
- You can spray on the purple, yellow, and green colors! Here’s the link to my favorite food-grade coloring spray.
- Your king cake will stay fresh when stored at room temperature for up to 4 days if you cover it tightly with plastic wrap. After the second day, I recommend reheating it in the microwave for 10-15 seconds to refresh it.
- It’s easy to stuff your favorite fruit filling inside the king cake. Add a few dollops when you add the cream cheese or omit the cream cheese for only fruit filling. Regardless if you make your own or use canned pie filling.
- Feel free to add lemon juice instead of milk for a tangier icing.
FAQs
Here are the top questions readers have about making king cake with cream cheese filling.
More Mardi Gras Party Food Recipes
If you’re planning a menu loaded with Mardi Gras party food, I know you’ll want these recipes too!
- Dirty Rice
- Blackened Chicken Alfredo
- Barbecue Shrimp and Grits
- Crawfish Etouffee
- Roast Beef Po Boys
- Crispy Southern Fried Chicken
- New Orleans Hurricane Drinks
- Mambo Frozen Daiquiris
- Classic New Orleans Beignets
Before You Begin
Here are my steps for getting organized and moving fast in the kitchen.
Step 1: Preheat oven to 170°F before pulling the ingredients out. Get all ingredients for the king cake on the counter.
Step 2: Measure everything out.
Step 3: We don’t want surprises, so ensure your oven is heated correctly to 170°F.
Step 4: Start following the recipe and get ready for the best homemade king cake with cream cheese filling you’ve ever had!
Making king cake is a fun and delicious way to celebrate Mardi Gras at home! My king cake recipe is sure to be a hit. I hope you’ve enjoyed learning about king cakes, how to store them, and other Mardi Gras party food! Leave a comment below and let me know what you think of the king cake recipe – don’t forget to leave a star rating and share it with your friends and family on social media!
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