Easy King Cake Recipe

This Easy King Cake Recipe uses frozen bread dough as a shortcut to create a soft, cinnamon-swirled Mardi Gras classic with minimal effort. Inspired by the traditional New Orleans King Cake recipe, it’s meant for celebrating Carnival season at home.

Author: Pesto & Potatoes

Meal Type: Peanuts Free

Cuisine: American

Difficulty: MEDIUM

Prep. Time: 25 minutes

Cook Time: 22 minutes

Total Time: 47 minutes

Servings: 10 servings

Calories: 244 kcal per serving

Ingredients

1 loaf - frozen white bread dough
2 tablespoons - butter
⅓ cup - brown sugar
2 teaspoons - ground cinnamon
¼ tsp - kosher salt
1 ½ cups - powdered sugar
3 tablespoons - milk
½ tsp - almond extract
purple, green, and gold sanding sugar
plastic baby

Instructions

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Roll thawed dough into a 10-inch by 16-inch rectangle on a lightly floured surface.
Brush with melted butter. Combine brown sugar, cinnamon, and salt. Sprinkle evenly over the dough, leaving about 1 inch around the entire rectangle.
Roll tightly into a log. Transfer to baking sheet and form into a ring, pinching together the ends.
Cover loosely and let rise for 30 minutes, until slightly puffed. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F during rise time.
Bake on the middle rack for 22 to 24 minutes, until golden brown. Cool completely.
Whisk powdered sugar, milk, and almond extract together in a medium bowl. Drizzle over cake.
Top with colored sugars in alternating stripes. Let set up a bit before slicing.
Insert plastic baby from the bottom, if desired. Slice and serve.

Nutrition