Make King Cake from scratch with this Easy King Cake With Cream Cheese Filling recipe! Soft and fluffy, filled with sweet cream cheese and topped with a classic icing & DIY colored sugars, this King Cake smells and taste like cinnamon, butter, and actual heaven.
With step-by-step pictures & detailed instructions for guaranteed success!
Easy King Cake With Cream Cheese Filling
Hey loves, it’s King Cake szn!!!! So today I’m here to show you how to make your own King Cake at home!
This baby is ultra soft & fluffy and uses my master brioche recipe as a base. I know King Cake might come across as a bit intimidating because there are so many steps but it’s actually very easy to make and I’ll also have step-by-step pictures to guide you through the whole process!
To make this King Cake super flavorful I used a mix of cinnamon, nutmeg, almond, and orange extract that will make your house smell like an actual bakery ⏤ you’ll love it!!!
For the icing, I used a classic icing recipe with powdered sugar & milk (plus a hint of lemon extract but it’s optional) that will harden in 1-2 hours… *IF* you can handle waiting that long before digging into this cake. I could never.
And I’ll also show you how to make your own DIY colored sugars so you don’t have to get those huge bags of dyed sugars that you’ll never use again lol. You can use white granulated sugar or white sanding sugar for this (I used granulated).
So let’s get started & laissez les bons temps rouler!! 💛💚💜
What is a King Cake?
King Cake is an oval-shaped cake made of sweet dough & filled with cream cheese, praline, bavarian cream or cinnamon sugar. This specific King Cake is filled with cream cheese!
It’s topped with a classic powdered sugar icing and sprinkled with purple, yellow, and green sugars to represent power, justice, and faith.
It’s a New Orlean’s tradition associated with Mardi Gras but King Cake season actually starts on January 6 and that’s because King Cake is supposed to represent the Three Kings visiting baby Jesus and bearing gifts!
So if you’re asking yourself “When should you eat King Cake?” the answer is from Epiphany all the way to Mardi Gras!! (How many can you eat within that timeframe? I can eat at least 4 lol).
Last but not least, a small plastic baby is hidden in every King Cake and whoever finds the baby has to host the next Mardi Gras party or make/buy the next King Cake!
What is the flavor of a King Cake?
King Cake is traditionally flavored with cinnamon and other spices.
I like to add nutmeg, almond extract, and orange blossom water. This combo is *SO* flavorful that I’ll *NEVER* tweak it but of course you can adjust the spices to your own liking.
What does King Cake smell like?
King Cake smells like heaven… or a cinnamon roll on steroids lol.
Seriously, King Cake smells like a sweet dough flavored with cinnamon, nutmeg, almond, and orange blossom. It’s a very sweet and comforting smell, one of my favorites tbh.
Why is there a baby in the King Cake?
Most people think the plastic baby is supposed to represent baby Jesus but that’s not correct!
This tradition was started by a New Orlean’s bakery who simply chose to hide a baby in their cakes because they simply thought it was cute & it wouldn’t get “lost” in the dough!
Before plastic babies were a thing, people used to hide a pecan or fava ben in their cakes!
Do you bake the baby in the King Cake?
Oh hell no! People have been baking them for years but that’s not considered safe. When baking, your cake will reach very high temperatures, the heat can break down the plastic and release toxic chemicals into the cake.
If you want to hide a plastic baby in your King Cake, I recommend these but please don’t bake them!
Simply press the baby into the bottom of your baked & cooled cake, this way people won’t know where the baby is & you won’t eat melted plastic!
How do they put the baby in the King Cake?
Back in the day, I’m sure most people simply baked the plastic baby in the cake but bakeries have mostly stopped doing it because it’s not safe (the plastic can melt) & the baby is considered a possible hazard.
Nowadays King Cakes are sold with a plastic baby on the side so you can press it into the bottom of your cake & hide it at home!
How to make King Cake
You’ll find the full recipe + ingredients in the recipe card down below but this is what to expect:
- Combine the flours and instant yeast in a large bowl. You don’t need a stand mixer for this recipe but you can obviously use one if you want to! I didn’t.
- Heat the butter and milk in a small saucepan over low heat. Heat until combined and smooth, then remove the mixture from the heat and allow it cool down before moving onto the next step. If you have a kitchen thermometer, the mixture should be between 81F – 100F.
- Pour the milk mixture into the dry ingredients, give it a quick mix before adding the egg and sugar, give it another quick mix and then add the oil, cinnamon nutmeg, almond extract, orange blossom water, and salt.
- Mix until a dough starts to form, you can do this with a fork or your hands!
- Transfer the dough onto a floured surface and knead until elastic, then place it in a greased bowl turning it to coat all sides in the oil. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let rise until doubled in size.
- Prepare the cream cheese filling. In a medium bowl, beat together the cream cheese, powdered sugar, and vanilla extract until fluffy and smooth. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate.
- Once the dough has risen, transfer it back to a floured surface and roll it out into a large rectangle. Using an off-set spatula, spread the cream cheese filling over the dough, then starting from one of the long ends, roll the dough into a log then bring the ends of your log together to form an oval. Pinch the edges together to seal, you can moisten your fingers with water if necessary!
- Cover the king cake with plastic wrap or a clean kitchen towel and let rise again. Meanwhile, preheat the oven.
- Brush it with milk and bake it until golden brown on top and golden on the bottom. Remove the cake from the oven and allow it to cool down to room temperature before moving onto the next step or the icing will melt!
- Make the icing by mixing together the powdered sugar, milk, and lemon extract (optional). Transfer the icing into a piping bag fitted with a small tip and pipe thin lines of icing onto the cake.
- Sprinkle with the colored sugars. Slice and enjoy or wait for the icing to harden, then slice and enjoy! More on how to make the colored sugars in a moment! 🙂
Making Colored Sugar For King Cake
To make the DIY colored sugars, simply divide the sugar evenly between three ziplock bags.
Add a generous amount of purple food coloring in the first bag, a generous amount of green food coloring in the second bag, and a generous amount of yellow food coloring in the third bag.
The amount of food coloring varies depending on the type of food coloring you’re using.
I used Wilton’s Gel Food Colorings (I have this set) and I used 1/4 tsp of each color. Shake each bag until the sugar is evenly colored, then place each of the colored sugars onto a separate plate and spread them across the plate to dry.
You can do this while the King Cake is rising, baking or cooling down or even the day before!
What do the colors on a King Cake stand for?
Purple represents power.
Yellow represents justice.
Green represents faith.
🙂
How to refrigerate King Cake with cream cheese filling
You can store your King Cake covered at room temperature for up to 3 days.
After that, place the cake into an air-tight container and store in the refrigerator for up to 2-3 days. Keep in mind that King Cake is best eaten fresh as the dough tends to dry up over time!
I don’t recommend freezing the cake with the filling!
HAPPY BAKING LOVES!! I hope you’ll love this Homemade King Cake with cream cheese filling as much as I do!
PS: Please leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating ⭐️ if you make it! Your comments make my day!! You can also tag me on Instagram @itsdamnspicy 🌈💘
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Easy King Cake With Cream Cheese Filling
Ingredients
For the King Cake Dough
- 1 and 1/2 cups (200 g) all-purpose flour
- 1 and 1/2 cups (200 g) bread flour
- 1 package or 2 and 1/4 tsp (7 g) instant yeast
- 1/4 cup (50 g) butter
- 1/2 cup and 3 tbsp (170 g) milk
- 1 egg room temperature
- 1/2 cup (100 g) white granulated sugar
- 1 tbsp vegetable oil
- 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp freshly-grated nutmeg
- 1/8 tsp almond extract
- 1-2 tsp orange blossom water
- 1/4 tsp kosher salt
- 1 tbsp milk for brushing
For the Cream Cheese Filling
- 1-8 oz package (1-226 g package) cream cheese room temperature
- 1 cup (125 g) powdered sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
For the Icing
- 1 cup (125 g) powdered sugar
- 1 and 1/2 tbsp milk
- 1/4 tsp lemon extract optional
For the Colored Sugars
- 9 tbsp white granulated sugar divided (3+3+3)
- Yellow food coloring, green food coloring, purple food coloring
Instructions
For the King Cake Dough & Cream Cheese Filling
- In a large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer, add the all-purpose flour, bread flour, and instant yeast. Mix to combine then set aside.
- In a small saucepan over low heat, add the butter and milk and heat until the butter is melted. Mix with a whisk or fork until fully combined and smooth, remove from the heat and allow to cool down slightly before moving onto the next step. If you have a kitchen thermometer, the mixture should be between 81F - 100F (27C - 37C).
- Gently pour the milk mixture into the dry ingredients. Use a fork or your hands to give it a quick mix before adding in the egg and sugar. Give it another quick mix then add in the vegetable oil, cinnamon, nutmeg, almond extract, orange blossom water, and salt. Mix until a dough starts to form.
- Transfer the dough onto a floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic (5-6 minutes is usually enough). You can also use a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook for this recipe. Once the dough is ready, place it in a greased bowl turning it to coat all sides in the oil, then cover the bowl with plastic wrap. Let rise for 1-2 hours or until doubled in size.
- Meanwhile, prepare the cream cheese filling. In a medium bowl, beat together the cream cheese, powdered sugar, and vanilla extract until fluffy and smooth. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate or simply set aside if your kitchen isn't hot.
How to Assemble
- Once the dough has risen, transfer it back to a floured surface and roll it out into a large rectangle (about 11 inches wide x 15 inches long). Using an off-set spatula or a butter knife, spread the cream cheese filling over the dough leaving a 1-inch gap between the filling and the border. Starting from one of the long ends, roll the dough into a log then bring the ends of your log together to form an oval. Pinch the edges together to seal, you can moisten your fingers with water if necessary. Cover the king cake with plastic wrap or a clean kitchen towel and let rise for 30 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 350F.
- Once the king cake has puffed up, brush it with milk and bake it in for 18-20 minutes or until golden brown on top and golden on the bottom. Remove the cake from the oven and place it on a cooling rack and allow to cool down to room temperature before moving onto the next step. Meanwhile make the DIY colored sugar (next step).
How to Decorate
- To make the DIY colored sugar, simply divide the sugar evenly between three ziplock bags. Add a generous amount of purple food coloring in the first bag, a generous amount of green food coloring in the second bag, and a generous amount of yellow food coloring in the third bag. The amount of food coloring varies depending on the type of food coloring you're using. I used Wilton's Gel Food Coloring (I have this set) and I used 1/4 tsp of each color. Shake each bag until the sugar is evenly colored, then place each of the colored sugars onto a separate plate and spread them across the plate to dry.
- Once the cake is cool, make the icing. In a small bowl, add the powdered sugar, milk, and lemon extract (optional) and mix until fully combined and smooth. Immediately transfer the icing into a piping bag fitted with a small tip and pipe thin lines of icing onto the cake. Immediately sprinkle with the colored sugars. Press a plastic baby into the bottom of the cake, if desired (I recommend these plastic babies). Slice and enjoy or wait for 1-2 hours for the icing to harden, then slice and enjoy!
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