Mardi Gras King Cake

The King Cake is a New Orleans tradition that involves a pastry, a tiny plastic baby, and a party. King Cake is baked with a tiny plastic baby hidden inside; whoever gets the slice with the baby in it has to host the next party. Make sure to buy a new tiny plastic baby so you can get the full effect from this cake! Sprinkle with purple, green, and gold sugar, or decorate with whole pecans and candied cherries. 

• Preparation Time: 45 mins
• Cooking Time: 30 mins
• Total Time: 1 hr 15 mins
• Calories: 418 Calories

Ingredients

• 2 eggs
• 1 cup packed brown sugar
• 1 cup milk
• ¼ cup butter
• ½ cup raisins
• 1 cup confectioners' sugar
• 1 ½ teaspoons salt
• ½ cup all-purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon water
• 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
• 5 ½ cups all-purpose flour
• 2 (.25 ounce) packages active dry yeast
• ½ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
• ½ cup melted butter
• ⅔ cup chopped pecans
• ⅔ cup warm water (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)
• ½ cup white sugar, divided
• 1 plastic baby doll

Recipe Instructions

Step 1

Make pastry: Scald milk over medium heat. Remove from heat and stir in butter. Allow mixture to cool to room temperature.

Step 2

Stir together warm water, 1 tablespoon white sugar, and yeast in a large bowl. Let stand until creamy, about 10 minutes.

Step 3

Add cooled milk mixture to yeast mixture and whisk in eggs. Stir in remaining white sugar, salt, and nutmeg. Beat flour, 1 cup at a time, into milk/egg mixture. Once dough comes together, turn it onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic, 8 to 10 minutes.

Step 4

Place dough in a lightly oiled bowl; turn to coat. Cover with a damp cloth or plastic wrap; let rise in a warm place until doubled in volume, about 2 hours. When risen, punch down and divide dough in half.

Step 5

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Grease 2 cookie sheets or line with parchment paper.

Step 6

Make filling: Combine brown sugar, pecans, flour, raisins, and cinnamon in a bowl. Pour melted butter on top and mix until crumbly.

Step 7

Roll each piece of dough into a 10x16-inch rectangle. Sprinkle filling evenly over dough and roll up tightly like a jelly roll, beginning at a wide side. Bring the ends of each roll together to form 2 oval-shaped rings.

Step 8

Place each ring on a prepared cookie sheet. With scissors, make cuts 1/3 of the way through the rings at 1-inch intervals. Let rise in a warm spot until doubled in size, about 45 minutes.

Step 9

Bake in the preheated oven until an inserted toothpick comes out clean, about 30 minutes.

Step 10

Make glaze: Stir together confectioners' sugar and water in a bowl until smooth.

Step 11

Push doll into bottom of one warm cake. Drizzle glaze over both warm cakes.