Active Time

　　1 hour 30 minutes

　　Total Time

　　6 hours 30 minutes

　　Making your own king cake takes time and patience, but the rewards outweigh the challenges of this Carnival season cake recipe. Kim Dejan of KD’s NOLA Treats shared this recipe and says, “When you start a king cake, you have to finish it.” Baking your own king cake takes six hours from start to finish. First, you make the dough and then it has to rise. Then you add the filling. After that it has to rise again. Next, you bake and cool. Finally, you glaze and sugar.

　　Still, making your own king cake from scratch is exciting because you can do it your way. Want a tiny Pikachu inside your cake instead of a baby? Have at it! Pink and green sugars instead of the classic Mardi Gras purple, green, and gold? Sounds good! Lavender-thyme glaze? It’s your cake! As long as you follow the dough instructions closely, you can let the good times roll a bit with the rest.

　　

Three tips from Dejan:

Keep your yeast in the fridge and make sure you don’t use boiling water. If you use boiling water, your yeast will die and your cake won’t rise.

　　Use a stand mixer if you can instead of a hand mixer because you’ll find that things go much easier when you have access to the paddle and hook attachments.

　　If you’re adding a fruit or cream cheese filling instead of the brown sugar filling below, be sure to cook it down so it’s very thick. Add a cornstarch-and-water slurry while cooking it down, and make sure it’s cool before adding. Add the filling sparingly; if you don’t it will ooze out and make your dough wet, ruining your cake.

　　

Ingredients

10–12 servings

　　

Dough

4¾ cups plus 2½ tsp. (600 g) bread flour

　　1 ¼-oz. envelope active dry yeast (about 2¼ tsp.)

　　2 tsp. Diamond Crystal or 1¼ tsp. Morton kosher salt

　　1½ tsp. ground cinnamon

　　⅛ tsp. ground nutmeg

　　1 cup whole milk

　　4 Tbsp. unsalted butter, cut into pieces

　　¼ cup honey

　　1 large egg, beaten to blend

　　Vegetable oil (for bowl)

　　

Filling

Bread flour (for surface)

　　½ cup (100 g) granulated sugar

　　½ cup (packed; 100 g) light brown sugar

　　1½ tsp. ground cinnamon

　　9 Tbsp. unsalted butter, room temperature, divided

　　

Glaze and assembly

3½ cups (385 g; or more) powdered sugar, sifted

　　¼ cup (or more) whole milk, room temperature

　　1½ Tbsp. unsalted butter, melted

　　1 Tbsp. plus 1½ tsp. corn syrup (optional)

　　½ tsp. Diamond Crystal or ¼ tsp. Morton kosher salt

　　½ tsp. vanilla extract

　　¼ tsp. almond extract (optional)

　　Purple, green, and yellow or gold sanding sugar (for decorating)

　　

Dough

Step 1

Whisk 4¾ cups plus 2½ tsp. (600 g) bread flour, one ¼-oz. envelope active dry yeast (about 2¼ tsp.), 2 tsp. Diamond Crystal or 1¼ tsp. Morton kosher salt, 1½ tsp. ground cinnamon, and ⅛ tsp. ground nutmeg in a large bowl to combine; set aside.

　　

Step 2

Heat 1 cup whole milk and 4 Tbsp. unsalted butter, cut into pieces, in a small saucepan over medium-low, stirring occasionally, until butter is just melted and milk is hot to the touch but not boiling, about 3 minutes. Pour into the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook and add ¼ cup honey and ½ cup lukewarm water. Mix until combined, then let mixture cool until an instant-read thermometer registers 100°–110°.

　　

Step 3

Beat 1 large egg, beaten to blend, into milk mixture, then add reserved dry ingredients and mix on low speed until a dough forms, about 1 minute. Increase speed to medium and beat until dough is smooth and elastic and can stretch until it’s so thin you can see through it without ripping, 10–13 minutes (dough will be sticky). Transfer dough to a lightly oiled large bowl. Cover with a kitchen towel and let sit in a warm, draft-free spot until doubled in size, 1–2 hours.

　　

Filling

Step 4

Roll out dough on a lightly floured surface to a 24x16" rectangle, ¼"–⅛" thick. If dough springs back immediately when poked, let it rest 5 minutes to allow gluten to relax.

　　

Step 5

Whisk ½ cup (100 g) granulated sugar, ½ cup (packed; 100 g) light brown sugar, and 1½ tsp. ground cinnamon in a small bowl to combine. Add 7 Tbsp. unsalted butter, room temperature, and mix until a thick paste forms.

　　

Step 6

Spread filling evenly over dough, leaving a 1" border. Starting on a long side, tightly roll up dough into a log. Pinch seam closed with your fingers to seal. Flatten with rolling pin to ½" thick. Carefully transfer to a large cutting board and, using a pizza cutter or knife, slice log lengthwise into 3 strips. Transfer strips to a parchment-lined baking sheet. Braid together, starting from the top; leave ends untucked. Carefully join ends to form a ring and pinch together. Cover with a kitchen towel and let sit in a warm, draft-free spot until doubled in size, 1–2 hours.

　　

Step 7

Preheat oven to 350°. Melt remaining 2 Tbsp. unsalted butter in a small saucepan over medium or in a microwave-proof bowl in the microwave. Uncover dough, drizzle with butter; brush any butter that drips off back on. Bake cake until golden brown and an instant-read thermometer inserted into the center registers 210°, 40–45 minutes. Let cool.

　　Do ahead: Cake can be baked 1 day ahead. Store tightly wrapped at room temperature.

　　

Glaze and assembly

Step 8

Whisk 3½ cups (385 g; or more) powdered sugar, sifted, ¼ cup whole milk, room temperature, 1½ Tbsp. unsalted butter, melted, 1 Tbsp. plus 1½ tsp. corn syrup (if using), ½ tsp. Diamond Crystal or ¼ tsp. Morton kosher salt, ½ tsp. vanilla extract, and ¼ tsp. almond extract (if using) in a medium bowl to combine (glaze should be the consistency of brownie batter. Thin with more milk or add more powdered sugar if needed.) Spoon glaze over cake to coat. Sprinkle with purple, green, and yellow or gold sanding sugar, alternatingly so there are 2 sections of each color on the cake.