How to make New Orleans-style king cake

I lived in New Orleans for almost 12 years, and the thing I miss the most is Mardi Gras. One part of the Mardi Gras experience is king cake.

It can be a struggle to find it in bakeries so far from Louisiana, so the past couple of years, I've explored trying to make it myself. I finally lucked out when I found the King Arthur recipe for Perfectly Pillowy Cinnamon Rolls.

With a few adjustments, it makes the perfect king cake! The only additional ingredient you need is decorative sugar sprinkles in Mardi Gras colors.

Recipe adjustments for king cake

• Filling: I don't use all the filling but maybe 3/4 of it. Experiment to see what works for you.
• Shaping: When pressing the dough into a rectangle, make it longer and skinnier. We don't need much spiral, but do need it long enough to make a ring shape.
• Rolling: After adding the filling, roll the long side so that you have a long tube. Place it on the parchment in a ring shape with the seam side down. You might need to stretch it a bit more. Massage the ends together a bit so they stick.
• Scoring: Using a small sharp knife, make cuts around the outer diameter so that steam from the filling can escape and to better accommodate the rise. The cuts conveniently help make slicing easier after it's cooked too.
• Cooking: Check about 3/4 through the cook time - you may need to cover it with foil to prevent over-browning. Use an instant-read thermometer to check for doneness. For me, cook time was closer to 23 minutes.
• Frosting: After cooled, spread frosting on top. Sprinkle with purple, green, and gold colored sugar in stripes.

Bon appétit! Laissez les bons temps rouler!

cooking recipe