Fit for a king

Ryan Loyd • February 5, 2024

A colorful, cinnamon filled treat that's part tradition, part artistry

a king cake with a slice taken out of it is on a blue plate .

The cake that's more bread than cake

It's not lost on me that I enjoy making, and eating, a King Cake mostly because it is more bread than cake. And I love making bread. Then again, I also love making, and eating, cake. I guess that's a win-win! This soft, brioche-style bread is a blend between a cinnamon roll and cinnamon toast. It's perfectly customizable with the butter and cinnamon acting as the base with plenty of add-ons possible, including fruits and cream cheese.

The King Cake colors are just some of my favorite, with purple, green and gold representing the colors of New Orleans and Mardi Gras. The colors are symbolic:

Purple - standing for justice
Green - representing faith and growth
Gold - signifying power, prosperity or wealth

Some history and the baby

There is so much going on with the King Cake. Eating it is fun, but the frosting and multiple colors make it so inviting and fun as well.

Believe it or not, the King Cake is thought to have come from France, around the 12th Century. The bread does have secular roots, but it's mostly tied to Christianity when the Three Wise Men brought gifts to Bethlehem to the new baby Jesus 12 days after Christmas, January 6 - Epiphany, or King's Day, because that's how long their journey lasted. French settlers brought the tradition to Louisiana in the 18th Century. But it wasn't until the 19th Century that began the tradition as we know it today where the cake signifies the start of Carnival season. King Cake is enjoyed throughout Carnival, the days between Epiphany and Lent.

It is because of this celebration of the Christ Child that often times, a small plastic or edible baby figurine is placed inside the King Cake. Whoever discovers the baby while enjoying the cake is the "winner," for which the prize is offering the next year's King Cake or hosting the party.

For a little more Biblical context: The cakes are in the shape of a circle to symbolize the route used by the Wise Men to throw off King Herod after Jesus' birth. The route was meant to confused the King who was trying to follow the trio so he could kill Jesus.

a close up of a king cake on a blue plate .

Traditional King Cake with a modern 'twist'

The traditional 'cake' bread that we know is a twisted ring of brioche bread smeared with sugary icing and the amazing colors - purple, green and gold - on top. For an extra layer of fancy, the Cajun tradition is to deep-fry the cake and fill it with cream cheese and praline. (Do they know how to do things or do they know how to do things?)

But back to this style. There is the basic method, and then there is a method I've discovered that makes this just a little more special. More on that below. First, here's the more traditional ingredients and a few of the steps involved.

a collage of pictures showing the process of a king cake being made

Following the dough making process, the next steps are what makes this recipe come to life. The twist, or braid, of the cake is wound into that perfect circular shape. Getting there requires filling the strips of dough with butter and cinnamon, rolling them up and braiding the ropes together. This dough is extremely wonderful to work with, but is also delicate so extra caution must be exercised.

You'll only need the basics, which you likely already have in the pantry, including milk, yeast, granulated sugar, bread flour, butter, egg and egg yolks, brown sugar, spices, powdered sugar and sanding sugar.

And this is basically what will be used for the modern approach, just with slightly different steps.

Now for the moment we've all been waiting for...

My Prince of Mardi Gras Pies

Prince Pies are my version of the King Cake. I wanted to create a smaller, personal size cake or bread that's a cross between a hand pie and a cinnamon roll. The prince part is because it's not the grand king but the subdued and low key prince.

While brioche bread is soft and can be easily torn, the prince pies eliminate the need to be shy when grabbing for a piece or slice. And it makes the moment a little more special to enjoy.

My Prince of Mardi Gras Pies are just as delicious and I'm so proud of them. Try your hand at them and let me know what you think!

Get the recipe.