Easy King Cake Recipe, King Cakes, Making King Cakes

New Orleans King Cake Recipes

Make your own King Cake today!

Pecan Praline King Cake

This King Cake is a fusion of two iconic New Orleans customs: Mardi Gras and Pralines! Try this yummy treat, and you'll see why this is the favorite king cake of so many people! Don't forget to tuck a small plastic baby underneath your cake after it bakes. Then, top it with purple, green, and gold sprinkles or colored sugar to make it look like a real New Orleans King Cake!

Praline King Cake Recipe

After you taste this king cake, you will understand why this is the best king cake recipe ever!

Ingredients for King Cake Recipe:

CAKE:
1 cup whole milk
1/4 cup melted butter
2 (.25 ounce) packets active dry yeast
2/3 cup warm water (About 110 degrees F or 45 degrees C)
1/2 cup white sugar
2 large eggs
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
5 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

PRALINE FILLING:
4 tablespoons butter
1//3 cup heavy cream
1 cup packed brown sugar
1 cup chopped pecans
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1 small plastic baby or bead (This is to be placed inside the king cake after it bakes.)

FROSTING:
4 cups confectioners' sugar
2/3 cup melted butter or margarine
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1 teaspoon maple extract
3-6 Tbsp hot water
Purple, Green, and Yellow sugar crystals for decoration (You can also mix food coloring with regular white sugar, and let it dry.)

Directions to make King Cake

CAKE:
1. Heat milk until it is steaming, not boiling. Immediately remove from heat and stir in 1/4 cup of melted butter. Allow mixture to cool to room temperature. In a large bowl, dissolve the 2 packets of yeast in the warm water with 1 tablespoon of the white sugar. Let stand about 10 minutes. The mixture will look slightly creamy and begin bubbling.
2. When yeast mixture starts bubbling, add the cooled milk mixture. Whisk in the eggs. Stir in the remaining white sugar, nutmeg, and salt. Beat the flour into the milk/egg mixture about one cup at a time. When the dough has pulled together, turn it out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until elastic and smooth. This will take about 10 minutes.
3. Lightly oil a large bowl, place the dough in the bowl and turn to coat with oil. Cover with a damp cloth or plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place until doubled in volume. This will take 2-3 hours. When the King Cake dough has doubled in size, turn out on a lightly floured surface, and punch the dough down to remove air. Divide the dough in half.

FILLING:
1. Melt the butter, brown sugar, and heavy cream in saucepan until sugar dissolves. Stir in pecans and powdered sugar.
2. On a floured surface, roll dough halves out into large rectangles (about 10x15 inches). Spread the pecan praline filling evenly onto the dough, and roll up each half tightly, beginning at the wide side. Bring the ends of each roll together to form 2 oval shaped rings. Place each kingcake ring on a prepared cookie sheet. With scissors, make cuts about 1/3 of the way through the rings at 1 inch intervals. Let the king cakes sit and rise in a warm spot until they double in size. This will take about 30-45 minutes.
3. Preheat your oven to 375 degrees F, or 190 degrees C.
4. Bake king cakes in preheated oven for about 25-30 minutes.

FROSTING:
1. While the king cake is baking, mix powdered sugar, melted butter, and vanilla and maple extracts. Add hot water, one tablespoon at a time, until you reach the desired consistency.
2. When you take the king cake out of the oven, push the small plastic doll or bead into the bottom of the cake.
3. Frost while warm.
4. Finish with sprinkles of purple, green, and yellow sugar crystals like the real king cakes in New Orleans at Mardi Gras.

What did you think of this recipe?

Good, but I'm still a sucker for the original.

You're right... BEST KING CAKE RECIPE EVER!

I love the filling. It's so sweet, and the crunch from the pecans is perfect inside the soft cake. Thanks.

Tastes like real New Orleans King Cake.
The filling spreads nicely, and tasted so good! I'll definitely recommend this recipe to my friends.

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