Mardi Gras King Cake Cream Cheese (Printable Version)
A vibrant Mardi Gras sweet bread filled with creamy cheese and topped with festive colored sugars.
# What You Need:
→ Dough
01 - 1 cup warm milk (110°F)
02 - 2¼ teaspoons active dry yeast (1 packet)
03 - ½ cup granulated sugar
04 - ½ cup unsalted butter, melted
05 - 2 large eggs, room temperature
06 - 4 cups all-purpose flour
07 - ½ teaspoon salt
08 - ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
09 - ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
→ Cream Cheese Filling
10 - 8 oz cream cheese, softened
11 - ½ cup powdered sugar
12 - 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
→ Egg Wash
13 - 1 large egg
14 - 1 tablespoon milk
→ Icing
15 - 2 cups powdered sugar
16 - 2–3 tablespoons milk
17 - 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
→ Decoration
18 - Purple, green, and gold colored sugars
# How-To:
01 - In a large bowl, whisk the warm milk and yeast. Let sit for 5 minutes until foamy.
02 - Add sugar, melted butter, eggs, salt, nutmeg, and cinnamon to the yeast mixture. Mix well to combine.
03 - Gradually add flour, mixing until a soft dough forms. Knead for 8–10 minutes until smooth and elastic.
04 - Place dough in a greased bowl, cover, and let rise in a warm place for 1 hour or until doubled in size.
05 - In a medium bowl, beat cream cheese, powdered sugar, and vanilla until smooth and creamy.
06 - Punch down the risen dough and roll out on a floured surface into a 10x20-inch rectangle.
07 - Spread the cream cheese filling evenly over the dough, leaving a 1-inch border around the edges.
08 - Roll up the dough tightly, starting from the long side, pinching the seam to seal. Form into a ring and pinch ends together. Place on a lined baking sheet.
09 - Cover the dough ring and let rise again for 45 minutes until puffy.
10 - Preheat oven to 350°F.
11 - Whisk egg and milk together. Brush the egg wash evenly over the entire cake.
12 - Bake for 25–30 minutes until golden brown. Cool completely on a wire rack.
13 - Whisk powdered sugar, milk, and vanilla until smooth and pourable.
14 - Drizzle icing over the cooled cake. Immediately sprinkle purple, green, and gold colored sugars in alternating sections while the icing is wet.
15 - Optional: Insert a small plastic baby or dried bean into the cake from the underside after baking.
# Expert Hints:
01 -
- The cream cheese filling makes it feel special without being overly sweet, unlike bakery versions that leave you with a sugar headache halfway through
- Watching people search for the baby turns dessert into a game that keeps everyone at the table longer
02 -
- The seam where you pinch the dough together must be tight or the filling will bubble out and make a mess in your oven
- Work quickly once you spread the cream cheese because it softens from the warmth of the dough and gets harder to roll neatly
03 -
- Tent the cake with foil halfway through baking if the top is getting too dark while the inside still needs time
- Grate some lemon or orange zest into the dough for a bright note that cuts through all the richness