Mardi Gras Marbled Bundt King Cake: A Beautiful Twist on Tradition
This Mardi Gras King Cake consists of dollops of enriched yeast dough marbled throughout with cinnamon and sugar (hence the twist!), baked in a Bundt pan, and topped with a lemon powdered sugar glaze along with purple, green, and gold colored sugar.
Servings: 10
Ingredients
Make the Dough:
- 236 ml (1 cup) milk (whole preferred) divided at 100˚F-110˚F (38˚C-43˚C)
- 100 g (½ cup) granulated sugar divided
- 14 g (4½ tsp / 2 pkg) active dry yeast
- 57 g (4 tbsp /½ stick) butter softened
- 7.5 g (1¼ tsp) salt if using salted butter or 9 g (1½ tsp) salt if using unsalted butter
- 2 large eggs beaten
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 large lemon, zest only save lemon juice for glaze
- ½ g (½ tsp) nutmeg
- 480-540 g (4- 4½ cups) all-purpose flour
Combine the Filling:
- 50 g (¼ cup) granulated sugar
- 9 g (1½ tbsp) ground cinnamon
Make the Glaze & Sugar Topping:
- 240 g (2 cups) powdered sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 2 tsp lemon juice
- 3-4 tbsp milk
- green, purple, and gold decorative sugar store-bought or homemade (recipe in recipe Notes section)
- small plastic baby, small toy/charm, almond, or bean, etc. for the fève that is hidden in the baked cake
Instructions
Make the Dough:
- Pour milk into a measuring cup. Heat in the microwave for 30 seconds until it reaches 100˚F-110˚F (38˚C-43˚C). Measure the granulated sugar into a small bowl.TIP: I prefer using whole milk in this recipe since the extra fat produces a tender bread crumb.
- In a stand mixer bowl, whisk together yeast and 1 tbsp of the measured out granulated sugar. Pour in about half of the heated milk (118 ml / ½ cup). Whisk until yeast is dissolved. Set aside for ~10 minutes until bubbly and frothy.TIP: If not using a stand mixer, use a large mixing bowl and continue following the directions.
- Add diced butter to the remaining 118 ml (½ cup) milk. Microwave for 30 seconds. Stir until butter is just melted adding 5 to 10-second increments until butter is completely melted.TIP: Very soft room temperature butter or diced, cold butter melts more quickly. Warmer or less mass requires less heat. If heating just until butter is melted, you likely don't need to let it cool. It should be at just the right temperature between 100˚F-110˚F (38˚C-43˚C).
- Stir in sugar and salt. Set aside until mixture has cooled to 100˚F-110˚F (38˚C-43˚C) if needed. The mixture may already be cool enough to use.
- Whisk milk mixture into yeast mixture. Add beaten eggs, vanilla, lemon zest, and nutmeg. Whisk until combined.TIP: Crack each egg separately into a small bowl to eliminate stray eggshells and a bad egg from getting into the other ingredients.
- Measure out 480 g (4 cups) of flour. Whisk in about half of the flour (240 g/2 cups). Use the dough attachment of your stand mixer and begin mixing on low speed (levels 1-2). Gradually, add the remaining 2 cups (240 g) of flour while the machine is running. Scrape down bowl edges as needed. If the dough is sticky, add 1 tbsp of additional flour at a time until the dough is elastic, tacky, and pulls away from the bowl. It should not be sticky or look dry. Continue to scrape down the bowl edges as needed. I usually need 4-5 more tbsp for my environment.TIP: If not using a stand mixer, stir all the ingredients as described in a large mixing bowl. As the dough becomes too thick to stir, transfer dough to a floured surface and begin kneading by hand.
- Increase speed to low-medium and knead in the stand mixer for 8-10 minutes. If kneading by hand, knead for 10 minutes adding flour as needed.
- Use a spatula to scrape down bowl edges. Spray the top and sides of the dough with cooking spray and roll the dough around in the oil. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap or towel (or both) and place the bowl in a warm area to rise for 1-1½ hours or until doubled in size.TIP: Oil or cooking spray prevents a crust from forming on the dough as it sits and aids in releasing the dough from the bowl.
Make the Filling:
- Prepare a Bundt or fluted pan by greasing it if needed. If using a nonstick pan, there's no need to grease it. Once prepared, set it aside.
- Once the dough has risen, deflate it in the bowl with a spatula and turn it out onto a lightly floured work surface. Pat or roll out dough to a 16×10-inch rectangle.
- In a small bowl, use a fork to combine sugar and cinnamon. Sprinkle the cinnamon mixture over the dough to the edges and pat the mixture lightly into the dough.TIP: Patting the filling into the dough helps it to adhere keeping most of it within the dough while cutting it.
- Start at one short dough end and roll up the dough tightly like a cinnamon roll. Cut the rolled dough into 12 equal slices. With each slice cut side down on work surface, cut each slice into quarters. Roll each quarter in a ball as best as you can and place each dough piece in the prepared pan scattering them around and placing them on top of others. Cover with plastic wrap or towel and allow the bread to rise in a warm area for 30 to 45 minutes until puffed up and near doubled in size.TIPS: A serrated knife works well to cut the rolls and prevents smashing as you slice. Eyeball the 12 slices by cutting the roll in half. Cut each half in have again. Then cut each quarter in thirds. That will result in 12 relatively equal portions. If any cinnamon and sugar fall out, just roll the dough pieces in it or wait until after the all the dough is in the pan and scoop it over the top of the dough.
- During the last 20 minutes or so of rising, preheat the oven to 350˚F (177˚C).
Bake & Make the Glaze:
- Bake for 35 to 45 minutes or until golden brown and the internal temperature reaches 190°F (88˚C). Allow the cake to cool slightly in the pan for 10 minutes.
- After cooling a slight cool, use a knife and run it along the outside edge to release the cake. Invert the cake to release it completely onto a serving plate to cool completely.
- To make the glaze, add powdered sugar to a small bowl. Whisk in vanilla, lemon juice (from the zested lemon), and milk (1 tbsp at a time until you reach the consistency you want. Add 3-4 tbsp total that drizzles some down the sides but holds shape on top of the cake.
- Once cooled completely, spoon the glaze over the top of the cake to cover and use sweeping motion to encourage it to run down the cake sides. The glaze should ooze down a little along the cake edges.TIP: To keep a "clean" serving plate, place strips of wax paper along the bottom edges of the cake to catch dripping glaze and sugar.
- Cover the top of the cake glaze while the glaze is still wet with sections of store-bought or homemade gold/yellow, green, and purple colored sugar. Allow the glaze to solidify taking about an hour to overnight. Slice, serve, and enjoy.TIP: If using wax paper to catch the glaze and sugar, carefully slide the wax paper strips out from under the cake maintaining all dripping glaze and sugar that falls. Scrape off the excess glaze and sugar from the wax paper and use it to top the serving pieces for extra sweetness. 😉
Video
Notes
Homemade Mardi Gras Colored Sugars (more than enough for 1 King Cake)
Gold / Yellow Sugar:
*50 g (¼ cup) cane sugar (large granules are best)
*4-6 drops yellow food coloring (to reach desired color)
*1 ziptop sandwich bag
Green Sugar:
*50 g (¼ cup) cane sugar (large granules are best)
*6-8 drops green food coloring (to reach desired color)
*1 ziptop sandwich bag
Purple Sugar:
*50 g (¼ cup) cane sugar (large granules are best) *6 drops red coloring *4 drops green coloring *1 ziptop sandwich bag Directions:
*50 g (¼ cup) cane sugar (large granules are best) *6 drops red coloring *4 drops green coloring *1 ziptop sandwich bag Directions:
- For each color above, add sugar to the ziptop bag. Add food coloring. Zip bag and shake until the color is dispersed and evenly coats the sugar granules. Add more food coloring until desired color is reached.
- Pour each bag of sugar out onto wax paper on a baking sheet and spread it out. Ensure to keep each color separate. Allow each color to dry uncoverd for a couple of hours to overnight. Once dry, use sugar or place in a sealed container or bag and store at room temperature until needed.