Bundt Pan King Cake
By America's Test KitchenPublished on December 1, 2014
Time
1½ hours, plus 2 to 2½ hours rising and 2 hours cooling
Yield
Serves 12 to 16
Ingredients
Cake
1 cup whole milk 3 large eggs 8 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled4 ½ cups (22 ½ ounces/638 grams) all-purpose flour ½ cup (3 ½ ounces/99 grams) granulated sugar 2 ¼ teaspoons instant or rapid-rise yeast 1 teaspoon salt 1 ¼ cups pecans, toasted and ground fine¾ cup packed (5 ¼ ounces/149 grams) light brown sugar 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon 1 miniature porcelain toy baby (optional)Icing
2 cups (8 ounces/227 grams) confectioners' sugar 2-3 tablespoons whole milk 1 tablespoon each yellow, green, and purple colored decorating sugarInstructions
- Whisk milk, eggs, and melted butter together in bowl of stand mixer. Stir in flour, granulated sugar, yeast, and salt until just combined. Attach bowl to stand mixer and fit with dough hook. Mix on medium-low speed for 10 minutes. Transfer dough to greased bowl, cover tightly with plastic wrap, and let rise at room temperature until doubled in size, 1 1/2 to 2 hours.
- Grease 12-cup nonstick Bundt pan. Combine pecans, brown sugar, and cinnamon in bowl. Roll out dough into 18 by 14-inch rectangle on lightly floured counter, with long side parallel to counter edge. Spray lightly with water and sprinkle evenly with nut mixture. Place baby, if using, along bottom edge of dough. Roll dough away from you into log and pinch along seam to seal. Form into ring and seal ends together. Place seam side up into prepared pan, cover loosely with plastic, and let rise at room temperature until doubled in size, about 1 hour.
- Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 350 degrees. Bake until deep golden brown and cake registers 185 degrees, 30 to 35 minutes, rotating halfway through baking. Let cool in pan for 10 minutes. Remove cake from pan, transfer to wire rack seam side down, and let cool completely, about 2 hours.
- Whisk confectioners’ sugar and gradually add 2 tablespoons milk together in bowl until smooth, adding more milk as necessary 1 teaspoon at a time, until glaze is thick but still pourable. Pour over cooled cake. Sprinkle 1/6 of top with half of yellow sugar, then repeat on opposite side. Repeat with green and purple sugars to form alternating bands of color. Serve.
for the cake
for the icing
Time
1½ hours, plus 2 to 2½ hours rising and 2 hours coolingYield
Serves 12 to 16Ingredients
Cake
1 cup whole milk
3 large eggs
8 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled
4 ½ cups (22 ½ ounces/638 grams) all-purpose flour
½ cup (3 ½ ounces/99 grams) granulated sugar
2 ¼ teaspoons instant or rapid-rise yeast
1 teaspoon salt
1 ¼ cups pecans, toasted and ground fine
¾ cup packed (5 ¼ ounces/149 grams) light brown sugar
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 miniature porcelain toy baby (optional)
Icing
2 cups (8 ounces/227 grams) confectioners' sugar
2-3 tablespoons whole milk
1 tablespoon each yellow, green, and purple colored decorating sugar
Ingredients
Cake
1 cup whole milk
3 large eggs
8 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled
4 ½ cups (22 ½ ounces/638 grams) all-purpose flour
½ cup (3 ½ ounces/99 grams) granulated sugar
2 ¼ teaspoons instant or rapid-rise yeast
1 teaspoon salt
1 ¼ cups pecans, toasted and ground fine
¾ cup packed (5 ¼ ounces/149 grams) light brown sugar
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 miniature porcelain toy baby (optional)
Icing
2 cups (8 ounces/227 grams) confectioners' sugar
2-3 tablespoons whole milk
1 tablespoon each yellow, green, and purple colored decorating sugar
Ingredients
Cake
1 cup whole milk
3 large eggs
8 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled
4 ½ cups (22 ½ ounces/638 grams) all-purpose flour
½ cup (3 ½ ounces/99 grams) granulated sugar
2 ¼ teaspoons instant or rapid-rise yeast
1 teaspoon salt
1 ¼ cups pecans, toasted and ground fine
¾ cup packed (5 ¼ ounces/149 grams) light brown sugar
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 miniature porcelain toy baby (optional)
Icing
2 cups (8 ounces/227 grams) confectioners' sugar
2-3 tablespoons whole milk
1 tablespoon each yellow, green, and purple colored decorating sugar
Why This Recipe Works
UPDATE: This recipe has been slightly reformulated to be more failproof since its initial publication. The revision you see here was published in April of 2022. This traditional bready cake, made during carnival season in New Orleans, is made from a rich, brioche-like dough with a buttery cinnamon sugar filling accented with toasted pecans. We bake this celebratory cake in a Bundt pan and finish it with decorating sugars in the signature Mardi Gras colors of purple, green, and gold.
Instructions
- Whisk milk, eggs, and melted butter together in bowl of stand mixer. Stir in flour, granulated sugar, yeast, and salt until just combined. Attach bowl to stand mixer and fit with dough hook. Mix on medium-low speed for 10 minutes. Transfer dough to greased bowl, cover tightly with plastic wrap, and let rise at room temperature until doubled in size, 1 1/2 to 2 hours.
- Grease 12-cup nonstick Bundt pan. Combine pecans, brown sugar, and cinnamon in bowl. Roll out dough into 18 by 14-inch rectangle on lightly floured counter, with long side parallel to counter edge. Spray lightly with water and sprinkle evenly with nut mixture. Place baby, if using, along bottom edge of dough. Roll dough away from you into log and pinch along seam to seal. Form into ring and seal ends together. Place seam side up into prepared pan, cover loosely with plastic, and let rise at room temperature until doubled in size, about 1 hour.
- Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 350 degrees. Bake until deep golden brown and cake registers 185 degrees, 30 to 35 minutes, rotating halfway through baking. Let cool in pan for 10 minutes. Remove cake from pan, transfer to wire rack seam side down, and let cool completely, about 2 hours.
- Whisk confectioners’ sugar and gradually add 2 tablespoons milk together in bowl until smooth, adding more milk as necessary 1 teaspoon at a time, until glaze is thick but still pourable. Pour over cooled cake. Sprinkle 1/6 of top with half of yellow sugar, then repeat on opposite side. Repeat with green and purple sugars to form alternating bands of color. Serve.
for the cake
for the icing
Gift This Recipe
Enjoyed this dish? Let others know by sharing it as a gift recipe.
Appears In
Key Equipment
Keep Exploring
My Rating
This is a members' feature.
0 Comments