Quick King Cake Recipe

Updated April 02, 2020

Recipe Details

Active 30 mins

Total 2 hrs

Serves 8 to 10 servings

Cook Mode (Keep screen awake)

Ingredients

For the King Cake:

2/3 cup golden raisins
1/4 cup bourbon
1 tablespoon finely grated orange zest
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 cup toasted pecans, chopped (see notes)
3/4 cup packed dark brown sugar
4 ounces cream cheese, chilled and cut into small pieces
2 tablespoons chopped candied ginger
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour, plus additional for dusting counter
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 package Dufour brand puff pastry, thawed according to package instructions (see notes)
1 fava or kidney bean, or plastic baby doll
1 large egg yolk
2 tablespoons heavy cream

For the Glaze:

For the King Cake: Adjust oven rack to middle position and preheat oven to 375°F. Line rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.
Microwave in small bowl (or bring to boil in small saucepan) raisins, bourbon, orange zest, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Cook until most of the liquid has been absorbed, about 2 minutes in microwave, 5 minutes in saucepan. Cool to room temperature, 5 to 10 minutes.
In large bowl, using two dinner knives, cut in pecans, brown sugar, cream cheese, ginger, flour, and salt until mixture resembles coarse meal. Alternatively, work mixture together with fingertips. Stir in cooled raisin mixture.
Dust clean, dry counter with flour. Flour rolling pin. Roll pastry out to 20- by 15-inches. Distribute filling evenly over dough, leaving a 1-inch border on all sides. Place fava anywhere on filling.
Starting at the long end, roll dough up into a log. Transfer log to prepared baking sheet and shape into an oval, pressing ends to seal. Beat egg yolk and cream and brush over log.
Bake until puffed and golden, 30 to 35 minutes. Transfer to cooling rack and cool to room temperature, about 1 hour.
For the Glaze:Whisk confectioners’ sugar, cream, bourbon, and salt together in medium bowl. Drizzle over cooled cake and sprinkle with sanding sugar. Serve.

To toast pecans, arrange them on rimmed baking sheet and bake at 350°F on middle rack for 10 to 12 minutes until golden.

I recommend using all-butter Dufour brand puff pastry, but use whatever brand you prefer.

Rimmed baking sheet, parchment paper, microwave or small saucepan, rolling pin, pastry brush, cooling rack

Nutrition Facts
Servings: 8 to 10
Amount per serving
Calories	579
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 33g	42%
Saturated Fat 8g	38%
Cholesterol 57mg	19%
Sodium 244mg	11%
Total Carbohydrate 68g	25%
Dietary Fiber 2g	9%
Total Sugars 43g
Protein 7g
Vitamin C 2mg	11%
Calcium 55mg	4%
Iron 2mg	11%
Potassium 206mg	4%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.

(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)