It’s officially Mardi Gras season, and if you’re from Louisiana, you know what that means: king cakes. While everyone may already have their favorite flavor or brand, the specialty cakes can sometimes be hard to get. However, this King Cake Snacking Cake recipe from food columnist Aimee Broussard captures the essence of the Mardi Gras classic and can be made at home with no long lines. Think of it as a new approach to the traditional Fat Tuesday treat while maintaining that sweet, cinnamon-y flavor you might even want to sneak to the parade route.
Get more of Broussard’s king cake-inspired recipes in this story from inRegister’s February issue, available on newsstands now.
KING CAKE SNACKING CAKE
Ingredients:
Cake: 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
1 ½ tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. ground cinnamon ¼ tsp. salt ¾ cup granulated sugar ¼ cup coconut oil, melted
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 large egg 2⁄3 cup buttermilk
Filling: ¾ cup chopped pecans ½ cup packed light brown sugar
4 Tbsp. (½ stick) unsalted butter, melted
2 Tbsp. water
4 tsp. all-purpose flour
Cream Cheese Frosting: 1 cup confectioners’ sugar
4 oz. cream cheese, at room temperature
1 tsp. vanilla extract
Sanding sugar (purple, green and gold)
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mist an 8-inch square baking pan with baking spray and line with parchment paper.
For Cake,in a medium bowl, combine flour, baking powder, cinnamon and salt. In a large bowl, using an electric mixer on medium speed, beat together granulated sugar, coconut oil, and vanilla. Beat in egg. Add flour mixture to oil-sugar mixture, a little at a time, alternating with buttermilk, mixing well after each addition, until just combined.
For Filling, in a small bowl, mix together pecans, brown sugar, melted butter, water and flour and stir until well combined.
Scrape half of cake batter into prepared baking pan. Use an offset spatula to smooth. Spread Filling over cake batter. Top with remaining batter. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in center of cake comes out mostly clean. Transfer pan to a wire rack to cool. Remove cake to a cake plate or cutting board; discard parchment paper.
For Frosting, in a large bowl, using an electric mixer on medium speed, beat confectioners’ sugar and cream cheese together until fully combined. Add vanilla and continue beating until worked in. Spread frosting over cooled cake, then sprinkle colored sanding sugars over top while frosting is still wet. Cut into 9 squares to serve.
