Gluten Free King Cake
Posted: 01/30/25
Updated: 02/13/25
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Do you usually skip out on this Mardi Gras staple because you don’t love the way all that gluten makes you feel? With our gluten free king cake recipe, now you can have your king cake AND eat it, too! This recipe for a traditional-style, cinnamon-filled king cake has everything you love about this classic New Orleans treat – with none of the gluten.
What We Love About This Recipe
- It’s everything there is to love about a traditional king cake, made completely gluten free! King cake itself is reminiscent of a warm, gooey cinnamon roll, with lots of brown sugar & cinnamon flavors and a rich icing. Our gluten free king cake checks all the boxes, right down to the king cake baby!
- There aren’t any shortcuts here! Don’t get me wrong, I’m all for making recipes as easy as possible. Taking the time to mix and prove and knead and prove and bake the gluten free dough really gives it that traditional king cake flavor and texture, though!
The Rules of King Cake
- Eating king cake before Twelfth Day or after Fat Tuesday is bad luck. Don’t be tempted by red-and-green Christmas king cakes or red-white-and-blue July 4th king cakes!
- The knife stays in the box! With a homemade king cake, though, there’s not a box to keep the knife in, so I’m pretty sure you’ll get a pass on this one.
The King Cake Baby
Or, as my daughter calls it, the “king baby”.
The king cake baby is literally a little plastic toy baby usually hidden inside the king cake, but sometimes you’ll see it just served on the side instead. But why is there a baby in the first place? And is finding the king cake baby good or bad?
Well… It depends who you ask.
What’s Up with the Baby?
Mardi Gras season begins on Twelfth Night (or Three Kings’ Day, or Epiphany) and goes through Fat Tuesday. The day after Fat Tuesday? That’s Ash Wednesday – the start of the Easter season. In fact, some years get more Mardi Gras time than others because Easter Sunday is always 40 days after Fat Tuesday. Because of that, some people see the king cake baby as a representation of the Biblical baby Jesus.
Before the 1940s, though, doubloons and beans were the hidden trinkets of choice. Not tiny plastic (or ceramic!) babies.
What Happens If You Find the King Cake Baby?
There are a few different traditions surrounding the plastic baby. Some people believe finding it brings you good luck and prosperity for the rest of the Mardi Gras season or even the rest of the year. Some people see it as an omen of sorts, kind of like catching the bouquet at a wedding, with the finder “marked” as the next person to get pregnant. Others just see it as a fun little Easter egg hunt.
There is one “rule” that most people agree on, though. The person who finds the baby in their slice of cake? They’re responsible for hosting the next Mardi Gras party – or at the very least providing the king cake at the next year’s festivities! If that doesn’t appeal to you, choose your slice of king cake wisely.
Where Do You Get a King Cake Baby?
Naturally, if you’re buying a king cake in New Orleans, the cake comes with the baby included – either already baked into the cake, or loose in the box for you to hide yourself. For a homemade king cake (gluten free or otherwise), you’ll need to supply your own little plastic baby.
Thankfully, you can easily buy them online. Amazon carries them in bulk (I’ve seen them in quantities of 6 up to quantities of 200, so shop wisely) and you can get them with any skin color, bald or with painted-on hair, with both arms out or just one arm raised, etc.
I like this little bundle of purple, gold, and green king cake babies that also comes with a few color-coordinated Mardi Gras beads.
Chef’s Tips
- Baking is a science, but don’t get too experimental here! Make sure you follow the recipe closely, especially when it comes to the measurements and temperatures of the ingredients. Oh, and! While you can probably use a different brand or type of gluten-free flour, we only tested our king cake with Bob’s Red Mill 1-to-1 Gluten-Free Baking Flour, so we can’t guarantee other flours will give you the same results.
- Speaking of the flour, do you know the “proper” way to measure it? It’s called the “spoon and level method”. Basically, instead of sticking your measuring cup straight into the bag of flour, you’ll want to use a spoon to scoop the flour out of the bag and into your measuring cup. Once the cup’s full, gently drag the back of the spoon across the top of the flour, making sure it’s completely level with the edges of the measuring cup. Spoon and level! Doing it this way keeps you from inadvertently using too much flour.
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Gluten Free King Cake
Everything you love about a traditional cinnamon-filled king cake with absolutely none of the gluten!
servings
Ingredients
For the Gluten-Free Dough
- 1 cup milk of choice at room temperature
- ½ cup unsalted butter at room temperature, cut into small pieces; approximately 8 tablespoons or 1 full-size stick
- ½ cup warm water between 105° and 115° Fahrenheit
- 2 packets active dry yeast approximately 4.5 teaspoons
- 1 tablespoon granulated white sugar
- 2 large eggs at room temperature
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 7 tablespoons granulated white sugar
- 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
- 2 teaspoons fresh gluten-free baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt more or less to taste
- 5 ½ cups Bob's Red Mill 1-to-1 Gluten-Free Baking Flour see Notes
For the Cinnamon-Sugar Filling
- ½ cup unsalted butter
- 1 packed cup light brown sugar
- ½ cup Bob's Red Mill 1-to-1 Gluten-Free Baking Flour see Notes
- 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
For the King Cake Frosting
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- 2 tablespoons milk of choice plus more as needed
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
To Decorate
- 1 plastic King Cake baby or 1 whole coffee bean, optional
- purple sanding sugar 1 4-ounce container recommended, more or less as desired
- yellow sanding sugar 1 4-ounce container recommended, more or less as desired
- green sanding sugar 1 4-ounce container recommended, more or less as desired
Equipment
- 2 small mixing bowls
- 2 whisks
- medium saucepan
- large wooden spoon or whisk
- candy thermometer or deep fry thermometer
- stand mixer bowl
- stand mixer
- dough hook for stand mixer
- clean, flat work surface
- Bob's Red Mill 1-to-1 Gluten-Free Baking Flour to flour work surface and rolling pin
- Large bowl
- neutral-flavored oil avocado oil, vegetable oil, refined coconut oil, etc.
- food-safe plastic wrap
- Microwave-safe bowl
- Microwave
- Fork
- large baking sheet
- Parchment paper
- flour sifter or fine mesh sieve, optional
- medium mixing bowl
Instructions
To Make the King Cake Dough
- Place small saucepan on stovetop over medium heat. Add 1 cup milk of choice to saucepan and warm milk, stirring constantly, approximately 5 minutes or until temperature of milk reaches 110° to 115° Fahrenheit according to candy thermometer.
- When temperature of milk reaches target range, remove saucepan from heat. Add ½ cup unsalted butter to saucepan and stir until butter is melted and incorporated into warmed milk.
- Set saucepan aside and let mixture cool completely, approximately 10 minutes.
- After setting saucepan aside, add ½ cup warm water, 2 packets active dry yeast, and 1 tablespoon granulated white sugar to stand mixer bowl. Stir ingredients together until fully incorporated, then set bowl aside. Let yeast mixture rest until foamy, approximately 10 minutes.
- Crack 2 large eggs into small mixing bowl. Whisk eggs together until fully combined, with no streaks of egg whites or yolks remaining. Set aside.
- When yeast begins to foam and milk mixture has cooled to room temperature, pour milk mixture into bowl with yeast mixture. Add whisked eggs, 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract, 7 tablespoons granulated white sugar, 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar, 2 teaspoons fresh gluten-free baking powder, and ¼ teaspoon salt to bowl.
- Using stand mixer fitted with dough hook, mix ingredients together on medium-low speed 30 to 60 seconds or until all ingredients are fully incorporated.
- Continue mixing, increasing speed to medium. Slowly add 5 ½ cups Bob's Red Mill 1-to-1 Gluten-Free Baking Flour to bowl in ½-cup increments, mixing well after each addition until all flour has been added to bowl.
- Continue mixing until dough begins to pull away from sides of bowl, approximately 3 to 5 minutes.
- Lightly sprinkle additional gluten-free baking flour over flat work surface. Transfer dough to floured surface, then knead dough 8 to 10 minutes or until dough is smooth and stretchy.
- Lightly grease bottom and sides of large bowl with neutral-flavored oil. Place kneaded dough in bowl and flip dough over until ball of dough is oiled on all sides.
- Cover bowl tightly with food-safe plastic wrap and place bowl in warm area. Prove dough approximately 1 ½ hours or until doubled in size.
- When dough has doubled in size, gently press down on dough with clenched fist to release air pockets, then divide dough into 2 equal halves.
- Lightly sprinkle additional gluten-free baking flour over flat work surface and rolling pin. Transfer one half of dough to floured surface. Roll dough into large, evenly-thick rectangle, measuring approximately 8 inches by 12 inches.
- Repeat process with other half of dough, adding flour to work surface or rolling pin as needed. Make sure both dough rectangles are same overall size and thickness.
For the Cinnamon-Sugar Filling
- When both halves of dough have been rolled flat, place ½ cup unsalted butter in microwave-safe bowl. Microwave butter until just melted.
- Add 1 packed cup light brown sugar, ½ cup Bob's Red Mill 1-to-1 Gluten-Free Baking Flour, and 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon to small mixing bowl. Use fork to mash and stir ingredients together until well-blended.
- Pour melted butter over cinnamon-sugar mixture, then continue mixing ingredients together with fork until combined and crumbly.
- Divide cinnamon-sugar mixture in half. Spread half of cinnamon-sugar mixture evenly over one dough rectangle.
- Repeat with remaining cinnamon-sugar mixture and other dough rectangle.
- Use hands or silicone spatula to gently press cinnamon-sugar mixture into dough. Be careful not to tear or press through dough.
To Form the King Cake
- Line large baking sheet with parchment paper. Set aside.
- Beginning on long side of one dough rectangle, gently lift edge of rectangle. Carefully roll dough toward opposite long side of rectangle, creating long dough roll or log.
- Transfer dough roll to prepared baking sheet. Place dough off center and slightly curved, forming one side of large oval. Set aside.
- Repeat with other dough rectangle, making sure both dough rolls are same length and thickness.
- Transfer second dough roll to prepared baking sheet. Arrange dough to form other side of large oval, then pinch both ends of each dough roll together to close oval.
- Using kitchen scissors or sharp knife, cut vents into top of dough. Space vents approximately 1-inch apart. Note: Be careful not to cut too deeply. Vents should only go through top 25% of dough.
- Cover baking sheet with food-safe plastic wrap and place baking sheet in warm area. Let dough rise 30 to 45 minutes or until again doubled in size.
- Toward end of proving time, preheat oven to 375° Fahrenheit. Position oven rack in dead center of oven.
To Bake the King Cake
- When dough has doubled in size, uncover baking sheet and discard plastic wrap. Place baking sheet in preheated oven.
- Bake king cake 10 to 15 minutes, then carefully rotate baking sheet 180 degrees. Bake king cake 10 minutes more.
- Check that cake is baked through by inserting toothpick or butterknife into center of dough, then immediately removing. Continue baking king cake as needed, checking every 3 minutes or so, until toothpick or butterknife is clean or covered in very few crumbs when removed from cake.
- Carefully remove baking sheet from oven. If desired, carefully insert 1 plastic King Cake baby into cake while dough is still warm.
- Set baking sheet aside and let cake rest approximately 30 minutes or until cooled.
To Decorate the King Cake
- Sift 2 cups powdered sugar into medium mixing bowl, then add 2 tablespoons milk of choice and 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract to bowl.
- Whisk ingredients together until fully incorporated into smooth frosting or glaze. Note: Whisk in additional milk as needed to achieve desired consistency.
- When satisfied with consistency, spread frosting (or pour glaze) evenly onto top of king cake.
- Sprinkle purple sanding sugar, yellow sanding sugar, and green sanding sugar over frosting (or glaze), keeping colors in separate blocks or mixing colors together as desired.
To Serve
- Once king cake has been decorated, slice king cake as desired and serve warm or at room temperature.
Notes
- Flour: Please note that we did not test this recipe with other brands or types of gluten free flour. While you are welcome to use any flour you like, we can’t guarantee the results or provide any assistance with other brands or types.
- Leftovers: Store leftover king cake at room temperature in an airtight container or tightly covered with food-safe plastic wrap. Serve leftovers at room temperature or warmed. Oh, and remember – the knife stays in the
boxcontainer!
Nutrition Information
Serving: 1 serving | Calories: 502kcal | Protein: 5g | Fat: 13g | Saturated Fat: 8g | Trans Fat: 0.5g | Total Carbs: 91g | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 45g | Added Sugars: 0g | Erythritol: 0g | Allulose: 0g | Sugar Alcohols: 0g | Net Carbs: 89g | Vitamin C: 0.02mg | Cholesterol: 56mg | Sodium: 232mg | Potassium: 152mg | Calcium: 59mg | Iron: 0.3mg
Number of total servings shown is approximate. Actual number of servings will depend on your preferred portion sizes.
Nutritional values shown are general guidelines and reflect information for 1 serving using the ingredients listed, not including any optional ingredients. Actual macros may vary slightly depending on specific brands and types of ingredients used.
To determine the weight of one serving, prepare the recipe as instructed. Weigh the finished recipe, then divide the weight of the finished recipe (not including the weight of the container the food is in) by the desired number of servings. Result will be the weight of one serving.
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