• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
Joy the Baker
Joy the Baker
  • Cookies
  • Bread
  • Cakes
  • Pies
  • Recipes
    • All Recipes
    • Cookies
    • Birthday Cake Recipes
    • Biscuits
    • Muffins
    • Cupcakes
    • Drinks
    • Breakfast
    • Lunch
    • Dinner
    • Fruit
    • Nuts
    • Buttermilk
    • Chocolate
    • Vanilla
    • Holiday
    • Healthy
    • Gluten-Free
    • Vegan
  • Blog
    • Baking 101
    • Tips
    • Beyond the Kitchen
    • Let It Be Sunday!
    • New Orleans
  • Shop

Easy One-Dish King Cake

January 16, 2020 by Joy the Baker 21 Comments

Jump to Recipe

I’ve got a long list of King Cakes to make this carnival season.  They vary in degrees of complication and amounts of butter.  Most are sweet. One is savory.  All are being testing this month and shaping up to be deeply delicious.  

Lord knows there’s no shortage of King Cake around here.  There’s an Original King Cake which is essentially a giant cinnamon roll rounded into a cake shape.  There’s Cinnamon Roll King Cake which slices the rolls into a ring.  There’s my favorite Galette des Rois Cookies that turn a traditional French King Cake into small cookies using a homemade quick puff pastry.  And there will be more because Mardi Gras is about excess (and glitter and parades and throws and friends and cocktail and jambalaya and the most fun – it’s really just the most fun).  

Today’s offering is a very simple king cake. No rolling or braiding and barely any resting for this easy yeasted cake. It comes together on one dish (the pan it’s baked in) and bakes in a cold oven.  It’s a slow, quick rise so we’re using RapidRise or Instant yeast. The result is a soft and cakey everyday cake.  The kind of cake that you might throw together when you know you have company coming over in an hour.  Simple King Cake, really – straight to the point. 

Here’s what you’ll need: 

• Instant yeast – the quick stuff. Instant yeast dissolves quickly in the batter without proofing in warm water.  It also makes this cake come together super quickly so if you can get your hands on Rapid Rise or Instant yeast – do take advantage! 

•  All-purpose flour, a bit of sugar, and salt – the foundation of most of our baked goods. 

•  Whole milk, melted butter, oil, and an egg to add richness – making a quick enriched dough

•  For the topping that’s also the filling: brown sugar, cinnamon, and butter – the good stuff. 

•  For the glaze: powdered sugar, vanilla, and bit of melted butter and a splash of milk.

•  To top: purple, yellow and green sprinkles – it’s just cake without them.  And a plastic baby or any festive feve! 

It’s coffee cake, made King Cake and it’s simple and delicious.



This cake comes with the very good news of very few dishes. 

You’ll only need one dish and one bowl to mix and bake this little baby King Cake.  The dish you mix it in is the dish you bake it in!  Save for one small bowl we mix the topping in, this is essentially a keep-the-kitchen-clean cake. 

Just to be clear… I have all the ingredients measure out in little bowls for you to see. You won’t fuss with that in your kitchen. 

Grease an 8-inch round baking pan along the bottom and up the sides with butter. Add the dry ingredients to the greased pan and whisk to combine.  Add the warmed milk, melted butter, oil, and beaten egg.  

*If you’re using active dry yeast, bloom the yeast in 2 tablespoons of warm water for 5 minutes and mix it in with the wet ingredients. 

Whisk until the wet and dry ingredients are well combined. Use a spatula to get into the corners of the pan where flour might be hiding. 

After mixing you’ll find you have a loose but sticky batter.  

Allow the cake to rest for 10 – 15 minutes while you stir together the brown sugar topping. Uncovered is just fine. It doesn’t rest for long. 

* If you’re using active dry yeast, allow the cake to rest for 30 – 35 minutes. 



Ok ok we’re using our one bowl! 

Stir together brown sugar, ground cinnamon, and melted butter.  The mixture will be grainy – that’s right! 

After the rest, swirl the cinnamon mixture into the batter and allow to rest for 5 minutes or so.  *15 minutes if you’re using active dry yeast. 

Place it in a COLD oven. Wild – I know… but the cake will slowly rise as the oven heats.  Set the oven to 350 and allow the oven to preheat and the cake to bake at the same time!  What a wonder. 

The cake is done when it comes to golden brown, the sugar is bubbling, and the edges begin to pull away from the sides of the pan just a bit. 

Whisk together the easy glaze until smooth. Use the same bowl that you used for the cinnamon mixture if you’re counting dishes.

Drizzle the mostly cooled cake with glaze, sprinkle generously with Mardi Gras colors, and tuck a little feve inside.  

That’s the story, friends! Now it’s your turn to King Cake. Get on this one because we’ve only got more cake coming down the pipeline!  

My love to you today and for the rest of Mardi Gras! 

xo

Print
clock clock iconcutlery cutlery iconflag flag iconfolder folder iconinstagram instagram iconpinterest pinterest iconfacebook facebook iconprint print iconsquares squares iconheart heart iconheart solid heart solid icon

Easy One-Dish King Cake

★★★★★ 4.8 from 5 reviews
  • Prep Time: 0 hours
  • Cook Time: 0 hours
  • Total Time: 1 hour 10 minutes
  • Yield: 1 8-inch cake 1x
Pin Recipe
Print Recipe

Description

The quickest way to King Cake.


Ingredients

Scale

For the Cake Batter:

  • unsalted butter to grease the pan
  • 1–1/2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 3 tablespoons granulated sugar
  • 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 3 teaspoons RapidRise or Instant Yeast
  • 2/3 cup very warm milk
  • 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
  • 2 tablespoons canola oil
  • 1 large egg, lightly beaten

For the Cinnamon Mixture:

  • 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
  • 2/3 cup lightly packed light brown sugar
  • 1–1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
  • pinch of kosher salt

For the Glaze:

  • 1 cup powdered sugar
  • 1 to 2 tablespoons milk
  • 1 tablespoon butter, melted
  • 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • purple, yellow, and green sprinkles and a plastic baby

Instructions

  1. Grease an 8-inch round cake pan with butter.
  2. Add the dry ingredients including the yeast to the cake pan and whisk to combine.
  3. Add the milk, melted butter, oil, and beaten egg. Whisk to combine and use a spatula to coax any flour from the corners of the pan.
  4. Allow to batter to rest in the pan for 10 to 15 minutes. While the cake rests, make the cinnamon topping.
  5. In a small bowl stir together brown sugar, cinnamon, melted butter, and salt until the mixture is moistened and sandy.
  6. Top batter evenly with cinnamon mixture. Use a butter knife to swirl the cinnamon sugar into the batter. Allow to rest for 5 more minutes.
  7. To bake the cake, place pan in a COLD oven; set temperature to 350°F; bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until lightly browned and firm in center. Allow the cake to cool for 20 minutes. Combine icing ingredients in the same bowl used to make the cinnamon mixture and drizzle over the just warm cake.
  8. Sprinkle generously with Mardi Gras colors and tuck a little baby inside. Enjoy!

Notes

Recipe adapted from Fleischmann’s Bread World.

To adapt this recipe using active dry yeast instead of instant or rapidrise – bloom the yeast in 2 tablespoons of water for 5 minutes before adding to the batter along with the wet ingredients.

Increase the first rest to 30 – 35 minutes. Increase the second rest to 15 minutes. Bake as instructed.


Nutrition

  • Serving Size: 8

Did you make this recipe?

Share a photo and tag us — we can't wait to see what you've made!

Previous PostNext Post

Filed Under: Cakes, Holiday

Previous Post: « Let It Be Sunday, 253!
Next Post: Let It Be Sunday, 254! »

Reader Interactions

All Comments
I Made This
Questions
  1. Gaby

    February 20, 2023 at 8:01 pm

    Such a delicious take on King Cake! I really enjoyed this because the cake is really moist, super simple to make and so flavorful! I think i’m going to ‘play’ around with the recipe and add some orange zest and then maybe make another one with some type of cream cheese ‘filling’. I had some sliced almonds that I added to the top of the cake before baking to add some crunch and only did half of the glaze.

    ★★★★★

    Reply
  2. Meitra

    February 20, 2023 at 11:41 am

    Has anyone tried this with a gluten free flour blend?

    Reply
    • Molly O

      March 11, 2023 at 5:19 am

      Yes! I’ve made this many times over the years with various 1:1 GF flour blends and it works great, definitely the best GF king cake!

      ★★★★★

      Reply
« Older Comments

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe rating ★☆ ★☆ ★☆ ★☆ ★☆

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

RELATED POSTS IN Cakes

A New Orleans King Cake baked in a cast iron skillet
My 10 Best King Cake Recipes

A King Cake recipe for every year I’ve lived in New Orleans – cinnamon-scented, pecan-filled, with yeast or without, super simple to make or deliciously complex. Whether you want your King Cake sweet or savory, your perfect recipe is here.  I love dancing in the street every Mardi Gras season but Mardi Gras is also…

Read More

Chocolate basque cheesecake topped with fruit.
Mini Burnt Chocolate Basque Cheesecake

This refined recipe for chocolate Basque cheesecake is SO SIMPLE with the most impressive results.  Find a detailed step-by-step with tips and tricks below or skip right to the recipe and get baking! This cheesecake does not miss. I’ve always felt like making a cheesecake, at home, from scratch was rather unreasonable.  You mean to…

Read More

Slice of fresh plum cake recipe on small plate with fork
September Summer Fresh Plum and Lemon Curd Cake

I’ve been saving this plum cake recipe for just the right time.  I put my finger up to the breeze this morning and we’re here – we’ve reached peak In Between. In Between is that time between summer and fall when I, for one, am changing out my scented candles from fresh and floral and…

Read More

Primary Sidebar

Fresh baked emails, delivered to your inbox

Jump to Recipe

Receive recipes from Joy the Baker and updates on events at The Bakehouse.

HI! I’M JOY!

Jump to Recipe

Welcome! This has been my little corner of the internet since 2008!

I’m a baker, photographer, cookbook author and teacher.  I live laugh love in New Orleans. 

MORE ABOUT JOY AND THE TEAM

BOOKS + Magazines

Jump to Recipe

JOY THE BAKER 2022 SUMMER MAGAZINE

JOY THE BAKER 2021 HOLIDAY MAGAZINE

JOY THE BAKER 2020 HOLIDAY MAGAZINE

HOMEMADE DECADENCE

OVER EASY: SWEET AND SAVORY RECIPES FOR LEISURELY DAYS COOKBOOK

JOY THE BAKER COOKBOOK

Jump to Recipe
joy the baker on facebook joy the baker on twitter pinterest-social instagram-socialbloglovin-social

JOY @ WILLIAMS SONOMA

Jump to Recipe

SHOP THE CAKE LINE OF CAKE MIXES!

DRAKE ON CAKE

Jump to Recipe

Passionate from miles away since 2015.

Check it out on Instagram

Drake on cake instagram.

 

BREADS YOU’LL LOVE

jambalaya buttermilk biscuits in a row

Smoked Sausage Jambalaya Buttermilk Biscuits

inside of warm cinnamon roll on plate

How To Make The Best Single Serve Cinnamon Roll

Orange roll on a plate with a fork.

Christmas Morning Orange Rolls

LET’S MAKE COOKIES!

wider shot of lemon bars stacked on a plate with a bite taken out of one lemon bar

My Favorite Classic Lemon Bars Recipe

completed recipe close up shot of a blondie so the toasted almonds, chocolate chips, and sea salt can be seen

My Best Classic Blondie Recipe

cowboy cookies close up showing texture.

Cowboy Cookies with salted cereal brittle

Footer

Instagram

joythebaker

📚Baker and author of books and magazines
🎂Creator @drakeoncake
💁🏻‍♀️Classes with me @thebakehousenola
🍰 Products with @williamssonoma

joythebaker
Someone call @foodnetwork because Dad and I need a Someone call @foodnetwork because Dad and I need a baking show stat. Here’s our very best chocolate chip cookies and all the little tips that make them perfection. ✨🍪 Find the full recipe linked in the profile!
We’re baking the classics on Joy the Baker this We’re baking the classics on Joy the Baker this month and up next, my very favorite Lemon Bar recipe with fresh lemon juice and the tiniest hint of coriander. ⁣🍋🌼✨
⁣
Find the full recipe linked in the profile and bust out the white chocolate and macadamia nuts for next week’s bake! ⁣
⁣
#lemonbars #easybaking #bakedfromscratch #joythebaker
Day in the Life: out in the woods writing a little Day in the Life: out in the woods writing a little cookbook about camp food. 💖🏕️🙋🏻‍♀️
Homesick Banana Bread. Recipe linked in the profil Homesick Banana Bread. Recipe linked in the profile (and you don’t have to be homesick to make it). #bananabread #sundaybaking
Let’s make one single GIANT PANCAKE which is the Let’s make one single GIANT PANCAKE which is the perfect Breakfast Dessert or Spiral Bake - whatever you need it to be. ⁣
⁣
Pro Tips: Smell you buttermilk and decide it’s probably fine. Flip the pancake with reckless confidence. You can sit to eat - you don’t have to eat like you work in a restaurant anymore. ⁣
⁣
Find a version of the full recipe linked in the profile. Xo.
🙋🏻‍♀️ still out here drinking whole mi 🙋🏻‍♀️ still out here drinking whole milk by the glass which is honestly hard to do when you live with a small indoor lion.
Load More... Follow on Instagram

Copyright © 2023 · Joy the Baker
All rights reserved. Violators will be whupped and sent to bed with no dessert · Privacy Policy

Scroll Up