This sourdough king cake recipe is a classic Mardi Gras dessert made with soft, enriched brioche sourdough dough, a cinnamon cream cheese filling, and a traditional glaze finished with purple, green, and gold sugar.
It’s a homemade king cake inspired by New Orleans baking that happens here on the Gulf Coast this time of the year. I have made so many of these cakes through the years prefecting them until blog post worthy.
The crumb is tender and lightly sweet with a mild tang, and the filling stays creamy without overwhelming the dough. It slices cleanly and holds its shape, whether served fresh or later in the day.
Pair it with sugar-coated pillowy, fluffy sourdough beignets or a pot of authentic New Orleans red beans and rice to round out a Mardi Gras table built around slow fermentation and food meant to be shared.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Naturally leavened flavor: The sourdough starter develops depth and balance, giving the cake a subtle tang that complements the sweet filling without overpowering it.
- Soft, enriched texture: Milk, butter, eggs, and sugar create a tender, pillowy crumb that stays moist and slices cleanly, even after cooling.
- Flexible fermentation options: The dough can be fermented overnight for deeper flavor or shaped the same day when time is limited, making it adaptable without sacrificing results.
- Classic Mardi Gras structure: This method produces a king cake ring that holds its shape, bakes evenly, and supports fillings like cinnamon sugar or cream cheese without leaking or collapsing.
Ingredients
Dough
Filling
Glaze
Variations & Substitutions
- Chocolate king cake: Add melted chocolate or mini chocolate chips to the cinnamon-sugar filling for a richer, dessert-forward variation.
- Fruit-filled version: Swirl in raspberry preserves or lemon curd for a brighter contrast that pairs well with the sweet dough.
- Nutty crunch: Sprinkle chopped pecans or small pieces of almond paste over the filling for added texture and a subtle nutty finish.
- Bundt pan alternative: Shape the dough into a ring and bake it in a well-greased bundt pan for an easy, decorative presentation.
- Coffee cake adaptation: Skip the ring shape and bake the dough in a square or rectangular pan for a sliceable, coffee-cake style bake.
Recipe Tips
Active sourdough starter: Use a bubbly starter at peak activity to ensure proper rise and balanced flavor in this enriched dough.
Milk temperature: Warm the milk until just warm to the touch, not hot, as excess heat can weaken fermentation and gluten strength.
Dough consistency: Expect a soft, slightly tacky dough due to the butter, eggs, and sugar, and avoid adding extra flour, which can make the cake dense.
Gluten development: Fully develop the gluten through kneading or stretch-and-folds so the dough can support the filling and hold its shape.
Bulk fermentation: Watch for a 30–50% rise rather than relying strictly on time, as enriched dough ferments more slowly.
Cold shaping: Refrigerating the dough, even briefly, makes rolling, cutting, and twisting cleaner and easier to control.
Softened filling ingredients: Ensure butter and cream cheese are fully softened so they spread smoothly without tearing the dough.
Even rolling: Roll the dough into an even rectangle to promote uniform baking and prevent filling leaks.
Sealing the ring: Pinch the ends together firmly so the shaped cake holds its form during baking.
Baking temperature: Bake until the internal temperature reaches 190°F to ensure the center is fully baked without drying out.
Cooling before glazing: Allow the cake to cool completely so the glaze sets instead of melting into the surface.
Decorating: Add colored sugars after glazing so they remain vibrant and adhere evenly.
How To Make
- Mix the dough. Combine the active sourdough starter, warm milk, melted butter, granulated sugar, eggs, and salt in a large bowl or stand mixer and mix until smooth and cohesive. Gradually add the bread flour and mix until a soft, shaggy dough forms with no dry flour remaining.
- Rest and develop gluten. Cover the dough and let it rest for 30 minutes to allow the flour to fully hydrate. After resting, knead by hand or with a dough hook until smooth and elastic, about 8–10 minutes, or use a stretch-and-fold method over several intervals until the dough feels strong and extensible.
- Bulk ferment. Cover the dough and allow it to rise at room temperature until increased by about 30–50% in volume. This typically takes 4–6 hours, depending on room temperature and starter strength. The dough should look slightly domed, feel lighter, and gently spring back when pressed.
- Cold ferment overnight (optional). After bulk fermentation, refrigerate the dough overnight to improve flavor and make shaping easier. If you are short on time, refrigerate the dough for at least 1 hour before shaping to improve handling, or proceed directly to shaping with the understanding that the dough will be softer.
- Prepare the filling. Mix the brown sugar, granulated sugar, and cinnamon until evenly combined. Blend in the softened butter and almond extract until smooth, then incorporate the fully softened cream cheese until creamy and spreadable.
- Roll and fill. Turn the dough out onto a lightly oiled or lightly floured surface and roll into a 12×18-inch rectangle. Spread the filling evenly over the dough, leaving a 1-inch border around the edges to prevent leaking.
- Shape the king cake. Roll the dough tightly from the long edge into a log and place seam-side down. Slice the log lengthwise to expose the filling, then gently twist the two strands together with the cut sides facing up. Transfer to a parchment-lined baking sheet and form into a ring, pinching the ends together firmly to seal.
- Final rise. Cover the shaped cake and allow it to rest until slightly puffy, about 30 minutes, while the oven preheats to 350°F.
- Bake. Bake until deeply golden and the internal temperature reaches 190°F, about 30–40 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow the cake to cool completely before decorating.
- Glaze and decorate. Whisk together the powdered sugar, milk, vanilla extract, and almond extract until smooth. Drizzle generously over the cooled cake, then finish with purple, green, and gold sanding sugars. Insert a king cake baby after the cake has cooled, if desired.
Freezing & Storage
- Room temperature: Store the fully cooled king cake loosely covered at room temperature for up to 2 days. Keep it away from direct heat or sunlight to maintain a soft crumb.
- Refrigerator: For longer storage, wrap the cake tightly or place in an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 5 days. Allow slices to come to room temperature before serving for best texture.
- Freezer: Wrap the unglazed cake or individual slices tightly in plastic wrap, then place in a freezer-safe bag or container and freeze for up to 2 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator or at room temperature before reheating or glazing.
- Reheat: Warm slices gently in a 300°F oven for 8–10 minutes or briefly in the microwave until just heated through. Avoid overheating, which can dry out the crumb.
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More Mardi Gras Recipes from The Cottage
Another favorite from my kitchen to yours, where the seasons guide the table, and every meal is an act of love — may this recipe become a favorite in your kitchen too.
With gratitude & love,
Emily
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Sourdough King Cake Recipe
Ingredients
Dough
- 1 ½ cups Active Sourdough Starter (360g)
- 1 ½ cups Warm Milk (115°F / 46°C)
- ½ cup Butter, Melted Salted (113g)* I use salted for all my recipes but you can use unsalted butter
- ½ cup Granulated Sugar (100g)
- 2 tsp Salt (10g)
- 2 Large Eggs Room Temp
- 6 cups Bread Flour (720g)
Filling
- ½ cup Brown Sugar (100g)
- ½ cup Granulated Sugar (100g)
- 2 tbsp Ceylon Cinnamon (10g)
- ½ cup Salted Butter, Soften (113g) *can use unsalted instead
- 1 tsp Almond Extract (5g)
- 8 oz Cream Cheese (225g)
- ½ cup Granulated Sugar (100g)
Glaze and Topping
- 3 cups Powdered Sugar (360g)
- 6 tbsp Milk (90ml)
- ½ tsp Vanilla Extract (2.5g)
- ½ tsp Almond Extract (2.5g)
- Colored Sugars: Purple, Green, and Gold
Instructions
- Mix the dough. Combine the active sourdough starter, warm milk, melted butter, granulated sugar, eggs, and salt in a large bowl or stand mixer and mix until smooth and cohesive. Gradually add the bread flour and mix until a soft, shaggy dough forms with no dry flour remaining.
- Rest and develop gluten. Cover the dough and let it rest for 30 minutes to allow the flour to fully hydrate. After resting, knead by hand or with a dough hook until smooth and elastic, about 8–10 minutes, or use a stretch-and-fold method over several intervals until the dough feels strong and extensible.
- Bulk ferment. Cover the dough and allow it to rise at room temperature until increased by about 30–50% in volume. This typically takes 4–6 hours depending on room temperature and starter strength. The dough should look slightly domed, feel lighter, and gently spring back when pressed.
- Cold ferment overnight (optional). After bulk fermentation, refrigerate the dough overnight to improve flavor and make shaping easier. If you are short on time, refrigerate the dough for at least 1 hour before shaping to improve handling, or proceed directly to shaping with the understanding that the dough will be softer.
- Prepare the filling. Mix the brown sugar, granulated sugar, and cinnamon until evenly combined. Blend in the softened butter and almond extract until smooth, then incorporate the fully softened cream cheese until creamy and spreadable.
- Roll and fill. Turn the dough out onto a lightly oiled or lightly floured surface and roll into a 12×18-inch rectangle. Spread the filling evenly over the dough, leaving a 1-inch border around the edges to prevent leaking.
- Shape the king cake. Roll the dough tightly from the long edge into a log and place seam-side down. Slice the log lengthwise to expose the filling, then gently twist the two strands together with the cut sides facing up. Transfer to a parchment-lined baking sheet and form into a ring, pinching the ends together firmly to seal.
- Final rise. Cover the shaped cake and allow it to rest until slightly puffy, about 30 minutes, while the oven preheats to 350°F.
- Bake. Bake until deeply golden and the internal temperature reaches 190°F, about 30–40 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow the cake to cool completely before decorating.
- Glaze and decorate. Whisk together the powdered sugar, milk, vanilla extract, and almond extract until smooth. Drizzle generously over the cooled cake, then finish with purple, green, and gold sanding sugars. Insert a king cake baby after the cake has cooled, if desired.
Notes
Nutrition
Emily Rider
Home miller with 25+ years of fresh-milled flour & sourdough experience.
Sharing from-scratch recipes and traditional kitchen skills, rooted in the seasons and inspired by everyday cottage living and seasonal rhythms.
Can this recipe be done with gluten free starter and flour? I made it yesterday with this recipe step by step and it’s fabulous! Now I want to try gluten free. Thanks!
Hi Reagan,
I’m so glad you loved the recipe—thank you for coming back to let me know!
I want to be upfront and say I haven’t personally tested this King Cake with a gluten-free sourdough starter yet. That said, if I were going to try it, this is the approach I would take:
I’d use a 1:1 gluten-free baking flour that already contains xanthan gum, and expect the dough to behave more like a thick batter rather than a stretchy, kneadable dough. Gluten-free sourdough doesn’t develop structure the same way, so I’d focus more on consistency than kneading.
I’d also shorten the fermentation time and watch the dough instead of the clock—you’re looking for it to look slightly puffy and aerated, not doubled. The flavor should still be wonderful, just with a different texture than the traditional version.
If you decide to experiment with it, I’d love to hear how it turns out.
Warmly,
Emily