Gluten-Free King Cake (beginner friendly!)

overhead of king cake with green, yellow, and purple sprinkles

Servings: 16

Prep Time: 30

Cook Time: 30

Total Time: 3

If you're looking for an easy gluten-free king cake recipe to make at home, this recipe is perfect for beginners to make, including video instructions. It can rise overnight in the fridge or in a few hours on the counter, both methods below.

4.97 from 55 votes

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Ingredients

King cake dough:

4 cups Gluten-Free Bread Mix, see recommendations below
3 teaspoons instant yeast, 1 packet
¼ cup sugar
¼ cup butter, melted
3 large eggs, room temperature
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
½ cup milk, warmed (no hotter than 115F)
¾ cup water, warmed (no hotter than 115F)

Cinnamon filling:

⅓ cup brown sugar
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

Frosting:

1 cup powdered sugar
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon milk
Green purple, and gold sprinkles or decorative sugar

Instructions

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone mat.
Combine the brown sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl and set aside.
In a large bowl or the bowl of your stand mixer, combine the gluten-free flour mix, instant yeast, and sugar.
Add the melted butter, eggs, vanilla, ½ cup warm milk, and warm water.
Using the hook attachment or one attachment of a hand mixer, combine the ingredients and mix, for about 3 minutes, until a wet sticky dough forms, stopping a few times to scrape the sides of the bowl.
With a large spoon or spatula, transfer the batter inside a gallon-sized zip bag or large piping bag. Push the batter down to make a cylinder and twist.
Slice a 1" hole in the corner of your zip bag and carefully squeeze half the batter giving it a round shape on top of the parchment paper, making a round circle.
Generously sprinkle the cinnamon-sugar mixture over the circle batter until it's all covered.
Continue to distribute the remaining batter over the cinnamon-topped base by squeezing the batter out of the bag, spreading it in a zig-zag motion. With wet fingertips, manually spread the batter to cover all the cinnamon-covered spaces
Rise: allow the shaped cake to rise in a warm place in the kitchen for 1.5 to 2 hours or overnight in the refrigerator, lightly covered with plastic wrap. Do not skip this step; pick one.
Preheat oven to 350F.
Brush the top of the king cake with a few tablespoons of milk over the top of the cake for moisture.
Bake in the preheated oven for 30 minutes, until the bread's internal temperature is 200F.
Remove from the oven and allow the king cake to cool down to room temperature.
Once cooled, combine the powdered sugar, vanilla, and milk in a medium bowl.
Spread the frosting over the top of the cake in a thick and even layer. Once the glaze is semi-set, sprinkle with colored sugar or sprinkles.

Notes

Gluten-free flour: this recipe has been tested (and re-tested) and enjoyed since 2007 with both of the gluten-free baking mixes listed in this post and recipe. I can stand by the recommended mixes for this recipe and highly advise against using anything else as I can't stand by the results.

Dairy-free dough: use melted coconut oil or dairy-free baking sticks instead of butter. Use canned coconut milk or a dairy-free milk alternative for the milk in the dough. The thicker, the better. For the icing, use any dairy-free milk alternative.

Egg-free: I don't recommend using an egg-replacer for this recipe. The outcome is a dense king-cake.

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