New Orleans Gluten-Free King Cake (Vegan, Allergy-Free)
Carnival season in New Orleans means it's time to bake up a King Cake for Mardi Gras! This Gluten-Free King Cake recipe is vegan, allergy-free, lightened-up, and low in sugar! A rich brioche-style cake ring with a sweet, buttery filling, decorated with icing and bold colored sugar crystals! A classic Fat Tuesday dessert everyone will love!
- Prep Time: 1 hour
- Cook Time: 25 mins
- Total Time: 1 hour 20 mins
- Yield: 1 Cake 1x
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Bake
- Cuisine: American, Southern
Ingredients
Scale
For The Cake Dough:
- 3 Cups Gluten-Free Baking Flour
- 1 Packet (2.5 tsp) Active Dry Yeast
- 1 Cup Warm Water
- 1/4 Cup Granulated Sweetener (or preferred granulated sugar)
- 1/2 Tsp Salt
- 2 Prepared Bob's Red Mill Egg Replacements
- 1/4 Cup (4 TB) Vegan Butter (softened)
- 2 TB Unsweetened Plain Non-Dairy Milk (for brushing the outside of the cake)
For The Cake Filling:
- 3/4 Cup Brown Sugar Sweetener (or preferred dark or light brown sugar)
- 1/2 Tsp Cinnamon
- 1/2 Tsp Pure Madagascar Bourbon Vanilla Extract
- 1/4 Cup Vegan Butter (softened) or 1/2 Cup Plain Vegan Cream Cheese
- 1/4 Tsp Ground Nutmeg (optional)
- 1/4 Cup Raisins (optional)
For The Decorations:
- 1 to 2 Cups Powdered Sweetener (or preferred powdered sugar)
- Water (varies, 2-4 tablespoons)
- 3-4 TB Purple Sugar Crystals
- 3-4 TB Green Sugar Crystals
- 3-4 TB Gold/Yellow Sugar Crystals
- 1 Plastic Baby (for hiding in baked cake)
Instructions
- Mix the yeast, granulated sweetener, salt, and warm water together in a bowl and let it proof for about 5-10 minutes.
- In a large mixing bowl combine the gluten-free flour, proofed yeast mixture, prepared egg replacements, and softened butter together. Mix well with a fork before kneading the dough with your hands for a few minutes. Set aside the bowl aside in a warm spot, covered with a towel, to rise for about 45-60 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 375°F.
- Prepare the cake filling by mixing all the filling ingredients together until smooth and combined, before chilling the mixture in the fridge until you're ready to roll the cake.
- Once the dough has risen (it doesn't need to have risen much), roll the dough out on a Silpat mat, plastic wrap, or parchment paper on a flat surface to about 1/4 inch thickness in the shape of a large rectangle.
- Spread the filling over the rolled-out dough, leaving about 1 inch around the edges of the dough free from filling.
- Next, roll the dough into a tight log, like a cinnamon roll, starting with one edge and using the mat to help keep the roll together, like sushi.
- Take the long rolled log and carefully form a ring, closing the cake ring together as best you can with your hands and sealing any large cracks that may have formed.
- With the formed cake ring on the Silpat or parchment paper (remove any plastic wrap you may have used), place it onto a baking sheet before brushing the ring with the non-dairy milk.
- Bake the cake in the preheated oven for 25-30 minutes until golden brown on the outside.
- Remove the cake and allow it to cool slightly on the baking sheet before transferring it to a rise rack and pressing the baby into the cake.
- Mix together the powdered sweetener with water, adding water slowly to get a thick icing consistency that is still liquidy enough to drizzle.
- With the baked cake transferred to a wire rack, pour or drizzle on the icing and then sprinkle on the colored sugar crystals while the icing is still wet.
Notes
- To dye your own sugar crystals, pour out about 1/4 cup of plain sugar crystals for each color into 3 separate bowls. Add about 1 teaspoon of food coloring to each bowl and mix together, adding more color, until you get your desired shades of purple, green, and gold.
- Store leftovers in a closed container at room temperature for up to 2-3 days. Store the cake in the fridge for up to 7 days.
- Freeze the baked cake tightly wrapped in plastic wrap before placing it in a storage container for up to 6 months. Thaw the cake in the fridge before bringing it to room temperature.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: Varies
