Vegan King Cake for Mardi Gras Recipe

Vegan King Cake for Mardi Gras Recipe

The Spruce / Christine Ma

Prep: 30 mins
Cook: 30 mins
Total: 60 mins
Servings: 10 to 12 servings
Yield: 1 king cake

A Mardi Gras tradition, the king cake is served on Fat Tuesday as part of the feast, and a figurine of a baby or, alternatively, a dried bean is hidden within the cake. The person who receives this slice is, according to tradition, to have good luck throughout the coming year.

Most King Cake recipes contain a lot of butter and eggs, but this version uses coconut milk and dairy-free soy margarine, so everyone has a chance at good fortune!

This recipe does take several steps, so feel free to prepare the filling and "sprinkles" a day in advance to ease party preparations.

Ingredients

For the Cake:

  • 1 (0.25-ounce) packet active dry yeast (2 1/4 teaspoons)

  • 1/4 cup warm water

  • 1 tablespoon maple syrup

  • 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more if needed

  • 3 tablespoons organic sugar

  • 1 teaspoon salt

  • 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

  • 6 tablespoons (3 ounces) soy margarine, cut into pieces

  • 3 tablespoons egg replacer powder, mixed with 1/4 cup hot water

  • 1/4 cup coconut milk (not “lite” variety), plus more for brushing

For the Filling:

  • 3/4 cup dark brown sugar, packed

  • 1/4 cup (2 ounces) soy margarine, softened

  • 1/2 cup pecans, finely chopped

  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

For the Sprinkles:

  • 1 1/2 cups unrefined cane sugar, divided

  • 4 drops yellow food coloring, as needed for desired color

  • 4 drops green food coloring, as needed for desired color

  • 4 drops purple food coloring, as needed for desired color

For the Icing:

  • 1 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar

  • 1/2 teaspoon salt

  • 3 tablespoons warm water

Steps to Make It

  1. Gather the cake ingredients.

    Vegan King Cake for Mardi Gras Recipe ingredients

    The Spruce / Christine Ma

  2. In a medium-sized mixing bowl, combine the yeast, warm water, and maple syrup, mixing gently until the yeast dissolves and bubbles begin to appear on the surface. Set aside until frothy, about 5 minutes.

    combine the yeast, warm water, and maple syrup in a bowl

    The Spruce / Christine Ma

  3. Meanwhile, in the bowl of a food processor, combine the flour, sugar, salt, and nutmeg. Add the soy margarine and process until the mixture resembles fine crumbs.

    In the bowl of a food processor, combine the flour, salt, nutmeg, and sugar

    The Spruce / Christine Ma

  4. Add this mixture to the yeast, along with the egg replacer mixture and coconut milk. Knead, adding flour as necessary, until soft dough forms.

    dough ball in a bowl

    The Spruce / Christine Ma

  5. Place in an oiled bowl, covered, for 1 hour, or until the dough is doubled in size.

    dough in a bowl

    The Spruce / Christine Ma

  6. Gather the filling and sprinkle ingredients.

    filling and sprinkle ingredients

    The Spruce / Christine Ma

  7. In a small mixing bowl, combine the brown sugar, soy margarine, chopped pecans and cinnamon until combined.

    In a small mixing bowl, combine the brown sugar, soy margarine, chopped pecans and cinnamon

    The Spruce / Christine Ma

  8. Make the Sprinkles. In three small bowls, mix about 1/2 cup of sugar in each with just a few drops of desired food coloring. Mix well until the desired color is achieved. Set aside.

    sugar and food coloring in a bowl

    The Spruce / Christine Ma

  9. Preheat the oven to 350 F. Lightly oil a large baking sheet or round pizza pan.

    oiled baking sheet

    The Spruce / Christine Ma

  10. Roll out the dough on a lightly floured surface to a large rectangle about 1/8” thick.

    Roll out the dough on a lightly floured surface

    The Spruce / Christine Ma

  11. Using a floured bench scraper or sharp knife, cut the dough in half lengthwise. Cut each of the strips into triangles, each about 3 inches at their base. (Think of a zipper or zigzag pattern when you cut, alternating the tops of triangles with the bases.)

    cut the dough into triangles

    The Spruce / Christine Ma

  12. With the tips of the triangles pointed inward, place the triangles in a circle on the prepared sheet, overlapping one over the other and pressing the edges to seal.

    dough triangles arranged in a circle

    The Spruce / Christine Ma

  13. Place an even amount of the filling on the centers of the triangles, and place the baby or dried bean somewhere on the filling.

    filling on top of dough on a baking sheet

    The Spruce / Christine Ma

  14. Fold the outsides of the triangles over the filling, so that the reach just over the filling. Fold the tips over, pressing slightly to adhere the tips to the outside of the ring.

    Fold the outsides of the triangles over the filling

    The Spruce / Christine Ma

  15. Cover the ring lightly with a paper towel or clean dish towel, and let rise for 20 minutes more.

    Cover the ring lightly with a kitchen towel

    The Spruce / Christine Ma

  16. Brush the cake lightly with coconut milk or soy milk.

    Brush the cake lightly with coconut milk or soy milk

    The Spruce / Christine Ma

  17. Bake in the preheated oven for 25-30 minutes, or until golden brown.

    baked vegan king cake on a baking sheet

    The Spruce / Christine Ma

  18. Allow cake to cool completely on a wire cooling rack, and then transfer the cake to a serving platter large enough to catch excess icing.

    baked king cake on a cooking rack

    The Spruce / Christine Ma

  19. Gather the icing ingredients.

    Gather the icing ingredients

    The Spruce / Christine Ma

  20. Prepare the Icing. In a medium-sized mixing bowl, whisk together the confectioner's sugar and salt.

    whisk together the confectioner's sugar and salt

    The Spruce / Christine Ma

  21. Add the warm water and, stirring vigorously, stir until the mixture is a very thick glaze.

    sugar, salt and water mixture in a bowl

    The Spruce / Christine Ma

  22. Ladle the mixture over the cake in several additions, letting the icing run down the sides.

    Ladle the icing mixture over the cake

    The Spruce / Christine Ma

  23. While the icing is still slightly warm, sprinkle the prepared sprinkles over the cake, alternating sections of purple, green and yellow. Allow the icing to harden completely before serving.

    Vegan King Cake for Mardi Gras Recipe, while the icing is still slightly warm, sprinkle the prepared sprinkles over the cake

    The Spruce / Christine Ma

Nutrition Facts (per serving)
433 Calories
14g Fat
75g Carbs
4g Protein
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 10 to 12
Amount per serving
Calories 433
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 14g 18%
Saturated Fat 3g 16%
Cholesterol 0mg 0%
Sodium 389mg 17%
Total Carbohydrate 75g 27%
Dietary Fiber 1g 5%
Total Sugars 54g
Protein 4g
Vitamin C 0mg 1%
Calcium 28mg 2%
Iron 2mg 9%
Potassium 95mg 2%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)

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