Mardi Gras King Cake-Inspired Bread Pudding Recipe
If you've ever celebrated Mardi Gras in New Orleans, then there's a good chance you've enjoyed a king cake. Despite the word "cake" being in the name, king cake is more akin to a pastry than anything else, with some even likening the texture to a sweet brioche. So, naturally, such a dessert might translate well into another type of bready dessert — and that certainly proves itself to be true in this Mardi Gras king cake-inspired bread pudding recipe, brought to us by developer Katie Rosenhouse.
One of the best parts of transforming traditional king cake into bread pudding is that it takes some of the trickiness out of crafting the dish, as baking a regular king cake can require some finesse in the kitchen. "Traditional king cake can be time-consuming to make (and take a little extra skill to pull off perfectly), so I love that this bread pudding carries all the flavors, textures, and celebratory finishes of a classic king cake, all in about 30 minutes of prep time," Rosenhouse says. We can attest to the fact that this bread pudding checks all of those traditional boxes, including a sweetened brioche-like base, a spiced cinnamon filling, a cream cheese glaze on top, and (optional) sanding sugar to achieve those distinct gold, green, and purple Mardi Gras colors.
Gather the ingredients for Mardi Gras king cake-inspired bread pudding
To make the bread pudding portion of this recipe, you'll need cubed brioche bread, eggs, granulated sugar, vanilla bean paste or extract, kosher salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, and half-and-half. For the filling, you'll need all-purpose flour, dark brown sugar, cinnamon, kosher salt, melted unsalted butter, and optional pecans. Meanwhile, the cream cheese glaze consists of room temperature butter, softened cream cheese, confectioners' sugar, lemon juice, and kosher salt. To achieve those Mardi Gras colors on top of the icing, you'll want purple, gold (or yellow), and green sanding sugars (all optional).
Step 1: Preheat the oven
Prepare the bread pudding: Preheat the oven to 375 F.
Step 2: Grease a baking dish
Grease or spray a 2.5-quart baking dish and set it aside.
Step 3: Combine eggs, sugar, and spices
In a large bowl, whisk to combine the eggs, sugar, vanilla, salt, and spices.
Step 4: Add the half-and-half
Whisk in the half-and-half to combine.
Step 5: Toss the bread cubes in the custard
Add the bread cubes and toss them lightly to coat (if your bowl isn't large enough, divide into two bowls). Avoid mashing or breaking up the bread cubes as much as possible.
Step 6: Transfer half the bread cubes to the baking dish
Pour half the bread mixture evenly into baking dish. Don't press.
Step 7: Prepare the cinnamon filling
To prepare the cinnamon filling, in a small bowl, mix to combine the flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, salt, and melted butter until uniform.
Step 8: Add the pecans
Toss in pecans, if desired.
Step 9: Sprinkle the cinnamon mixture over the bread cubes
Sprinkle the cinnamon mixture evenly over the bread pudding layer.
Step 10: Top with the remaining bread cubes
Top evenly with the remaining bread pudding mixture.
Step 11: Bake the bread pudding
Bake for 35-40 minutes until golden brown and set; transfer to a rack to cool slightly.
Step 12: Begin the cream cheese glaze
In the meantime, to prepare the glaze, mix to combine the butter and cream cheese until smooth.
Step 13: Finish the cream cheese glaze
Mix in the confectioners' sugar, lemon juice, and salt to combine.
Step 14: Pipe the glaze over the bread pudding
Pipe or spoon the glaze decoratively over warm bread pudding.
Step 15: Top with sanding sugar
Top decoratively with sanding sugars if desired.
Step 16: Garnish and serve the king cake-inspired bread pudding
Dust with confectioners' sugar if desired and serve.
What can I serve with Mardi Gras king cake?
Mardi Gras King Cake-Inspired Bread Pudding Recipe
Our Mardi Gras king cake-inpsired bread pudding carries all the flavors, textures, and celebratory finishes of the classic in about 30 minutes of prep time.
Ingredients
- For the bread pudding
- 5 large eggs
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste or extract
- ¾ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- Pinch of ground nutmeg
- 2 ½ cups half-and-half
- 16 ounces brioche, cut into 1-inch cubes
- For the cinnamon pecan filling
- ⅓ cup all-purpose flour
- ⅓ cup packed dark brown sugar
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- Pinch of kosher salt
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
- For the cream cheese glaze
- ¼ cup butter, at room temperature
- 4 ounces cream cheese, softened
- 1 cup confectioners' sugar
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
Optional Ingredients
- ½ cup chopped pecans
- Sanding sugars, for topping
- Confectioners' sugar, for dusting
Directions
- Prepare the bread pudding: Preheat the oven to 375 F.
- Grease or spray a 2.5-quart baking dish and set it aside.
- In a large bowl, whisk to combine the eggs, sugar, vanilla, salt, and spices.
- Whisk in the half-and-half to combine.
- Add the bread cubes and toss them lightly to coat (if your bowl isn't large enough, divide into two bowls). Avoid mashing or breaking up the bread cubes as much as possible.
- Pour half the bread mixture evenly into baking dish. Don't press.
- To prepare the cinnamon filling, in a small bowl, mix to combine the flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, salt, and melted butter until uniform.
- Toss in pecans, if desired.
- Sprinkle the cinnamon mixture evenly over the bread pudding layer.
- Top evenly with the remaining bread pudding mixture.
- Bake for 35-40 minutes until golden brown and set; transfer to a rack to cool slightly.
- In the meantime, to prepare the glaze, mix to combine the butter and cream cheese until smooth.
- Mix in the confectioners' sugar, lemon juice, and salt to combine.
- Pipe or spoon the glaze decoratively over warm bread pudding.
- Top decoratively with sanding sugars if desired.
- Dust with confectioners' sugar if desired and serve.
Nutrition
| Calories per Serving | 506 |
| Total Fat | 24.1 g |
| Saturated Fat | 13.1 g |
| Trans Fat | 0.4 g |
| Cholesterol | 170.1 mg |
| Total Carbohydrates | 62.8 g |
| Dietary Fiber | 1.3 g |
| Total Sugars | 37.7 g |
| Sodium | 446.3 mg |
| Protein | 10.7 g |
What is king cake?
There are quite a few types of king cakes out there — in fact, there are king cakes from around the world, with many boasting religious significance and being deeply-rooted in tradition. One such version is the Mardi Gras king cake, a colorful confection very popular in New Orleans (and beyond) during Carnival season. This season occurs annually between January 6 (which is Epiphany or Twelfth Night, and when some people specifically serve and enjoy king cake) and Fat Tuesday, so it's very common to see king cakes galore available in bakeries and grocery stores during this celebratory time.
If you're familiar with the biblical story of the Three Kings or Three Wise Men, then you can likely see where the whole "king cake" name comes into play. Baby Jesus, in turn, is often represented in a king cake by way of a plastic baby or bean baked into the cake itself (if you end up with the baby in your slice, it's good luck!). The purple, gold, and green colors often seen on king cakes are significant too, not only representing the colors of Mardi Gras itself but also representing specific meanings — purple is justice, gold is power, and green is faith.
History of king cake aside, it does just generally make for a tasty treat, whether you're enjoying one from a New Orleans bakery or one that you made from scratch at home. King cakes are known for their sweet, bread-like textures, with some comparing them to coffee cake. It's common for king cakes to feature some sort of filling, be it nuts, cinnamon, or fruit, along with a glaze or icing on top.
How should I store and reheat this bread pudding?
While this Mardi Gras king cake-inspired bread pudding is best enjoyed fresh, there is some wiggle room for preparing it ahead of time and reheating leftovers. To start, you can get just about all of the prep work (minus making the cream cheese glaze and piping it onto the baked pudding) done in advance. "This bread pudding can be assembled ahead the night before, then baked fresh in the morning before serving," Rosenhouse says. Once you get the pudding baking the next morning, you'll proceed with and finish the recipe as written, making the cream cheese icing, piping it over the bread pudding, and decorating with sanding sugars.
If you end up with leftover bread pudding, and you intend to consume any leftovers within a few days, then the fridge is your best option. Tightly wrap the leftovers and store them in the fridge for up to three days. Otherwise, it is possible to freeze bread pudding (for up to two months at that), and when you want to serve it, let it defrost in the fridge first (ideally overnight) before baking it back to life in a 350 F oven. "The glaze and toppings may melt a bit, but it will still be delicious," Rosenhouse notes.