Cajun/Creole · dessert
King Cake
King Cake reads sweetness 7.3, richness 6.2 and earthy 2.9 on Palate's 0–10 flavor X-ray — a Cajun/Creole dessert, about 3 hr 6 min. Measured from the recipe itself: ingredients and technique.
The flavor X-ray — six axes, 0–10
- Umami & Savory — 2.5 / 10
- Sweet & Fruity — 7.5 / 10
- Sour & Bright — 1.0 / 10
- Bitter & Earthy — 3.1 / 10
- Rich & Fat — 6.5 / 10
- Aromatic & Spice — 2.5 / 10
The measured notes (of 18)
Sweetness 7.3 · Richness 6.2 · Earthy 2.9 · Warm Spice 2.3 · Umami 2.2 · Funk & Ferment 1.8 · Salinity 1.7 · Floral 1.2 · Bitterness 1.1 · Sourness 1.0 · Nutty 1.0 · Fruity 0.6
What's in it (11)
- 4 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 1/4 tsp active dry yeast
- 1/2 cup warm milk
- 1/2 cup butter, softened
- 3 eggs
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp nutmeg
- 8 oz cream cheese filling
- 2 cups powdered sugar glaze
- purple, gold, and green colored sugars
Time & effort: about 3 hr 6 min (36 min active) · effort: involved
Nutrition (per 100 g, engine-estimated): 352 kcal, 8.1 g protein, 11.4 g fat, 55.3 g carbs
Dietary: Vegetarian · Contains dairy · Contains egg — engine-derived; double-check anything allergy-critical.
How it's cooked (4 steps)
- Make a rich, cinnamon-spiced brioche dough, let rise until doubled, then roll into a rectangle, spread with sweetened cream cheese filling, and roll into a log.
- Shape into an oval ring, join the ends, and let proof a second time.
- Bake at 180°C until golden, then cool before pressing a plastic baby token into the underside.
- Glaze with powdered sugar icing and decorate with alternating purple, gold, and green sugars.
Dishes with a similar flavor shape
- Suspiro a la Limena — Peruvian
- Shoofly Pie (Wet-Bottom) — American · Pennsylvania Dutch
- Cinnamon Buns (Kanelbullar) — Scandinavian
- Cardamom Coffee Bread (Pulla) — Scandinavian
- Chin Chin (Fried Dough Snack) — Nigerian
Keep reading: what sweetness, richness, earthy mean in the flavor lexicon · the world's cuisines, by flavor.
See how this dish fits your palate — take the short taste test →
Every number above is Palate's engine-measured estimate, computed from this recipe's ingredients and techniques — not human-tasted ratings or reviews.