King Cake is a traditional Louisiana dessert eaten with great relish during carnival season. Carnival season, or Mardi Gras season, begins on Twelfth Night and ends on Ash Wednesday. In New Orleans and nearby regions, this season is celebrated with parades, music, and King Cake. Now like I said, King Cake is a dessert. It’s a soft sweet bread filled with cinnamon sugar, fruit, or cream cheese frosting, and topped with more frosting and sugar. This recipe I’m sharing today is a savory version. Boudin King Cake is made with Cajun spices, a garlic bread dough, filled with boudin (a Cajun sausage) and topped with brown gravy and sauteed “holy trinity” aromatics: bell pepper, onion, and celery. And bacon bits! Although it may not be a traditional Cajun recipe, Boudin King Cake recipe is sure to be a crowd pleaser, and it’s no harder to make than traditional King Cake.
There are a few other Boudin King Cake recipes on the internet, but the ones I found all used canned crescent roll dough or canned French bread dough. There’s a time and a place for crescent rolls, but here at Spindle and Spoon Homestead, we like to make things from scratch! Making the bread dough takes a little more time, but uses much better ingredients, with no preservatives. And you get to hone your breadmaking skills! Get ready for this to be the top Mardi Gras recipe for you and all those you share it with! This easy Boudin King Cake is a great recipe everyone will rave about.
What you’ll need to make Boudin King Cake:
Equipment
Kitchenaid stand mixer with dough hook
12″ cast iron skillet or large baking sheet with rim
Saucepan
Wooden spoon
Whisk
Knife and cutting board
Pastry brush
Ingredients
For the dough:
1/2 cup milk
2 Tablespoons butter
1/3 cup water
2 tablespoons sugar
2 1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast
1 egg beaten
1 tablespoon minced garlic
2 1/2-2 3/4 cups all purpose flour
For egg wash:
2 egg yolks
1/2 teaspoon Cajun seasoning
Filling:
1 pound spicy boudin links
Gravy:
1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup flour
2 cups chicken broth
1/2 teaspoon Cajun seasoning
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
salt to taste
Holy Trinity topping:
3-4 slices of bacon
1 bell pepper
2 sticks celery
1 yellow onion
1/2 teaspoon Cajun seasoning
salt and pepper to taste
optional: a few chopped green onions as a garnish
Instructions:
Dough:
1. Heat milk and butter on the stove or in the microwave until warm (120F) If you overheat it, set it aside to cool to 120F.
2. Add salt to the milk mixture.
3. In the bowl of a stand mixer, pour the warm water, sugar, and yeast. Stir on low speed with paddle attachment until blended, then let sit for 5 minutes until bubbly.
4. Add warm milk mixture, egg, minced garlic, and 1 cup of flour to the yeast mixture. Mix well.
5. On medium speed, knead the mixture with the dough hook, adding the rest of the flour one cup at a time. Add an additional 1/4 cup flour if it’s too sticky. Knead until dough starts to pull away from the sides of the bowl, about 5 minutes.
6. Remove the bowl from the mixer and shape the dough into a smooth ball. Oil the bowl and place dough back in, smooth side up.
7. Cover with plastic wrap or a damp towel and let rise in a warm, draft-free place until doubled, 1-2 hours.
Toppings:
Holy Trinity:
1. Cook the bacon in a medium sized skillet until crispy. Remove the bacon and let it cool. Reserve the bacon grease in the skillet.
2. Dice the celery, bell pepper, and onion.
3. Saute the veggies in the bacon grease over medium heat until soft and caramelized. Season with Cajun seasoning, salt and pepper.
4. Remove veggies from heat.
5. Crumble the crispy bacon when it has cooled enough to touch.
6. Optional: slice a few green onions.
Gravy:
1. In a saucepan, melt 1/4 cup butter.
2. Add 1/4 cup flour and cook on medium-low heat until brown. Stir constantly!
3. Whisk in 2 cups of chicken broth. Heat to a simmer and whisk constantly until thickened.
4. Add Cajun seasoning, salt and pepper.
5. Keep warm, whisking occasionally.
Filling and Assembly:
1. Take each link of boudin and remove the casings. I do this by cutting a slit in the sausage and carefully tearing the casing away. If your boudin gets mangled, you can reshape it with your hands.
2. Grease a 12 inch cast iron skillet with butter.
3. When the dough has doubled in size, punch it down and roll it out on a lightly floured surface. Shape it into a rectangle approximately 6″ by 16.”
4. Place the boudin (with casings removed) lengthwise along the center of the dough rectangle. Shape the boudin with your hands to make it fit.
5. Wrap the edges of the dough snugly around the boudin, pinching the long edges together.
6. Lift the dough+boudin log into the buttered cast iron skillet and place it in seam side down. Shape it into a ring, pinching the ends together.
7. Take two eggs and separate yolks from egg whites. Add the yolks to a small bowl. Beat the yolks with a fork. Brush wreath of dough with the egg yolk wash, using the pastry brush.
8. Sprinkle on 1/2 teaspoon of Cajun seasoning.
9. Cover and let rise for 30-45 minutes until puffy.
10. Set your oven to preheat to 350F right after you cover the dough.
Baking:
1. When the King Cake has risen and looks puffy, put the cast iron pan in the oven and bake in the preheated oven for 30-35 minutes. Cover with a sheet of foil halfway through to prevent overbrowning the top.
2. Use a meat thermometer to test for doneness: the bread portion of the Boudin King Cake should have an internal temperature of 190F when it’s fully baked. It should have a beautiful golden brown color on the sides, and dark golden brown wherever the egg wash is.
3. When fully cooked, remove the pan from the oven. Take the hot saucepan of gravy and carefully pour the gravy all over the King Cake. Sprinkle on the veggies, bacon crumbles, and optional sliced green onions on top of the cake. Slice and serve hot!
Boudin King Cake
Equipment
- Kitchen-aid stand mixer with dough hook
- 12" cast iron skillet or large baking sheet with rim
- saucepan
- wooden spoon
- whisk
- skillet
- Knife and Cutting Board
- pastry brush
Ingredients
- For the dough:
- 1/2 cup milk
- 2 Tablespoons butter
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/3 cup water
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- 2 1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast
- 1 egg beaten
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic
- 2 1/2-2 3/4 cups all purpose flour
- 2 egg yolks for egg wash
- 1/2 teaspoon Cajun seasoning
- Filling:
- 1 pound spicy boudin links
- Gravy:
- 1/4 cup butter
- 1/4 cup flour
- 2 cups chicken broth
- 1/2 teaspoon Cajun seasoning
- 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
- salt to taste
- Holy Trinity topping:
- 3-4 slices of bacon
- 1 bell pepper
- 2 sticks celery
- 1 yellow onion
- 1/2 teaspoon Cajun seasoning
- salt and pepper to taste
- optional: a few chopped green onions as a garnish
Instructions
- Dough:
- Heat milk and butter on the stove or in the microwave until warm (120F) If you overheat it, set it aside to cool to 120F.1/2 cup milk, 2 Tablespoons butter
- Add salt to the milk mixture.1/2 teaspoon salt
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, pour the warm water, sugar, and yeast. Stir on low speed with paddle attachment until blended, then let sit for 5 minutes until bubbly.1/3 cup water, 2 tablespoons sugar, 2 1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast
- Add warm milk mixture, egg, minced garlic, and 1 cup of flour to the yeast mixture. Mix well.1 egg beaten, 1 tablespoon minced garlic
- On medium speed, knead the mixture with the dough hook, adding the rest of the flour one cup at a time. Add an additional 1/4 cup flour if it's too sticky. Knead until dough starts to pull away from the sides of the bowl, about 5 minutes.2 1/2-2 3/4 cups all purpose flour
- Remove the bowl from the mixer and shape the dough into a smooth ball. Oil the bowl and place dough back in, smooth side up.
- Cover with plastic wrap or a damp towel and let rise in a warm, draft-free place until doubled, 1-2 hours.
- Toppings:
- Holy Trinity:
- Cook the bacon in a medium sized skillet until crispy. Remove the bacon and let it cool. Reserve the bacon grease in the skillet.3-4 slices of bacon
- Dice the celery, bell pepper, and onion.1 bell pepper, 2 sticks celery, 1 yellow onion
- Saute the veggies in the bacon grease over medium heat until soft and caramelized. Season with Cajun seasoning, salt and pepper.1/2 teaspoon Cajun seasoning, salt and pepper to taste
- Remove veggies from heat.
- Crumble the crispy bacon when it has cooled enough to touch.
- Optional: slice a few green onions.optional: a few chopped green onions as a garnish
- Gravy:
- In a saucepan, melt 1/4 cup butter.1/4 cup butter
- Add 1/4 cup flour and cook on medium-low heat until brown. Stir constantly!1/4 cup flour
- Whisk in 2 cups of chicken broth. Heat to a simmer and whisk constantly until thickened.2 cups chicken broth
- Add Cajun seasoning, salt and pepper.1/2 teaspoon Cajun seasoning, salt to taste, 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
- Keep warm, whisking occasionally.
- Filling and Assembly:
- Take each link of boudin and remove the casings. I do this by cutting a slit in the sausage and carefully tearing the casing away. If your boudin gets mangled, you can reshape it with your hands.1 pound spicy boudin links
- Grease a 12 inch cast iron skillet with butter.
- When the dough has doubled in size, punch it down and roll it out on a lightly floured surface. Shape it into a rectangle approximately 6″ by 16.”
- Place the boudin (with casings removed) lengthwise along the center of the dough rectangle. Shape the boudin with your hands to make it fit.
- Wrap the edges of the dough snugly around the boudin, pinching the long edges together.
- Lift the dough+boudin log into the buttered cast iron skillet and place it in seam side down. Shape it into a ring, pinching the ends together.
- Take two eggs and separate yolks from egg whites. Add the yolks to a small bowl. Beat the yolks with a fork. Brush wreath of dough with the egg yolk wash, using the pastry brush.2 egg yolks
- Sprinkle on 1/2 teaspon of Cajun seasoning.1/2 teaspoon Cajun seasoning
- Cover and let rise for 30-45 minutes until puffy.
- Set your oven to preheat to 350F right after you cover the dough.
- Baking:
- When the King Cake has risen and looks puffy, put the cast iron pan in the oven and bake in the preheated oven for 30-35 minutes. Cover with a sheet of foil halfway through to prevent overbrowning the top.
- Use a meat thermometer to test for doneness: the Boudin King Cake should have an internal temperature of 190F when it’s fully baked. It should have a beautiful golden brown color on the sides, and golden yellow wherever the egg wash is.
- When fully cooked, remove the pan from the oven. Take the hot saucepan of gravy and carefully pour the gravy all over the King Cake. Sprinkle on the veggies, bacon crumbles, and optional sliced green onions on top of the cake. Slice and serve!
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