Mardi Gras is just around the corner! Impress your friends and family with this delicious king cake - every bit as good, if not BETTER, than a non-vegan version.

Originally, I was planning on going all out and buying plastic beads and that little plastic baby jesus to stick in the cake, but I am trying my best to not contribute to the plastic waste problem plaguing the world. Mardi Gras is a big culprit of this… read this article to learn more!

The end result tastes like a cinnamon bun, so I ate some for breakfast this morning… :)

The History of the King Cake

(via eater.com)

King cake is said to have originated in Old World France and Spain and came to be associated with Epiphany during the Middle Ages. When it was brought to the New World (along with Catholicism and Christianity), the tradition evolved further.

In New Orleans, king cake and Mardi Gras go hand in hand: The cakes can be found starting in early January and are available up until Ash Wednesday and the start of Lent. The symbolic bean or baby baked (or embedded) into the king cake is important to Mardi Gras celebrations because the person who gets the piece containing the baby must host the next year’s celebration.

Ingredients:

Cake:

1 cup oat milk
1 tsp. salt
1/4 cup white sugar
4 cups flour (divided into 3 cups and 1 cup)
1 package active dry yeast (2.25 tsp.)
2 eggs-worth of egg replacer (I used Bob’s Red Milll egg replacer - for 2 “eggs” use 2 Tbsp egg replacer and mix with 4 Tbsp warm water. Set aside until goopy.)
4 Tbsp of vegan butter (I used Miyoko’s)

Filling:

2/3 cup packed dark brown sugar
1.5 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 cup pecans, chopped (or simply broken with a wooden spoon)
4 Tbsp vegan butter, room temp.

Icing:

1 cup confectioner’s sugar
1.5 Tbsp oat milk
1/2 tsp.vanilla extract
Purple, yellow, and green sprinkles to decorate :)

Instructions:

In a small pot over medium heat, heat milk and white sugar until warm (NOT HOT! I used a food thermometer to make sure I took it off the heat when it reached 100 degrees Fahrenheit).
Remove pot from the heat and stir in yeast. Set aside.
Prepare egg replacer according to package instructions. Set aside.
In a large mixing bowl (I used my KitchenAid stand mixer), combine 3 cups flour and 1 tsp salt.
Still mixing on the lowest speed, slowly pour in the milk/sugar/yeast and continue to mix until combined.
Add in egg replacer and keep mixing for about 2 minutes.
Very slowly, mix in the remaining 1 cup of flour followed by the melted butter.
If using a stand mixer, continue to mix with the dough hook attachment on low for 8-10 minutes or so until dough is soft and supple - not sticky or too dry/flaky/powdery. If sticky, add more flour. If too dry, add more oat milk or water. (If not using a stand mixer, kneed dough with your hands on a floured surface.)
Using well-oiled hands (I used canola oil), form dough into a ball and set it in a greased/oiled bowl. Cover bowl with a tea towel/kitchen cloth set aside in a warm spot to rise for 1.5 hours. Dough will double in size.
While dough is rising, prepare the filling by combining brown sugar, cinnamon, pecans, and vegan butter in a medium bowl. Set aside.
When the dough is finished rising, roll it out into a loose rectangle (about 20 in x 10 in)
Pour/spread the filling onto the dough and fold in half, pressing the dough down and pinching the corners to keep the filling in!
Using a sharp chef’s knife of a pizza cutter, cut dough into 3 long sections and braid together like you would braid hair :)
Stretch the dough out until it is about 20 inches long and pinching dough together wherever filling starts to escape (I had to do this quite a bit), form the braid into a circle.
Transfer ring cake onto a greased cookie sheet and cover with the same cloth you used earlier. Let rise again for 45 minutes.
While cake is rising, preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
When cake is done rising, bake for 25 minutes until the top is golden-brown.
Let cool a bit while you make your icing and sprinkles.
To make the icing, whisk together vegan milk, powdered sugar, and vanilla extract until a nice thin paste is formed.
To make the sprinkles, separate 3/4 cup white sugar into 3 bowls (1/4 C, 1/4 C, 1/4 C). Add drops of food coloring to each bowl (the food coloring box will have instructions on how may drops to add). Use a fork to mix.mash food coloring into the sugar. Adjust color to sugar ratio until desired color is achieved.
Pour icing over the cake, and decorate with alternating purple, green, and yellow sprinkles/colored sugar.
Enjoy!