Want King Cake, but don’t want the whole cake? This insanely easy King Cake Recipe for One is the perfect portion and it will have you celebrating Mardi Gras in no time!
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Every year, for Mardi Gras, there is a delicious and festive tradition of serving and enjoying King Cake. Mardi Gras (or Fat Tuesday) is part of the Christian tradition to celebrate the arrival of the Three Wise Men in Bethlehem and it begins on or after Three Kings Day.
Traditionally, King Cake is an oval-shaped sweet roll cake made of brioche dough, with a filling of ingredients like raisins, cinnamon, pecan, and more. While the traditional King Cake will always remain king, there are many different recipes and versions out there: donuts, cupcakes, rice
Ingredients Needed for Easy King Cake Recipe for One:
- Flour (1/2 Cup)
- Sugar (4 Tablespoons)
- Baking Powder (1/2 Teaspoon)
- Milk (1/3 Cup + 1 Tablespoon)
- Oil (1 Tablespoon)
- Almond Extract (1 Teaspoon)
- Ground Cinnamon (1/2 Teaspoon)
- Powdered Sugar (1/2 Cup)
- Vanilla Extract (1/2 Teaspoon)
- Colored Sugar Crystals (Purple, Green, Yellow, and Gold)
Cooking Equipment Needed for Easy King Cake Recipe for One:
“I Got the King Cake Baby!”
One thing that nearly all King Cakes include is a plastic King Cake Baby figure, which symbolizes baby Jesus. The King Cake Baby is baked into King Cakes and it means good luck and fortune for the person who gets it in their slice. Traditionally, that person is also responsible for bringing the King Cake to the next Mardi Gras party (or hosting the party).
For this King Cake for One recipe, you can use the baby has a decoration or if you are making 2 or more King Cakes, place the baby in one of the cups. The person who picks the cup with the baby is the “winner”.
TIP: You may need to scoop out a small spoonful of the cake batter from the cup with the baby to avoid overfilling the cup.
You can buy the King Cake Baby in most party stores. If you don’t see a Mardi Gras section of your party store, check the area for baby shower games. You can also easily buy your King Cake Baby online.
How to Make a King Cake Recipe for One
The King Cake Recipe for One we’re sharing is quite different from a traditional King Cake. It’s an insanely easy recipe that creates a personal-size King Cake in a microwave-safe mug or ramekin AND it’s cooked in your microwave.
To make your own King Cake Recipe for One, you’ll need some ingredients that you probably already have in your kitchen: flour, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, oil, almond extract, and milk.
For the icing that tops the cake, you’ll need powdered sugar, vanilla extract, and a bit more milk. To give your cake the colorful look of a traditional King Cake, you’ll need colored sugar crystals in purple, green, and yellow (or gold, if available). The King Cake colors each have a meaning:
- purple = justice
- green = faith
- gold = power
Once you have all your King Cake in a Cup, you’ll spray an 8-ounce ramekin or mug with a non-stick coating spray. In that, you’ll add the dry cake ingredients and mix. Then, you’ll add your wet ingredients and stir well.
“Bake” your King Cake Recipe for One in the microwave and allow it to cool before topping with icing. The icing is mixed up in a bowl and when your King Cake is cooled, you’ll spoon the icing on top.
Before the icing sets, you’ll sprinkle the purple, green and yellow (gold) sugared crystals on top. You can do this however you like, but we recommend letting each color have its own spot without overlapping the colors.
See how easy that was? It’s such an easy recipe to make for Mardi Gras for 1-2 people or when you don’t want a large cake.
But what if you do want a large King Cake to feed multiple guests? If you do prefer a larger cake, but still want it to be easy (and less expensive than buying from a bakery), we would suggest buying the Mam Papaul’s Mardi Gras King Cake Kit with Praline Filling online.
King Cake Recipe for One
PrintKing Cake Recipe for One
- Yield: 1 (8 oz) microwave-safe mug or ramekin 1x
Description
Want King Cake, but don’t want the whole cake? This insanely easy King Cake Recipe for One is the perfect portion and it will have you celebrating Mardi Gras in no time!
Ingredients
INGREDIENTS FOR KING CAKE
1/2 cup flour
4 tablespoons granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/3 cup milk
1 tablespoon oil
1 teaspoon almond extract
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
INGREDIENTS FOR ICING
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon milk (or more, if needed)
Colored sugar crystals – purple, green, and yellow (or gold, if available)
Instructions
1. Spray a large mug or ramekin with a non-stick coating spray. Add the flour, sugar and baking powder and stir well. Mix in the milk, oil and almond extract. Sprinkle the cinnamon on top and mix it into the batter with a fork.
2. Microwave the mug cake for 60 seconds or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Depending on the wattage of your microwave you may have to microwave it up to 75 seconds. Remove from microwave and allow it to cool for a few minutes while you prepare the icing.
3. Add the powdered sugar, vanilla and milk to a small mixing bowl and stir until well combined. If the icing is too thick to your liking, add another tablespoon of milk. If it is too thin, add 2 tablespoons of powdered sugar.
4. Drizzle the icing on top of your king cake. Before the icing hardens, sprinkle the purple, green and yellow sugared crystals on top of the icing.
- Category: Cake
- Method: Microwave
- Cuisine: American Southern
The Girl Next Door says
This looks so colourful and pretty! Awesome recipe. Thank you so much for sharing!
Jhuls | The Not So Creative Cook says
Now, this is a great idea!! Mini cakes are perfect for parties like Fiesta Friday and it is so fun that you brought these with you – absolutely yummy and pretty. Happy Fiesta Friday!