Go Back
–+ servings
Print Recipe

One-Bowl Easy King Cake (like coffee cake)

This simple one-bowl king cake (or like a kind of fancy interesting coffee cake) is much easier and faster than a traditional king cake, and a delicious treat for any day of the week!
Prep Time30 minutes
Cook Time30 minutes
Additional Time20 minutes
Total Time1 hour 20 minutes
Course: Desserts
Cuisine: American
Servings: 1 8-inch cake

Ingredients

  • For the cake batter:
  • 1 1/2 cups of all-purpose flour
  • 3 tablespoons of granulated sugar
  • 1/4 teaspoon of kosher salt
  • 3 teaspoons of RapidRise or Instant Yeast
  • 2/3 cup of very warm but not hot milk
  • 2 tablespoons of unsalted butter melted
  • 2 tablespoons of canola oil
  • 1 large egg lightly beaten
  • Zest of 1/2 lemon
  • For the cinnamon mixture:
  • 3 tablespoons of unsalted butter melted
  • 2/3 cup of lightly packed light brown sugar
  • 1/2 tablespoon of ground cinnamon
  • A pinch of kosher salt
  • For the glaze:
  • 1/2 cup of powdered sugar
  • 1 to 2 tablespoons of milk
  • 1/2 tablespoon of butter melted
  • 1/2 teaspoon of pure vanilla extract
  • Squeeze of fresh lemon juice
  • Optional: purple yellow, and green sprinkles

Instructions

  • Grease an 8-inch round cake pan with butter or non-stick spray.  If you're combining the ingredients in a separate bowl (see notes), then it doesn't hurt to put a round of parchment paper down as well.
  • Either in your cake pan or (as I did it, in a large mixing bowl), add the dry ingredients including the yeast and whisk to combine.
  • Add the milk, melted butter, oil, and beaten egg. Whisk to combine, making sure not to leave pockets of flour (though don't overmix).
  • Transfer the batter to your cake pan if it is in a bowl, and allow to batter to rest in the pan for 10 to 15 minutes.
  • While the cake rests, make the cinnamon topping. In a small bowl stir together brown sugar, cinnamon, melted butter, and salt until the mixture is moistened.
  • Once it's done resting, top the batter evenly with the cinnamon mixture, then use a butter knife to swirl the cinnamon sugar around through the batter.  Allow to rest for 5 more minutes.
  • To bake the cake, place the pan in a COLD oven, then set the temperature to 350°F and bake for 25 to 30 minutes.  It should be lightly browned and firm in center, and a tester should come out clean (minus some gooey cinnamon-sugar).
  • Allow the cake to cool for 20 minutes. Then combine icing ingredients in the same bowl used to make the cinnamon mixture and drizzle over the just warm cake.
  • Sprinkle generously with the purple, green, and gold (to make it king cake-like) and enjoy!

Notes

  • So I kind of cheat on this and make it a two-bowl cake, though you can absolutely mix up the batter in your cake pan.  I ended up just using a bowl, because I'm a super messy stir-er and didn't want to make a huge mess.  You can then use the same bowl for your cinnamon-sugar mixture and icing if you want.  
  • If you only have active dry yeast (not instant), you can "bloom" it in 2 tablespoons of warm water for 5-10 minutes before adding it to the batter (with the wet ingredients, in that case), and you'll need to increase the rest/rise time for both the first and second rises (at least half an hour total for the first, and at least 15 minutes for the second).