Do you love king cake as much as I do??? Real king cake is one of those fabulous creations that takes time to make but the end result is spectacular. Plus, it has a fun side! 🙂 Who doesn’t want to find something hidden in their piece??? When I have the time, I definitely make king cake from scratch. Unfortunately, kids’ activities have made that next to impossible lately. No problem! We can still have the fun of king cake in King Cake Scones! The usual flavors are all present and the possibility exists that someone will end up getting a fun surprise in their scone. Time for a trip to Mardi Gras!
King Cake Scones Recipe…
If you’ve read some of my other posts, you probably know that NOLA is one of my absolute favorite places to visit. A good friend a few years ago shared a “real” king cake from Louisiana with our family at a Mardi Gras party. (We live in Illinois, so this was quite a treat!) If you’ve never had king cake, it is full of symbolism and isn’t really a cake. King cake is much more like bread, ring-shaped, and represents the journey the wise men took to see the baby Jesus. Traditionally, king cake was enjoyed from Epiphany (Jan. 6) through Mardi Gras (the day before Lent begins). I don’t place a plastic baby or bean (like some cultures do) in king cake. Instead, I prefer CHOCOLATE! This is a much more pleasant flavor than plastic. 😉 Plus, I don’t worry about chocolate as a choking hazard.
King Cake Scones took me several attempts to perfect. I wanted to incorporate cream cheese, like our favorite king cake recipe found here. I use orange zest, however, instead of lemon when making both Emeril’s recipe and King Cake Scones. Freshly ground nutmeg is also a huge plus, if you have the means to do so. The orange and nutmeg lend a nice, fresh, flavor that is a real crowd-pleaser!
Here are some pictures to help you create King Cake Scones at home–Are you ready?
Here I’ve added the two chocolate chips that serve as my “surprise.” In traditional king cakes, a plastic baby or bean would be used.
When spreading the cream cheese on top of the dough, be sure to leave a little edge on the top. This will help keep it from running off during baking.
Aren’t these King Cake Scones pretty even before they are baked? YUM! Caution: The dough will be difficult to divide and move to the baking sheet. I suggest using a bench scrape if you have one.
After baking, the cream cheese layer on the top is golden and bubbly. It reminds me of cheesecake!
Adding the glaze over the cream cheese layer makes for a pretty presentation. This is especially true when the colored sugar is added! I like to place the glaze in a quart zip-top bag and snip the corner for a mess-free way to drizzle.
I hope that you and your family try this recipe inspired by Mardi Gras. Though we’re not able to make the trip to NOLA, we can still experience some of the festivities at our home in the Prairie State! King Cake Scones are a lot of fun and definitely tasty! I’d love to hear how you plan to spend Mardi Gras. Do you have special recipes you like to fix for your family and friends? Please feel free to share! 🙂 Just don’t get too crazy!
King Cake Scones: Perfect for Mardi Gras!
Notes
Cream cheese could be substituted in place of the neufchatel cheese, though fat-free is not recommended. Lemon zest/juice could also be substituted in place of the orange.
Ingredients
- 2 c. all purpose flour
- 2/4 c. granulated sugar
- 1/2 t. salt
- 1 T. baking powder
- 1/2 t. baking soda
- 1/2 t. ground nutmeg (freshly ground, if possible)
- 2 t. orange zest, divided (one medium orange)
- 5 T. cold unsalted butter
- 8 oz. neufchatel cheese, divided
- 2 eggs
- 1/3 c. Greek yogurt
- 1 t. vanilla extract
- 3 c. powdered sugar, divided
- 1 T. milk
- 1 T. freshly squeezed orange juice
- green, yellow, and purple colored sugar
- 2 large chocolate chips or bean, if desired.
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425 F. Line baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
- Using a zester, zest rind of orange. Set aside.
- Juice orange. Set juice aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, granulated sugar, salt, baking powder, baking soda, nutmeg, and 1 t. orange zest.
- Using a pastry blender, cut in 5 T. cold butter until evenly distributed and no large pieces of butter are visible.
- In a medium mixing bowl, beat 4 oz. neufchatel cheese, 2 eggs, 1/3 c. Greek yogurt, and 1 t. vanilla until smooth.
- Add all at once to flour mixture and fold in until just mixed.
- Turn out onto floured work surface and knead mixture 4-6 times until mixture is no longer sticky. Pat into a 9 inch circle. Push 2 chocolate chips, if desired, into dough to represent bean/plastic baby.
- In medium mixing bowl, beat together remaining 4 oz. neufchatel cheese with 1 1/2 c. powdered sugar and 1 t. orange zest until smooth. Spread to within 1/2 inch of edge of dough.
- Working quickly, cut scones into 8 pieces and transfer carefully to lined baking sheet. Dough will be sticky.
- Bake for 12-14 minutes, until scones are golden brown and cream cheese topping is bubbly.
- Remove from oven and cool while making glaze. In medium mixing bowl, beat together 1 T. orange juice, 1 T. milk, and 1 1/2 c. powdered sugar until smooth, adding the powdered sugar gradually.
- Drizzle over baked scones and sprinkle with colored sugar.
- Serve immediately or cover tightly and store for 2-3 days.
