Mardi Gras POUND King Cake 🎂
This was easily one of the softest pound cakes I’ve ever tasted. The pecan praline filling is rich, sweet, and honestly heavenly. 🤎
I got this recipe from Jaaliyah on TikTok (she has a full step-by-step video on her page). She made her own cream cheese icing, but I decided to use store-bought cream cheese icing to save a little time!
Here’s the recipe I followed:
🧁 Cake Batter
1 box Duncan Hines Classic Yellow Cake Mix
1 cup all-purpose flour (I used Pillsbury)
1 (3 oz) packet vanilla Jello
1 cup white sugar
½ cup (1 stick) melted unsalted butter
1½ cups buttermilk
½ cup sour cream
4 eggs (room temperature)
1 tbsp cinnamon
1 (8 oz) block softened cream cheese (Philadelphia)
1 tbsp vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste
Mix everything until smooth, then set aside while you prepare the pecan praline filling.
🥜 Pecan Praline Filling
1 (8 oz) pack chopped pecans
½ cup brown sugar
½ cup white sugar
1 cup evaporated milk
½ stick unsalted butter
1 tsp vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste
Combine ingredients over medium heat. Stir until well combined, then let simmer for 10–15 minutes until it thickens. Refrigerate to help it set.
🍥 Cream Cheese Icing (Optional)
You can use store-bought like I did, or make your own:
2 cups powdered sugar
1 (8 oz) block softened cream cheese
½ stick unsalted butter
¼ cup heavy cream
Mix until smooth and creamy.
👩🏾🍳 Assembly & Baking
Preheat oven to 350°F.
Spray a Bundt pan generously with baking spray.
Add half of the cake batter to the pan.
Spoon in half of the praline filling and swirl with a knife.
Add remaining batter, then remaining filling and swirl again.
Bake for 1 hour. Check at the 1-hour mark; if needed, bake an additional 10–15 minutes.
Let cool completely before removing from the pan.
Frost and top with purple, green, and gold sprinkles.
Baking a Mardi Gras POUND King Cake can be a delightful experience that brings a festive touch to any celebration. From my personal experience, using a good quality cake mix like Duncan Hines sets a reliable foundation for achieving that soft, tender crumb this cake is known for. Adding buttermilk and sour cream significantly enriches the batter, making the texture moist and rich. The pecan praline filling is truly the star ingredient. I found that carefully simmering the mixture until it thickens allows the flavors of brown sugar, white sugar, and evaporated milk to meld beautifully. Refrigerating the filling before use helps it maintain its consistency during baking and creates those delightful swirls inside the pound cake. For those short on time, using store-bought cream cheese icing as mentioned is a smart shortcut. However, making your own icing from powdered sugar, softened cream cheese, butter, and heavy cream offers a fresher taste and lets you control sweetness and texture. When assembling the cake, swirling the filling with a knife between layers of batter creates the distinctive look and ensures every bite has a perfect balance of cake and praline. A tip I always follow is to check the cake at the one-hour baking mark and extend the baking time slightly if needed, avoiding underbaking. Letting the cake cool fully before removing it from the Bundt pan helps preserve its shape. Finally, decorating with the traditional Mardi Gras colors—purple, green, and gold sprinkles—not only adds vibrancy but also pays homage to this revered celebration. This King Cake recipe is perfect for those wanting a rich, flavorful alternative to classic cinnamon versions while preserving the festive spirit. Baking this cake taught me that combining familiar ingredients with a unique praline twist results in a soft, irresistibly decadent treat that’s easy to share and celebrate Mardi Gras with friends and family.