Halloween King Cake

This Halloween King Cake recipe is a seasonal spin on the classic New Orleans–style king cake, developed with a rich orange-hued enriched dough, pumpkin spice cinnamon filling, and an optional blueberry cheesecake “Boo Berry” swirl. The texture is soft, tender, and structured — perfect for holding generous fillings without collapsing or becoming gummy.

If you already own my 2024 proprietary king cake recipe, you can absolutely use these fillings and toppings with that base instead. This is a different dough formula, built for ease of shaping and overnight fermentation, making it especially friendly for both home bakers and cottage bakery production.

For this version, we don’t add pumpkin purée directly into the dough. Pumpkin flavor tends to bake out, softening the structure without giving enough flavor payoff to justify the added moisture. Instead, the pumpkin cinnamon filling is where the flavor lives, and the dough is tinted orange for a clean, seasonal finish without compromising structure or handling.

You can use your own dough conditioner or incorporate a yudane if you prefer that method. The base formula is versatile and professional-grade. The recipe can be prepared same day, but overnight fermentation is strongly recommended for better handling, shaping, and flavor development.

This recipe also includes two shaping methods: a quick folded oval method for a streamlined build, and a braided rope method for a bakery-style presentation with more height and defined swirls. Both work beautifully with these fillings, and both can be prepped ahead for efficient baking and decorating in the morning.