Cream Cheese King Cake Doberge Cake Recipe

Prepare and bake sheet cakes

Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease two 9x13-inch sheet pans with nonstick spray or butter and line with parchment if desired. Whisk together flour, baking powder, salt, and ground cinnamon in a bowl and set aside. In a large bowl, cream the softened butter and granulated sugar until light and fluffy (2–3 minutes). Add eggs one at a time beating until incorporated. Mix in vanilla, orange zest, and vegetable oil. Alternate adding the dry ingredients and milk into the butter-egg mixture, beginning and ending with dry ingredients, mixing until just combined. Divide batter evenly between the two prepared sheet pans and spread into an even layer.

Bake for 16–20 minutes, rotating pans once, until a toothpick in the center comes out clean and the tops are lightly golden. Cool the sheets in the pans 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Cut rounds and slice into layers

Using a 9-inch round cake ring or cutter, cut one 9-inch circle from each cooled 9x13 sheet (you will have some scraps). You now have two 9-inch rounds. Using a long serrated knife or cake leveler, slice each 9-inch round horizontally into three even thin layers (about 3 layers per round) to yield six total thin cake layers. Place layers on parchment-lined trays and cover lightly with plastic wrap until ready to assemble.

Make the custard

In a medium saucepan, heat the 4 cups of whole milk and lemon zest over medium heat just until steaming (do not boil). While milk heats, whisk together sugar and cornstarch in a bowl. In a separate bowl, whisk the egg yolks until smooth. Temper the yolks: slowly whisk a ladleful (about 1/3 cup) of the hot milk into the yolks to warm them, then whisk that yolk mixture back into the saucepan of hot milk, continuing to whisk.

Cook the mixture over medium heat, whisking constantly, until it thickens and comes to a gentle boil (about 3–5 minutes). Boil for 30–60 seconds while whisking to cook out cornstarch flavor, then remove from heat. Stir in the butter, vanilla extract, and salt until smooth. Pour custard into a shallow pan, press plastic wrap directly onto the surface to prevent a skin, and chill until fully cold (2–4 hours or overnight).

Prepare cream cheese filling

In a mixing bowl, beat the softened cream cheese until smooth. Add powdered sugar and vanilla and beat until combined and smooth. Add heavy cream 1 tablespoon at a time and beat until the filling is spreadable but still thick (should hold shape between layers). Taste and adjust sweetness as needed. Chill briefly if it becomes too soft.

Make buttercream

In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle or using a hand mixer, beat softened butter until creamy (1–2 minutes). Gradually add powdered sugar, mixing on low to start then increasing speed, until incorporated. Add vanilla extract, salt, and milk (or cream) and beat 2–3 minutes until light and spreadable. The buttercream should be fairly thin because we will use a light coat between layers and a thin crumb coat on the outside.

Make simple syrup and prepare sanding sugars

In a small saucepan, combine 1/2 cup water and 1/2 cup granulated sugar. Heat over medium, stirring until the sugar dissolves; bring to a simmer for 1 minute, then remove from heat and cool. Stir in rum or orange liqueur if using. Transfer to a squeeze bottle or bowl for brushing. Spread the purple, green and gold sanding sugars into three shallow bowls. If you prefer to tint icing or small sections of buttercream, have gel colors ready.

Plan layer order

Place one cake layer on a cake board or serving plate. Have your custard cold and your cream cheese filling chilled but pliable, buttercream at room temperature. Brush a light even coat of simple syrup onto the cake layer to moisten (about 1–2 tablespoons per layer).

Spread a thin layer (about 1/4 inch) of vanilla buttercream over the first layer to act as a glue (about 2–3 tbs). Pipe or spoon a layer of vanilla-lemon pastry custard (about 3/4 cup) leaving a 1/4–1/2 inch border to prevent overflow. Top the custard with a thinner layer (about 1/3 cup) of the cream cheese filling, smoothing gently. Place the next cake layer on top and press lightly to adhere. Repeat the brushing with syrup and layering sequence: buttercream thin layer, custard, cream cheese, cake — until all six cake layers are stacked, finishing with cake on top.

Once stacked, chill the whole assembled stack for 30–60 minutes to firm up (wrap loosely in plastic). After chilling, use a serrated knife to cut a 3–3.5 inch circle out of the center of the stacked cake to create the king-cake ring shape. Remove the cut center and discard or reserve as scraps.

Crumb coat and final chill

Apply a thin crumb coat of the vanilla buttercream over the top and outside of the ring (use remaining buttercream — you only need a thin layer to trap crumbs). Smooth as best you can; imperfections are okay. Chill again 30 minutes to set the crumb coat.

Final decoration

After the crumb coat is set, apply a thin final coat of buttercream, smoothing the top and sides. Brush any exposed cake edges lightly with a little simple syrup to keep them moist. Sprinkle the top in the traditional king-cake sugar pattern: make three sections across the top and press purple sanding sugar into one section, green into the next, and gold into the final section. If you like, pipe small rosettes of buttercream in between colored sections and dust those with the matching colored sanding sugar. If you want a shiny glaze instead, a thin vanilla glaze (powdered sugar + a little milk + vanilla) can be drizzled before applying sanding sugar — ensure it is tacky so the sanding sugar will adhere.

Chill the finished cake at least 1 hour to set the fillings and buttercream. Bring to room temperature 20–30 minutes before serving. Slice with a sharp knife for even slices; each slice will reveal the layered doberge-like interior with alternating custard and cream cheese in a king-cake–spiced crust.