A perfectly moist, six-layered cake, this Three Kings Cake features a different, special ingredient in each layer. Fun, impressive, and 100% delicious.
Are you as cake obsessed as I am? You’ll know that deciding between cakes can be really difficult. Chocolate or vanilla? Nuts or fruits? Poppyseeds or raisins? If only you could have the best of both worlds. Or three.
Get excited, because you can. With a three kings cake. This recipe combines walnuts, raisins, and poppyseeds into a beautifully moist cake base for the ultimate treat.
You can mix your three ingredients together and add it into the cake or you could bake your layers separately – a walnut cake layer, a raisin cake layer, and a poppyseed cake layer – like I’ve done in this recipe. Stack and devour.
Different Version of The Kings Cake
Since the earliest traditions of this dessert, there have been lots of variations, too. Some bake it with a French, puff-pastry base while others go for a fruit cake. The king cake I’ve grown up with features a moist cake base made with sour cream or greek yogurt which is then divided into three cakes. Each featuring a different ingredient. For this recipe, we’ve gone with raisins, walnuts, and poppy seeds, but you can change that up.
It really is a fun cake to make, and eat. And is the ultimate impressive dessert to put in front of guests. I’m excited to know how you liked it!
The layers are all the same ingredients, except for each layer you put in a different flavor.
What do I need to make the walnut layer?
- 1 Large Egg
- 1/2 cup of sugar
- 1/2 cup of sour cream or Greek yogurt
- 1/2 tsp of baking soda
- 3/4 cup of unbleached flour
- 1 Tbsp of starch
- 3/4 cup of crushed walnuts
What do I need to make the poppy seed layer?
- 1 Large Egg
- 1/2 cup of sugar
- 1/2 cup of sour cream or greek yogurt
- 1/2 tsp of baking soda
- 3/4 cup of unbleached flour
- 1 Tbsp of starch
- 1/2 cup of poppy seeds
What do I need to make the raisin layer?
- 1 Large Egg
- 1/2 cup of sugar
- 1/2 cup of sour cream or Greek yogurt
- 1/2 tsp of baking soda
- 3/4 cup of unbleached flour
- 1 Tbsp of starch
- 1/2 cup of raisins (dark or light)
What do I need to make the cream?
- 1 can of sweetened condensed milk
- 1 cup of unsalted and softened butter (2 sticks)
How to make this Korolevsky Cake:
- Start off by boiling water in a kettle, with boiled water cover the raisins. Let them stand until ready to use.
- Put poppy seeds into a sheet of paper towel and into a bowl, pour boiled water in the small bowl, let it stand.
- Chop or put 3/4 of a cup of walnuts through a food processor.
- Preheat your oven to 350F.
- Whisk 1 large egg in a bowl. (you can use a mixer for this) Add in 1/2 cup of sugar, whisk for another minute.
- Add in 1/2 cup of sour cream, and 1/2 teaspoon of baking soda. Mix well.
- Sift into the bowl, 3/4 cup of flour and 1 Tablespoon of starch. Mix.
- Add in 3/4 crushed walnuts. Transfer to a cake form, don’t forget to spray the form from having the cake stick to it. Put in the oven for 20 minutes.
- For the poppy seed layer, follow the same instructions just get all the water out of the poppy seeds. You can do that by picking up the paper towel. Add to the cake batter instead of walnuts.
- For the raisins layer, also drain the water and add instead of walnuts. Otherwise, the recipe for each layer stays the same.
- After taking layers from the oven, let them cool down. Cut horizontally in the center.
Make the cream
- In a mixing bowl, beat 2 sticks of softened unsalted butter. (Until smooth.)
- Add in 1 can of unsweetened condensed milk. Beat until starts to thicken.
Put the cake together!
- In a small shallow bowl, add one cup of water and 1 teaspoon of sugar. This is to make the layers more moist. The whole cup of water should be enough for all the layers, meaning don’t need too much on each layer, just mostly around the edges.
- Pour a bit of the sugar water mix on each layer, before you spread the cream.
- You can decorate however your heart desires. I chose to make a chocolate glaze. (3 Tablespoons of unsalted butter, and 2 Tablespoons of milk. Put in the microwave for 45 seconds. Immediately stir in 2 Tablespoons of chocolate chips.)
Oh, chocolate chips!
If you are ever in Vancouver, BC Canada hop into Mink Chocolate Cafe. They make their own chocolate there and they sell milk or dark chocolate chips, seriously you will not find a better tasting chocolate chip.
Other cakes you are sure to love:
Equipment I Used
How to Make Russian Korolevsky Cake (Layered Kings Cake)
Equipment
- food processor
- bowls
- whisk
- sifter
- cake pan
- hand mixer
- cake spatula
Ingredients
Walnuts layer
- 1 large Egg
- ½ cup sugar
- ½ cup sour cream or Greek yogurt
- ½ tsp baking soda
- ¾ cup unbleached flour
- 1 Tbsp starch
- ¾ cup walnuts chopped
Poppy seed layer
- 1 large Egg
- ½ cup sugar
- ½ cup sour cream or Greek yogurt
- ½ tsp baking soda
- ¾ cup unbleached flour
- 1 Tbsp starch
- ½ cup poppy seeds
Raisin Layer
- 1 large egg
- ½ cup sugar
- ½ cup sour cream or Greek yogurt
- ½ tsp baking soda
- ¾ cup unbleached flour
- 1 Tbsp starch
- ½ cup raisins dark or light
Cream
- 1 can of sweetened condensed milk
- 1 cup unsalted butter softened
Instructions
- Start off by boiling water in a kettle, with boiled water cover the raisins. Let them stand until ready to use.
- Put poppy seeds into a sheet of paper towel and into a bowl, pour boiled water in the small bowl, let it stand.
- Chop or put 3/4 of a cup of walnuts through a food processor.
- Preheat your oven to 350F.
For the cake layers
- Make the batter and separate into 3 bowls: Whisk 1 large egg in a bowl (you can also use a mixer for this) Add in 1/2 cup of sugar, whisk for another minute.
- Add in 1/2 cup of sour cream, and 1/2 teaspoon of baking soda. Mix well.
- Sift into the bowl, 3/4 cup of flour and 1 Tablespoon of starch. Mix.
- For the walnut layer: Add in 3/4 crushed walnuts to one bowl of batter. Transfer to a cake form and bake.
- For the poppy seed layer: follow the same cake instructions just get all the water out of the poppy seeds. Add to the second bowl of cake batter, transfer to a cake form and bake.
- For the raisins layer: drain the water from the raisins and add to the third bowl of batter. Transfer to cake form and bake.
- After taking layers from the oven, let them cool down. Cut horizontally in the center.
- Make the cream: In a mixing bowl, beat 2 sticks of softened unsalted butter. (until smooth).
- Add in 1 can of unsweetened condensed milk. Beat until starts to thicken.
- Put the cake together: In a small shallow bowl, add one cup of water and 1 teaspoon of sugar. This is to make the layers more moist. The whole cup of water should be enough for all the layers, meaning don’t need too much on each layer, just mostly around the edges.
- Pour a bit of the sugar water mix on each layer, before you spread the cream.
- You can decorate however your heart desires. I choose to make a chocolate glaze. (3 Tablespoons of unsalted butter, and 2 Tablespoons of milk. Put in the microwave for 45 seconds. Immediately stir in 2 Tablespoons of chocolate chips).
- All done, enjoy!
Nutrition
