I spent many years in the greater New Orleans area when I was growing up. My parents still live in the house they’ve owned since I was in 4th grade. One of the things we always looked forward to after Epiphany was the season of Mardi Gras ending on Fat Tuesday, the day before Ash Wednesday. In grade school, we had a small party every Friday with someone bringing a king cake. Whoever got the baby in it was responsible for the next week.
While it is fun to reminisce, what I sometimes have missed is being able to walk into a local store and buy a good king cake. Sure, there are some grocery stores outside of the deep south selling something called a king cake. But, it isn’t the same!
When I was in graduate school, my parent surprised me with a king cake from Paul’s Bakery sent overnight. My friends and I loved digging into this more gourmet king cake. However, the cost is a bit steep when you are on a more fixed income and have several boys who’d easily devour a small cake on their own!
Thankfully, one of my mom’s friends shared her family’s recipe for king cake with me years ago. I’ve made them to share at group events in the past, including the boys’ classrooms when they attended a parochial school in Ohio. However, I’d not made it since my youngest son was born 6 years ago.
Guess what this mama decided to do on a cold Alaskan winter day?
How to Make a King Cake
King cakes are sweet bread doughs made into a ring for baking. The trio of Mardi Gras colors (gold, green and purple) are placed on sections of the finished cake. If you have one, a small plastic baby or doubloon can be inserted from the underside after the cake is baked. Just make sure that anyone eating the cake knows it could be in there!
Laura
Yields 18
15 minPrep Time
20 minCook Time
35 minTotal Time
Save RecipeIngredients
- Proofing Yeast:
- 1 Tbsp. yeast
- 1/2 cup lukewarm water
- 1 tsp. sugar
- Liquids:
- 1 cup milk
- 1/3 cup sugar
- 1 tsp. salt
- 1/2 cup melted butter
- 1 egg
- 4 1/2 - 5 1/2 cups of flour
- Filling (cream cheese)
- 4 ounces cream cheese
- 1 egg yolk
- 1/2 tsp. vanilla
- 1/2 cup sugar
- Icing
- powdered sugar
- milk
- food dye (yellow, green, red and blue)
Instructions
- Proof the yeast in a small bowl with the lukewarm water and sugar. Stir and allow to stand approximately 10 minutes.
- In a small saucepan, scald the milk. Add sugar, salt, and melted butter. Allow to cool until at a lukewarm temperature.
- In a mixer, add the proofed yeast, one egg, and the milk mixture. Mix. Add 2 cups of flour, mixing to incorporate. Work in 2 1/2 to 3 cups of flour gradually until a soft dough is formed. Add slow enough to not put too much flour . If using a stand mixer, it should have pulled from the sides to form a nice ball of dough.
- Knead the dough for approximately 10 minutes. Place in a greased bowl (turning to coat), cover and allow to rise in a warm place until doubled.
- While the dough is rising, prepare the cream cheese filling. Alternatively, you can soften several tablespoons of butter and make cinammon sugar.
- Punch down the dough and stretch into a 9 X 16 inch rectangle. Spoon filling in the middle. Brush edges with butter and sugar if desired. If you are doing just a cinammon filling, then spread the softened butter and sprinkle cinammon sugar over the entire area.
- Roll the dough into a long tube and then shape into a ring.
- Cover and allow to rise until doubled.
- Bake for 20 to 25 minutes in a
400 degree oven. - Cool on a rack.
- While the king cake is cooling, make up a small batch of icing mixing powdered sugar and a small amount of milk. Separate into 3 small bowls to make the colored icing: one yellow, one green, and one purple (3 drops red + 1 drop blue).
- When the cake is cool, transfer to a serving platter. Visually separate the ring into 3 areas. Coat each area with one of the colored icings.
Have you ever enjoyed a GOOD King Cake?
Have you tried your hand at making one?
This post was originally published on Feb 3, 2016.
The post Celebrate Mardi Gras: Make a King Cake appeared first on Day By Day in Our World.