King Cake!
It seems as though I blinked and there went January! In South Louisiana, we are now in the midst of Mardi Gras season, a time of merriment and celebration from January 6th (aka 12th Night, Feast of the Epiphany, or King Day, depending on your cultural perspective) until Lent begins Ash Wednesday. The prospect of 40 days of sack cloth and ashes is enough to encourage folks to wear costumes, parade in the streets and throw strings of plastic beads....or is this just in New Orleans?
King Cake is an iconic part of Mardi Gras season. Traditional king cake is a sweet brioche, often with cinnamon sugar folded into the center, and braided into a ring or oval shape. Once baked, it is glazed and decorated with purple (justice), green (faith), and gold (power) colored sugar.
When my mother was young, large, formal parties were held, during which King Cakes were served, one for the women, a second for men. Hidden in the cake was a bean or a pecan. The ones whose slice of cake held the object were declared king and queen of the ball and were obligated to host the next party.
These days, formal carnival balls are still held but king and queen of individual organizations ("krewes") are voted by membership. In most king cakes, a tiny plastic baby is hidden under the cake in lieu of the bean or pecan (Epiphany...searching for the baby...get it?).
King cakes now run the gamut from simple traditional brioche to the elaborate, filled with fruit, praline, or cream cheese. There are a couple of places that sell savory versions filled with sausage or crawfish. Also, although king cake is not supposed to be served until Epiphany, some heretics sell a red and green Christmas version.
Many of our local bakeries ship king cakes across the country, and there is at least one do-it-yourself box mix for purchase....but....it is not difficult to make a delicious traditional-style king cake from scratch.
My aunt Patty gave me this recipe and it is terrific! Originally created and shared by Chef John Folse, it is pillowy soft and just sweet enough. He adds cinnamon to the final glaze, but I think it unnecessary.
Mardi Gras King Cake
1 tbsp instant dry yeast
1/2 cup warm water
1/2 cup sugar
5 cups flour
2 tsp salt
2 eggs, beaten
3/4 cup milk
1 cup melted butter
Combine yeast and warm water, stir briefly, and set aside (it will begin to show signs of life and will produce small air bubbles). In a large bowl, combine dry ingredients and stir. In a second bowl, combine wet ingredients. Add wet ingredients, including yeast, to the dry and mix thoroughly at least 8 minutes. You can also use a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook if you have one. Have additional flour available, and add a bit if the dough seems overly sticky. Cover the bowl with a damp towel and set aside in a warm place to rise 1 hour until it has doubled. Because in February, there aren't too many "warm places", I use an electric heating pad, set to low, on my kitchen counter, and I place the bowl of dough on the heating pad to facilitate the rise.
Meanwhile, have ready:
1 stick of butter, melted
Cinnamon sugar (1/2 cup sugar with 1 tsp cinnamon)
Egg wash (1/2 cup milk with 1 egg, beaten)
Once the dough has risen, turn it out onto a lightly floured surface (I use a silicone baking mat) and roll it out to a large rectangle, approximately 18" x 12". Brush the dough with melted butter and sprinkle the entire surface with cinnamon sugar. Next, cut the dough into three strips along the long axis, about 4 x 18" and fold each strip in half (now 2 x 18") to encase the cinnamon sugar. Weave the dough strips in a standard braid and join the ends to form an oval or circle. Brush the ring of dough with eggwash and set aside to rise 1 hour. I leave the pastry on the silicone mat for the entire process. The mat can be slid onto a cookie sheet and go right into the oven without deflating the risen dough.
Preheat the oven to 350 F. Bake 20-25 minutes or until golden brown.
While the cake is in the oven, prepare the glaze. Combine thoroughly:
1 lb (4 cups) powdered sugar
1 tsp almond extract
6 tbsp milk
Pinch of salt
Colored sugar sprinkles are commercially available, but if you have food coloring, you can make your own by mixing 1 cup granulated sugar and 2 drops (or so) liquid food coloring.
While the cake is still warm, drizzle with glaze and spread to cover completely. As you work, quickly sprinkle over the glaze in sections the purple, green, and gold (or yellow) sugar (as the glaze hardens and dries, the sugar sprinkles will not stick as well).
Invite friends over and enjoy! Leftovers make a great bread pudding or French toast.
Laissez le bon temps rouler!
King Cake is an iconic part of Mardi Gras season. Traditional king cake is a sweet brioche, often with cinnamon sugar folded into the center, and braided into a ring or oval shape. Once baked, it is glazed and decorated with purple (justice), green (faith), and gold (power) colored sugar.
When my mother was young, large, formal parties were held, during which King Cakes were served, one for the women, a second for men. Hidden in the cake was a bean or a pecan. The ones whose slice of cake held the object were declared king and queen of the ball and were obligated to host the next party.
These days, formal carnival balls are still held but king and queen of individual organizations ("krewes") are voted by membership. In most king cakes, a tiny plastic baby is hidden under the cake in lieu of the bean or pecan (Epiphany...searching for the baby...get it?).
Many of our local bakeries ship king cakes across the country, and there is at least one do-it-yourself box mix for purchase....but....it is not difficult to make a delicious traditional-style king cake from scratch.
My aunt Patty gave me this recipe and it is terrific! Originally created and shared by Chef John Folse, it is pillowy soft and just sweet enough. He adds cinnamon to the final glaze, but I think it unnecessary.
Mardi Gras King Cake
1 tbsp instant dry yeast
1/2 cup warm water
1/2 cup sugar
5 cups flour
2 tsp salt
2 eggs, beaten
3/4 cup milk
1 cup melted butter
Combine yeast and warm water, stir briefly, and set aside (it will begin to show signs of life and will produce small air bubbles). In a large bowl, combine dry ingredients and stir. In a second bowl, combine wet ingredients. Add wet ingredients, including yeast, to the dry and mix thoroughly at least 8 minutes. You can also use a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook if you have one. Have additional flour available, and add a bit if the dough seems overly sticky. Cover the bowl with a damp towel and set aside in a warm place to rise 1 hour until it has doubled. Because in February, there aren't too many "warm places", I use an electric heating pad, set to low, on my kitchen counter, and I place the bowl of dough on the heating pad to facilitate the rise.
Meanwhile, have ready:
1 stick of butter, melted
Cinnamon sugar (1/2 cup sugar with 1 tsp cinnamon)
Egg wash (1/2 cup milk with 1 egg, beaten)
Once the dough has risen, turn it out onto a lightly floured surface (I use a silicone baking mat) and roll it out to a large rectangle, approximately 18" x 12". Brush the dough with melted butter and sprinkle the entire surface with cinnamon sugar. Next, cut the dough into three strips along the long axis, about 4 x 18" and fold each strip in half (now 2 x 18") to encase the cinnamon sugar. Weave the dough strips in a standard braid and join the ends to form an oval or circle. Brush the ring of dough with eggwash and set aside to rise 1 hour. I leave the pastry on the silicone mat for the entire process. The mat can be slid onto a cookie sheet and go right into the oven without deflating the risen dough.
Preheat the oven to 350 F. Bake 20-25 minutes or until golden brown.
While the cake is in the oven, prepare the glaze. Combine thoroughly:
1 lb (4 cups) powdered sugar
1 tsp almond extract
6 tbsp milk
Pinch of salt
Colored sugar sprinkles are commercially available, but if you have food coloring, you can make your own by mixing 1 cup granulated sugar and 2 drops (or so) liquid food coloring.
While the cake is still warm, drizzle with glaze and spread to cover completely. As you work, quickly sprinkle over the glaze in sections the purple, green, and gold (or yellow) sugar (as the glaze hardens and dries, the sugar sprinkles will not stick as well).
Invite friends over and enjoy! Leftovers make a great bread pudding or French toast.
Laissez le bon temps rouler!
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