Oh Baby! Time For Some King Cake
Now, I've eaten King Cake loads of times, but this treat never tasted sweeter than when I went to the city after Hurricane Katrina to work on a project to rebuild an iconic restaurant called Willie Mae's Scotch House. (A project featured in a documentary film called Above The Line: Saving Willie Mae's Scotch House by my uber-talented friend Joe York.) I'll never forget making that first trip, post-Katrina and the sick feeling I had, looking at the widespread devastation. Even the dramatic photographs could not capture the vast sad state of affairs.
But, here's where the story takes a sweet turn: Though the city had taken a punch to the gut, its spirit still shined bright. People were friendly and the food tasted better than ever. You could actually get a table at some of the famous restaurants. It was going to be a long road to rehab New Orleans, but New Orleaneans are a resiliant bunch, so proud of their wonderful city.
On that February day in 2006, after a day of tearing out moldy dry wall in Dookie Chase's, another landmark restaurant, around the corner from Willie Mae's, my friends and I ate oysters and crawfish and later went to a Mardi Gras parade. The next morning, we stopped for coffee at a bakery just outside The French Quarter. Since it was Carnival Season, of course, they were serving King Cake. This brioche dough is sprinkled with cinnamon and nuts, rolled and braided. It's symbolic of the three kings who visited the baby Jesus on the 12th night. A plastic baby is usually tucked into the cake and finding it is considered good luck. Plus, a sign that it's your turn to host the next party. That king cake was so good that day, it brought tears to my eyes. I bought an extra to take home.
King Cake
Dough
1/4 cup warm water (105 to 115 degrees F)
1 envelope active dry yeast
1/4 cup warm milk (105 to 115 degrees F)
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter or margarine, softened
2 tablespoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 to 3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 large eggs
Cinnamon Filling
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
2/3 cup packed light brown sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 red bean, pecan half, or small plastic baby figurine
Frosting
1 cup confectioners’ sugar, sifted
1/4 teaspoon almond extract
1 to 2 tablespoons milk
Purple, green, and yellow paste food coloring (or other colors depending upon the occasion)
For the dough: Pour the warm water into a large warmed bowl. Sprinkle in the yeast and stir until it dissolves. Stir in the warm milk, butter, sugar, nutmeg, and salt. Add 1 cup of the flour and blend well. Stir in the eggs and enough of the remaining flour to make a soft dough.
Lightly flour a flat work surface, and turn out the dough. Knead until smooth and elastic, about 5 minutes, adding more flour if the dough sticks. Put in a large greased bowl, and turn to grease the top of the dough. Cover with a kitchen towel and let rise in a warm, draft-free place until doubled in size, about 1 hour.
For the filling: Punch the dough down. Transfer to the lightly floured work surface and use a rolling pin to roll into a 30-by-9-inch rectangle. Brush with the melted butter. Combine the brown sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl. Sprinkle the brown sugar mixture over the dough to within 1/2 inch of the edges. Beginning at the long end, roll up tightly, as for a jelly roll. Pinch the seam to seal. With a sharp knife, cut the roll in half lengthwise, and carefully turn the halves so that cut sides face up. Join the ends, pinching them to form one ring, keeping the cut sides up so the filling is visible. Transfer the ring to a large greased baking sheet.
If using a red bean or pecan half, push it into the underside of the dough to hide it. (A baby charm will go in after baking.) Cover and let rise in a warm, draft-free place until doubled in size, about 20 to 40 minutes. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
Bake for 30 minutes, or until lightly browned. Remove the cake from the baking sheet and let cool on a wire rack. If using a plastic baby figurine, push it into the underside of the cake.
For the frosting: In a small bowl mix together the sugar, almond extract, and milk until smooth. Divide among three smaller bowls. Tint one mixture purple, the second one green, and the third one gold, mixing each one well. Drizzle each color over the top of the cake.
-- Leslie Kelly
casino on February 04, 2011 at 08:49 PM
Has anyone done this? I guess to make a king Cale my child to class on Friday. I thought I could use cinnamon rolls, Pillsbury and make it easier on myself. Now I'm guessing this. If you've done it this way, any hints or tips to share?
Zimmarie on February 05, 2011 at 06:13 AM
Holly Clegg has a shortcut method for King Cake; you could check her blog.
iphone apps on February 21, 2011 at 01:33 AM
Wow what a yummy cake, its look very giant. I never make this style of cake but I want to make that, so I will try to make it tomorrow, I hop i will get yummy test.
limousine on February 22, 2011 at 03:11 AM
Well, this is such a best recipe. I prepared it and also decorated same as your post. It was very testy and too much yummy test. I like it as well as my family members also like it very much.
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online casino on July 29, 2011 at 03:59 AM
It's anly a name for this amateur cake, it doesn't even look like a King cake, but receipt is pretty easy so I'm gonna bake some like this
Dell XPS M1730 Akku on September 13, 2011 at 03:42 AM
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emt training michigan on December 30, 2011 at 09:12 PM
That cake looks so delicious. I want some!