In honor of Mardi Gras, I attempted to bake a traditional King Cake. I modified a recipe from Nola.com, which seemed to be an appropriate source for such an endeavor.
Ingredients
– 5 c. flour – 1/2 c. sugar – 1 1/2 tsp salt – 2 packets instant yeast – 3/4 c. whole milk – 1/2 c. water – 1 c. butter – 3 eggs – 1 tsp lemon zest – 1 Tbsp cinnamon – dash of nutmeg – 1 tsp vanilla – powdered sugar
Recipe
Combine the milk, water and butter in a small saucepan on the stove. Slowly bring up the heat, stirring occasionally. You are looking to reach 120-130 degrees (for reference, milk boils at over 200 degrees Fahrenheit). I used a small candy thermometer to pace properly.
In a mixing bowl (I used my KitchenAid stand mixer), combine 1 1/2 cups of flour with the sugar, salt and instant/rapid yeast. Once the liquid on the stovetop has reached 120 degrees, combine with the flour mixture and mix on medium speed for two minutes. You will start to smell the yeast activating – it will not resemble a traditional cake batter (and it’s not supposed to!).
Add 2 eggs, 1 egg yolk, 1/2 cup flour, lemon zest, cinnamon, a dash of nutmeg (1/8 teaspoon would be fine) and vanilla. Beat on medium-high speed for two minutes, stopping to scrape the sides occasionally, then slowly add in the remaining 3 cups of flour.
Transfer the dough to a large bowl coated with cooking spray. You want to ensure the dough has room to expand. Cover in plastic wrap and refrigerate for two hours.
Once the dough has chilled for two hours, punch the surface down and turn out onto a lightly floured surface. First shape the dough directly with your hands – you are looking to achieve a rough rectangle. Then, using a floured rolling pin, slowly roll the dough to a rough 24″ by 12″ size. Continue to run your fingers or a spatula underneath the dough to ensure it isn’t sticking to the surface.
Melt 2 tablespoons of butter, and brush onto the surface of the dough using a pastry brush. Lightly sprinkle cinnamon and sugar (I combined 1/3 cup sugar and 1 tablespoon of cinnamon into a shaker) across the entire surface, aiming for even and complete distribution. Beginning on one of the long sides, roll the dough tightly. You are aiming for a long thin log, not a short thick log. In my first attempt I almost started rolling from a short end but quickly caught my mistake!
Transfer the roll onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, shaping into an oval and pinching the ends together to complete the ring. I sliced off the uneven end pieces, baking them separately to give me a sense of the cake’s composition (you see them in the photograph above). You want to leave as much space in the middle of the oval as possible, as the dough expands quite a bit.
Cover the dough ring with a clean dish towel and place in a warm area of the house for about an hour. You are proofing the dough, a key step with yeast-based dough.
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees, and bake for 25-30 minutes until golden brown. Carefully check the center of the round to ensure it has properly cooked through. Let it cool on the pan for 5 minutes, then transfer to a baking rack to cool completely. For the transfer, use two spatulas. Do not attempt to solely pick up the parchment paper – this is a sure way to lose the cake you just baked!
Decorating
After the cake has had the chance to cool completely – I left for a few hours with the clean dish towel draped over the top – mix 2 cups of powdered sugar with 1 tablespoon of milk (again, I used the KitchenAid stand mixer for expediency). Slowly and cautiously add additional liquid as needed – you do not want it to be too liquidy. Drizzle the icing over the cake. My first icing unfortunately had too much milk, so I used it more as a glaze with my pastry brush. You can either dye the icing in the traditional yellow, green and purple of Mardi Gras, or coat the icing in colored sugars. I chose the sugars, which I like both aesthetically as well as texturally, and made them myself because I couldn’t locate them in local stores!
The cake absolutely needs the icing and additional sugar, as it is not a particularly sweet batter. It is at this stage where you can add the traditional “good luck” baby as well. You do not want to ever actually bake plastic into the cake, but instead insert after the cake has cooled through the bottom. We used a small plastic dinosaur from the 99 cent store, putting our own personal twist on it.
This easily serves 14-16 people, depending on the voracity of appetite. Once the cake has been cut, this starts to dry out almost immediately. If somehow you manage to have a section left, I would allow it to dry out completely to use the remaining bread in a simple bread pudding. Enjoy, and Happy Mardi Gras!
Until next time,
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