Celebrate Mardi Gras with a homemade king cake filled with cinnamon and sugar.
What Is a King Cake?
The colored sugars are gold, green and purple,which are the traditional colors of Mardi Gras.
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Gold represents power, green stands for faith, and purple is justice.
In France, the cake is made of puff pastry and frangipane (almond cream).
A local bakery in France can sell up to 1,500 cakes in the month of January alone!
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By the 20th century, the tradition took off and king cakes were all over New Orleans.
Why Is There a Baby in the Cake?
You dont want unsuspecting folks choking or cracking a tooth.
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How Do You Make a King Cake?
Making a king cake can seem daunting at first, but its a straightforward recipe.
The enriched bread dough starts by combining warmed milk, honey, and yeast.
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Then the liquid is mixed with flour and kneaded until a dough is formed.
The dough is left to rise, then rolled out into a rectangle.
The two long pieces are then twisted together and then shaped to form a ring.
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The ring is left to rise again and then baked.
King cake freezes really well, but its recommended that you freeze itbeforeyou frost it.
When well-wrapped, the king cake will keep for up to 3 months in the freezer.
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Thaw the cake on the countertop overnight, then frost and serve.
Remove the milk from heat.
Set aside for 5 minutes until small bubbles start to form.
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If bubbles do not form, discard and start over with new yeast.
In a small microwave-safe bowl, add the cubed butter.
Some solid chunks are ok. Add the eggs, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, vanilla, and almond extract (if using).
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You just want to bring it together a bit.
Switch the attachment on your stand mixer to the dough hook.
Add 3 cups flour and set the stand mixer to low until the flour has absorbed into the liquid.
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Knead the dough with the hook for 5 minutes until a smooth supple dough forms.
The dough will be fairly soft, and a little tacky but not sticky.
The dough should be pliable and not so sticky that you cant handle it.
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Lightly grease a bowl so the dough doesnt stick.
Stretch and form the dough into a smooth ball.
About 10 minutes before the dough has finished rising, make the filling.
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In a medium microwave-safe bowl, add the butter and cover the bowl.
Set the microwave for 30 to 45 seconds.
You want the butter melted completely.
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Add the brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt to the melted butter.
Stir until a thick paste forms.
Cover and set aside until youre ready to use.
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Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicon baking pad.
Once the dough has doubled, turn it out onto a clean work surface.
Use a rolling pin to roll the dough into a large rectangle, about 10x24 inches wide.
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The dough will be pretty thin, about 1/4 to 1/2 inch thick.
Eventually, youll be able to get a thin coating of the filling all over the dough.
Thats what you want.
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Starting at the long side, roll the dough up to form a long, thin log.
Pat and press the 1-inch bare dough border at the top to the log, making sure it seals.
Turn the log so the seal is at the bottom.
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Using a sharp knife, cut the log lengthwise, splitting the enter half.
Twist the two halves together, making sure the cut strip side is facing upward.
Move the twisted rope to the prepared baking sheet and form a ring.
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Tuck the ends of the dough under each other to help seal the ring together.
About 30 minutes into the second rise time, preheat the oven to 350F.
If you have an instant-read thermometer, it should read 195F to 200F in the center of the dough.
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Dont worry if some of the filling has oozed out while baking, thats totally normal.
Then carefully move the cake to a wire rack using two spatulas and let cool completely to room temperature.
To make the glaze, sift the powdered sugar into a medium-sized bowl.
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Add 2 tablespoons of milk and the vanilla.
Stir until the ingredients are fully incorporated and a glaze forms.
The glaze should be thick and opaque but still pourable.
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Place the wire baking rack with the cooled cake over a rimmed baking sheet.
Spoon the glaze all over the cake making sure the top is completely covered.
Then immediately sprinkle the colored sugar over the cake.
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The wet glaze will allow the sugar to adhere to the cake.
Let the glaze and sugar dry, then move the cake to a serving platter.
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