HOLIDAYS
HOLIDAYS
I lived in New Orleans during my elementary school years and fell in love with a tradition called The King Cake.
Each Friday during the weeks before Easter, one student brought in a King Cake to share with the class. The child that found a little plastic baby inside his or her cake slice shrieked with delight, and was then charged with bringing in the cake the following week.
Many years later, when I was living and working in Bangkok, Thailand, a friend served a King Cake for dessert at a Thai dinner party. I never once found the baby in my slice during the time I that lived in New Orleans, but in Bangkok, lo and behold, I got the baby!
Read on to learn how to make this delicious and traditional dessert (baby not included!). Wash it down with an infamous Louisiana Hurricane.
This recipe, provided by Wayne Everard, formerly the Archivist in the Louisiana Division/City Archives, gets my vote for the best tasting King Cake.
If you like, you can replace the sour cream with yogurt, either plain or vanilla, to lighten the taste and calories.
If you like, you can replace the sour cream with yogurt, either plain or vanilla, to lighten the taste and calories.
Other decorating options:
Divide the icing into three portions and use food coloring to make purple, green and gold icing. Spread in alternating bands along the length of the cakes.
Use purple, green and gold gumdrops, jelly beans, or other candy to decorate the white icing.
Ingredients
- The Dough Ingredients
- 4 packages active dry yeast
- 1/2 Cup lukewarm water (110-115 degrees F)
- 1/2 Cup granulated sugar
- 1 Tbsp salt
- 1/2 Cup cold milk
- 1 Cup plain or vanilla yogurt
- 2 Tsp lemon juice
- 1 Tsp vanilla extract
- 2 egg yolks, lightly beaten
- 1 stick butter or margarine
- 5-6 1/2 Cup(s) all-purpose flour
- The Filling Ingredients
- 1 stick butter or margarine, melted
- 2 Cup(s) granulated sugar
- 3 Tbsp ground cinnamon
- 2 dried bean, shelled pecans, or naked plastic babies
- The Icing Ingredients
- 3 Tbsp soft butter or margarine
- 4 Cup(s) confectioners sugar
- 1 Tsp vanilla or almond extract
- 4-6 Tbsp milk
Steps
- Combine the yeast, 1/2 of the sugar, and the lukewarm water in a very large bowl, stir well and set aside for a few minutes until the mixture swells slightly and small bubbles appear on the surface. Stir in the remaining sugar, milk, yogurt, lemon juice, vanilla, and salt. Mix well. Add egg yolks and mix again.
- In another bowl, work the butter/margarine into 5 cups of the flour.
- Add the flour-butter/margarine mixture to the yeast mixture a cup at a time, mixing well after each cup is added. Begin to knead in the bowl, adding more flour if necessary to make a smooth, elastic dough. Turn out onto a lightly floured surface and knead about 5 minutes, adding more flour if the dough is still sticky.
- Shape the dough into a ball and place in a bowl which has been buttered or sprayed with a no-stick spray. Cover and let stand in a warm place until dough doubles in size.
- Punch dough down and divide in half. Roll each half on a lightly floured surface into a rectangle about 8 x 14 inches. Brush each rectangle with 1/2 stick of melted butter or margarine. Combine the sugar and cinnamon and sprinkle 1/2 of the mixture over each rectangle. Roll up from the wide end, as you would a jelly roll, inserting one of the dried beans, pecans, or naked babies along the way. Press the ends of the dough together and stretch the roll into an oval about 14 inches long. Place on a greased/sprayed cookie sheet and allow to rise in a warm place for about 45 minutes.
- Bake in a preheated 350F oven for about 35-45 minutes until the cakes are golden brown and sound hollow when tapped with the fingers. Remove from the oven and cool for 30 minutes.
- Beat the butter or margarine until softened. Add confectioner's sugar and vanilla and continue to beat, gradually adding milk until a glaze consistency is achieved. Use half of the icing on each cake.
- Spread the icing evenly over each cake and decorate immediately with granulated sugar that has been rendered purple, green and gold with food coloring, making alternating bands of color.
Here is another reliable recipe for a delicious King Cake. Whether you are serving a King Cake at a dinner party or continuing a longstanding tradition at school, church, or office, this dessert is a truly delectable way to reign as King for a Day!
Ingredients
- 1/4 Cup butter or margarine
- 1 (16 oz.) container sour cream
- 1/3 Cup sugar
- 1 Tsp salt
- 2 (.25 ounce) envelopes active dry yeast
- 1 Tbsp white sugar
- 1/2 Cup warm water (100 to 110 degrees)
- 2 Whole eggs
- 6 1/2 Cup(s) all-purpose flour, divided
- 1/2 Cup white sugar
- 1 1/2 Tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/3 Cup butter or margarine, softened
- Colored Frosting Ingredients
- 3 Cup(s) powdered sugar
- 3 Tbsp butter, melted
- 3 Tbsp milk
- 1/4 Tsp vanilla extract
- 2 drops green food color
- 2 drops yellow food color
- 2 drops blue food color
- 2 drops red food color
- Colored Sugar Ingredients
- 1 1/2 Cup(s) white sugar
- 2 drops green food color
- 2 drops yellow food color
- 2 drops blue food color
- 2 drops red food color
Steps
- Cook the first four ingredients in a saucepan over low heat, stirring often, until butter melts. Cool mixture to 100 degrees to 110 degrees.
- Dissolve yeast and 1 tablespoon sugar in 1/2 cup warm water in a large bowl; let stand 5 minutes. Add butter mixture, eggs, and 2 cups flour; beat at medium speed with an electric mixer 2 minutes or until smooth. Gradually stir in enough remaining flour to make a soft dough.
- Turn dough onto a lightly floured surface; knead until smooth and elastic, about 10 minutes. Place in a well-greased bowl, turning to grease top. Cover and let rise in a warm place (85 degrees), free from drafts, 1 hour or until doubled in bulk.
- Stir together 1/2 cup sugar and cinnamon; set aside.
- Punch dough down; divide in half. Turn 1 portion out onto a lightly floured surface; roll to a 28- x 10-inch rectangle. Spread half each of cinnamon mixture and softened butter on dough. Roll dough, jellyroll fashion, starting at long side. Place dough roll, seam side down, on a lightly greased baking sheet. Bring ends together to form an oval ring, moistening and pinching edges together to seal. Repeat with remaining dough, cinnamon mixture, and butter.
- Cover and let rise in a warm place, free from drafts, 20 minutes or until doubled in bulk.
- Bake at 375 degrees for 15 minutes or until golden. Decorate with bands of Colored Frostings, and sprinkle with Colored Sugars.
- Colored Frostings: Stir together powdered sugar and melted butter. Add milk to reach desired consistency for drizzling; stir in vanilla. Divide frosting into 3 batches, tinting 1 green, 1 yellow, and combining red and blue food coloring for purple frosting.
- Colored Sugars: Place 1/2 cup sugar and drop of green food coloring in a jar or zip-top plastic bag; seal. Shake vigorously to evenly mix color with sugar. Repeat procedure with 1/2 cup sugar and yellow food coloring. For purple, combine 1 drop red and 1 drop blue food coloring before adding to remaining 1/2 cup sugar.
You cannot go wrong with NOLA chef extraordinaire Emeril Lagasses' Food Network Recipe for a tasty and traditional King Cake!
Ingredients
- 1/2 Cup warm water (105 to 115 degrees)
- 2 packages dry yeast
- 2 Tsp sugar
- 4-5 Cup(s) flour
- 1/2 Cup sugar
- 2 Tsp salt
- 1 Tsp ground nutmeg
- 1 Tsp grated lemon rind
- 1/2 Cup warm (105 to 115 degrees) milk
- 1/2 Cup melted unsalted butter, cooled
- 5 egg yolks
- 1/2 Cup finely chopped candied citron
- 1 pecan half, uncooked dried bean or King Cake Baby
- The Glaze Ingredients
- 2 Cup(s) sifted powdered sugar
- 2 Tbsp lemon juice
- 2 Tbsp water
- Purple green and gold sugar crystals
Steps
- Preheat the oven 350 degrees. Combine the warm water, yeast and 2 teaspoons sugar in a small bowl. Mix well and set aside to a warm place for about 10 minutes. Combine the 4 cups of flour, 1/2 cup sugar, salt, nutmeg, lemon rind and add warm milk, melted butter, egg yolks and yeast mixture. Beat until smooth. Turn dough out on a lightly floured surface. Knead in enough remaining flour until the dough is no longer sticky. Continue kneading until the dough is smooth and elastic (about 10 minutes). Place the dough in a well-greased bowl. Turn once so greased surface is on top.
- Cover the dough and let rise in a warm place until doubled in bulk (about 1 1/2 hours). Punch the dough down and place on a lightly floured surface. Sprinkle with the citron and knead until the citron is evenly distributed. Shape the dough into a cylinder, about 30 inches long.
- Place the cylinder on a buttered baking sheet. Shape into a ring, pinching ends together to seal. Place a well-greased 2-pound coffee can or shortening can in the center of the ring to maintain shape during baking. Press the King Cake Baby, pecan half or dried bean into the ring from the bottom so that it is completely hidden by the dough. Cover the ring with a towel, and let rise in a warm place until doubled in bulk, about 45 minutes.
- Bake for 30 minutes, or until golden brown. Remove the coffee can immediately. Allow the cake to cool. For the glaze: Combine the ingredients and beat until smooth. To assemble, drizzle cake with the glaze. Sprinkle with sugar crystals, alternating colors. Cut into the cake and hope you do not get the baby.
Don't forget to serve a New Orleans favorite, a Café Du Monde real café au Lait, alongside your King Cake! The chicory blend coffee can be ordered online.
Ingredients
- 1/2 mug hot milk
- 1/2 mug chicory blend coffee
Steps
- Pour 1/2 mug of hot coffee into 1/2 mug hot milk. Serve and enjoy with a slice of King Cake.
Guests won't know what hit them when they try this delicious New Orleans-style hurricane!
Recipe courtesy of DrinksMixer.com.
Recipe courtesy of DrinksMixer.com.
Ingredients
- 1 Oz white rum
- 1 Oz Jamaican dark rum
- 1 Oz Bacardi® 151 rum
- 3 Oz orange juice
- 3 Oz unsweetened pineapple juice
- 1/2 Oz grenadine syrup
- Some crushed ice
Steps
- Combine all ingredients, mix well (shake or stir). Pour over crushed ice in hurricane glass.
- Garnish with fruit wedge if desired.
If you run out of time or if your friends have consumed too many of those Louisiana Hurricanes to safely operate kitchen machinery, you can shop online and have one shipped out to you from any of these fine bakeries. These treats make great gifts too!
Check Out More Mardi Gras Tips...
King Cake is a coffee cake-style pastry that is recognized as a symbol of Mardi Gras. Its origins can be traced back to the Middle Ages in Europe, and this tradition was delivered by settlers to The Big Easy in the 1870's.
Typically the cake is decorated in the three royal colors: purple, which signifies justice, green for faith, and gold for power. These colors were chosen to resemble a jeweled crown in honor of the three Wise Men who visited the Christ Child (symbolized by the plastic baby) on the Epiphany.
King Cakes are exciting! Both kids and adults revel in the anticipation and fun in finding the little plastic baby buried inside of their slice. Just remember that if you are the fortunate one who receives the baby, tradition states that you must supply the cake the following year.
Start your own tradition and bake a King Cake the old-fashioned way. Just be sure to tell your guests that a tiny plastic baby awaits inside one of the slices!
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