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King Cake baked by my sister-in law, Shirley Roth (2009)
Vegan King Cake baked by my granddaughter, Tabitha Hartman (2012)
History of Mardi Gras King Cake
Hundreds of thousands of King Cakes are eaten during Mardi Gras each year in
New Orleans, Louisiana. In fact, a Mardi Gras party would not be authentic
without the traditional King Cake as the center of the party.
The cake is made with a rich Danish dough, baked and covered with a sugar
topping in Mardi Gras colors; purple representing justice, green
representing faith, and gold representing power. The cakes are easy to make,
and in New Orleans every baker seems to have its own version for sale.
The cakes are prepared for the period
between the Twelfth Night and Ash Wednesday. Many are shipped throughout
the United States for those displaced New Orleanians longing for a taste of Mardi Gras.
 The Mardi Gras or Carnival season officially begins on January 6th, or the
Twelfth Night.
Originally objects such as coins, beans, pecans, and peas
were hidden inside of every King Cake. Wealthy Louisiana plantation owners
in the later 1800s would sometimes put a precious stone or jewel in their
King Cakes. In the mid-1900s, a small plastic baby became the symbol of this
Holy Day and was placed inside of each King Cake.
The New Orleans tradition
is that each person takes a piece of cake hoping to find the plastic baby
inside. The recipient of the plastic baby is "crowned" King or Queen for the
day and that person is obligated to host the following year's party and supply the King Cake.
The King Cake tradition came to New Orleans with the French settlers around
1870, continuing a custom dating back to twelfth century France. Similar
cakes were used then to celebrate the coming of the three wise men calling
it the feast of Epiphany, Twelfth Night, or King's Day.
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King Cake Recipe - Bread Machine King Cake Recipe
King Cakes are created in varied shapes and flavors. From
braided King Cake (top left) to the traditional New Orleans King Cake (far right), they are all something to celebrate./p>
This is my version of the traditional King Cake. Normally this is a very labor intensive cake to
make, so I use the bread machine to do the work for me. Using the dough cycle on your bread machine will half the
work needed for this traditional Mardi Gras treat. King Cakes are a lot like cinnamon rolls but they are twisted into a large oval.
Recipe Type:
Cake,
Yeast Bread
Cuisine:
Cajun/Creole,
Southern
Yields: 1 King Cake
Prep time: 1 hour
Cook time: 40 min
Ingredients:
1/2 cup warm water(110 degrees F.)
1/2 cup warm milk (110 degrees F.)
1/2 cup granulated
sugar
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 teaspoon
lemon zest
5
egg yolks, room temperature
1/2 cup butter, room temperature
4 3/4 cups bread flour or unbleached all-purpose
flour
3 teaspoons instant active dry
yeast (I use
SAF Instant Active Dry Yeast)
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 egg white beaten with 1 tablespoon milk
1 tiny (1-inch) plastic doll
Colored Sugars (see below)
Lemon Frosting (see recipe below)
Preparation:
Place all ingredients in bread pan according to manufacturer's instructions;
select dough setting and press start. NOTE: Check the dough (don't be afraid
to open the lid). It should form a nice elastic ball. If you think the dough
is too moist, add additional flour (a tablespoon at a time). The same is
true if the dough is looking dry and gnarly. Add warm water (a tablespoon at
a time).
When dough cycle has finished, remove dough from pan and put into a lightly
oiled bowl. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and place in a draft free place to
rise for approximately 1 hour or until the dough doubles in volume.
Lightly coat a large baking sheet with butter or vegetable spray; set aside.
Remove dough from bowl and place on a lightly-oiled surface. Using your
fist, punch dough down with a heavy blow. Sprinkle cinnamon over the top,
pat and shape dough into a cylinder. Twist dough to form a curled cylinder
and loop cylinder onto the buttered baking sheet. Pinch the ends together to
form a circle. Cover dough with plastic wrap and let sit for approximately
45 minutes or until the dough doubles in volume.
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Brush top and sides of cake with egg white
wash and bake on middle rack of oven for 35 to 40 minutes or until golden
brown. (A good check is to use an
instant thermometer to test your bread.
The temperature should be between 200 and 210 degrees.) Remove from oven and
place on a wire rack to cool. If desired, at this time, you can hide the
plastic doll in the cake.
 This
is the type of cooking and meat thermometer that I prefer and use in my cooking. I get many readers
asking what cooking/meat thermometer that I prefer and use in my cooking and baking. I, personally, use the
Thermapen Thermometer shown in the photo on the right. Originally designed for professional users, the
Super-Fast Thermapen Thermometer is used by chefs all over the world. To learn more about this excellent
thermometer and to also purchase one (if you desire), just click on the underlined:
Thermapen Thermometer.
Makes 1 King Cake.
Colored Sugars:
3/4 cup granulated
sugar
Green, purple, and yellow coloring paste
Squeeze a dot of paste in palm of hand. Sprinkle 2 tablespoons sugar over
the paste and rub together quickly. Place this mixture on wax paper and wash
hands to remove color.
Repeat process for other two colors; set aside.
Lemon Frosting:
3/4 cups powdered (confectoners') sugar
Juice of 1 lemon
In a small bowl, combine powdered sugar and lemon juice until smooth
(depending on size of lemon, add water if mixture is too thick or additional
powdered sugar if too thin).
Spoon icing over top of the cake. Immediately
sprinkle on colored sugar, alternating between the three colors.
Additional Mardi Gras recipes:
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