The Mardi Gras King Cake
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Mardi Gras just would not be complete without at least one sweet and colorful king cake. My version is a blend of coffee cake and cinnamon roll. There are many varieties including fillings like nuts, fruits, cheese, and of course the baby! The fillings can vary, but a true king cake is iced in yellow, green, and purple the colors of Mardi Gras!
Dino and I went to New Orleans for the first time in 1996. The big easy is filled with history, jazz, parties, and really good food! The plan was music, exploring the French Quarter, hurricanes (the drink not the storm), and really good food - the reality? Rain, unseasonable cold weather, and morning sickness! Dino fell in love with crawfish, I fell in love with beignets, and we both fell in love with the idea of being parents for the first time.
Just like Panetone at Christmas, or Easter bread at Easter, this cake feels extra special since it’s only available for a specific time each year. That is unless you’re baking your own, then you can enjoy this treat any time of the year!
The traditional king cake is similar to brioche, much like the Italian Easter Bread with the colored egg baked into the braid. My version is more like a coffee cake with the sweetness coming from the filling, glaze, and all the sugar on the top.
I used food coloring to make my colored sugar. It was what I had on hand and much more cost-effective than purchasing three different containers of colored sugars that I would only use a few times a year. To make colored sugar, pour 1/2 cup of granulated sugar into a ziptop freezer bag. Add 1-2 drops of liquid or gel color. Seal the bag and massage it with your hands to spread the liquid around. Add in a few additional drops of food coloring as needed. Remember to start small. Add one or two drops in at a time. You can always add more color until you get the color you’re looking for. It's all right if the sugar clumps slightly. I did notice that my purple became much darker the next day.
King Cakes are either formed into a braided oval or circle. If you’ve ever made cinnamon rolls, this technique will be very familiar to you. The only difference is once you have your dough rolled into the log, you will not be slicing off pieces. You will make one cut lengthwise, almost cutting the log into two pieces. Just an inch or more at the top should still be attached. Then take the two pieces and twist them around each other to form the braid. Then form a circle or oval from the braided log.
This is the style most people associated with King Cake, but I have been seeing many interpretations of the classic cake baked in flute pans, bundt pans, and cupcakes. If yeast, rising time, and forming dough feels like too much work for you, make a vanilla pound cake, or even a white or yellow boxed cake mix - just decorate it for Mardi Gras by adding a vanilla glaze or frosting and sprinkle the colors of Mardi Gras!
Tradition dictates that whoever finds the baby is king or queen of the party (and also has to bring the king cake to the next Carnival celebration). Plastic babies can be found at any craft store, or look in the baby shower section of a party store. The modern tradition of a small plastic baby started in New Orleans back in the 1950s. I love the challenge and tradition associated with finding the baby in the cake. What I don’t like is serving anything that’s been baked around a piece of plastic or something that could cause a choking hazard. The first few times I made king cake, I poked a hole in the cake and inserted the plastic baby after the cake was cooled, then covered the hole with the frosting and sugar. Now that the kids are older, I decorate the cake with all the frosting and colored sugar, then fill the opening in the center of the cake with Mardi Gras beads. Still very festive, and it was quite funny the first time I left the baby out of the cake, but let them hunt for the baby anyway :)
This King Cake recipe will put the crowning touch on your Mardi Gras celebration! Laissez les bons temps rouler (Let the good times roll)!
Mardi Gras King Cake
Ingredients
Instructions
- Line a large sheet pan with parchment, set aside.
- Add the yeast to the warm milk, plus one tablespoon of sugar. Set aside until the mixture starts to foam.
- In a small bowl, combine the flour, salt, and lemon zest, set aside.
- In a bowl of a stand mixer, with the paddle attachment cream butter, and sugar.
- Add the egg yolks, one at a time, scraping the side and bottom of the bowl after each addition. Mix in vanilla and lemon extracts.
- Pour in the warm milk and dissolved yeast and mix on medium speed until combined.
- Switch to the dough hook attachment. Then add the flour mixture one cup at a time and mix on medium speed until the dough comes together in a smooth ball.
- Transfer the dough to a lightly sprayed or oiled bowl. Cover with plastic wrap or a lid. Set in a warm, draft-free place until dough doubles in size. About 60 - 90 minutes.
- While the dough rises, mix the sugar and cinnamon together and set aside until you're ready to fill the dough.
- Preheat your oven to 350.
- After the dough has risen, turn the dough out onto a floured work surface. Roll the dough out into a 10x30 oblong.
- Using a small offset spatula or butter knife, gently spread the softened butter on top of the dough. Sprinkle the sugar-cinnamon mixture on top of the butter.
- Starting from the longest end, gently roll dough together like you would a cinnamon roll or jelly roll. Seal the long edge, by pinching together, then seal the short edges and tucked them under.
- With the seam side down, start cutting lengthwise starting one inch from the top. Then twist the two halves around each other. Then bring the top and bottom together by forming a circle or oval.
- Transfer to the prepared baking sheet. Loosely cover with plastic wrap or a tea towel. The dough should double in size in 60-90 minutes.
- Bake for 25-30 minutes or until the dough is lightly brown.
- While the cake is baking, mix together the powdered sugar, milk, and extracts to create the glaze.
- When the cake is completely cooled, pour glaze over the top of the cake. Sprinkle the colored sugars, alternating them around the cake.
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