Mardi Gras King Cake
In New Orleans, there's a cake, with a plastic baby and a party waiting to happen. Only at Mardi Gras would they shove a plastic baby inside a baked bread-like cake and make it acceptable. With Fat Tuesday a little more than a week away, I wanted to repost this recipe so you can get all the things you need in advance.
The history of the King Cake, during Carnival Season (starts on the Epiphany- January 6th and ends on Fat Tuesday) is that it's lucky to find the baby hidden inside. Some traditions say if you find the baby in your slice of cake, next year you have to make the Mardi Gras King Cake.
The definition of "epiphany" means to show, as Jesus showed himself to the Three Wise Men. The baby in the cake is suppose to be a symbol of a king, Jesus. I find this very interesting since New Orleans is rich in religious history of voodoo and only a percentage of New Orleans are Christian.
The King Cake tradition is thought to have been brought to New Orleans from France in 1870. It is an oval-shaped, stuffed dense cake that resembles sweet bread. It's a mix of a French Pastry and an American Coffee Cake. " It's decorated in royal colors of PURPLE which signifies "Justice," GREEN for "Faith," and GOLD for "Power." These colors were chosen to resemble a jeweled crown honoring the Wise Men who visited the Christ Child on Epiphany." (source: Randazzo King Cake)
Fat Tuesday is always the day before Ash Wednesday and always falls 46 days before Easter. It's the last day that it is acceptable to party, eat and drink in abundance before the Lenten Fasting begins.
If you're looking for a fast recipe, this is not for you. It's easy but takes time to let the dough rise, punch it down and divide it, then a second rise before baking. It's stuffed and "proofed" (allowing the dough to rise for the final time) once stuffed and ready for the oven.
Let's get baking, you'll need: Preheat: 375 degrees - 2 cookie sheets lined with parchment
1 cup scald milk - cooled
1/4 cup butter
2 packages Active Dry-Fast Acting Yeast
2/3 cup warm water
1/2 cup White Sugar
2 eggs
1 1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp nutmeg
5 1/2 cups flour
Scald the milk and allow it to cool a little before adding the butter. You'll need to activate the dry yeast. Put the two packages into the warm water and add 1 tbsp of sugar from the 1/2 cup. Yeast need to feed on the sugar in order to bubble and become active. You'll be able to tell when the yeast is ready, after about 10 mins, because it will become alive and bubble.
This is the leveling agent in your bread that will help it rise and be light and airy. When the yeast is ready, whisk in the eggs and stir in the remaining white sugar. I like to combine everything in my Kitchen Aid with the dough hook, but you can do this by hand. It's a great arm workout and will take you about 20 mins of kneading to get the dough ready for the first rise.
While the mixture is going, add the salt, nutmeg, and one cup of flour at a time until you get a wet dough ball that pulls away from the side of the bowl. You'll need to turn this onto a floured board (I throw flour on my clean countertop and knead it there, no need to get fancy) and knead for about 10 mins or until the dough doesn't stick to your hands anymore. You may need to add a little (about 2 tbsp at a time) of flour to work the dough.
When ready, you have to allow the dough time for its first rise (about 1 hour or 2) or until it doubles in size. You can cover it with a warm dishcloth, but you'll have to watch and keep heating the cloth to maintain the heat.
I like to cover the dough with plastic wrap and leave it on top of the stove. The top of the refrigerator is also a great place to proof (allow it to rise) dough or maybe your oven is like mine and has a proofing drawer.
Yes for a home baker, I do have fancy toys but I didn't use them to make this dough because not everyone has a proofing drawer.
After an hour, the dough will double in size and you'll notice air bubbles in the dough. We know our yeast is doing its job and making this dough rise beautifully.
It's time to punch down the dough, divide it in two and allow it to rise for a second time. Put each section in its own bowl and cover it with plastic wrap. Allow this to rise for about an additional hour. No worries, after this second rise, we're going to roll out the dough and fill it. It will have a third rise once filled and this is the final "proof". (look at all these fancy baking terms we're learning today!)
While the divided dough is on its second proof, let's make the filling. You'll need:
1 cup packed brown sugar
1 tbsp cinnamon
2/3 cup chopped nuts (traditional pecans are used but I like walnuts better)
1/2 cup flour
1/2 cup raisins (or dried fruit)
1/2 cup melted butter.
Frosting:
1 cup confectioner's sugar
1 tbsp. heavy cream
To make our filling, combine the brown sugar, cinnamon, chopped nuts, flour, raisins (or dried fruit) and pour the melted butter over in a bowl. Stir until you get what looks like a crumble.
Time to roll out the dough into a rectangle, about 10 x 8 (around there, doesn't have to be perfect) and sprinkle the filling on top. You're going to start from the side close to you and make a loose "jelly roll" with the dough. It just means you're rolling it like a log until the ends come together. Shape it into a circle and use a little water to brings the ends together. I like to tuck them into themselves to guarantee they won't open.
With kitchen scissors, make slits (not all the way down) in the rolled ring about 1/4" apart. No the World won't end if you make them uneven, no one will even notice, they'll be so excited to dig into their cake to see if they have the baby.
Bake the cake at 375 degrees for about 30 mins or until the cake springs back when you touch it.
While still warm, gently lift the cake up and stuffed the baby in the bottom of the cake. I keep saying "baby". I purchased a bunch from Amazon.com (50 for about $9.00) and will have them for future King Cakes or for cake decorating.
Traditionally it's a plastic baby but you can also do this with a coin, a large bean or a bead. No matter what you decide to stuff inside, make sure your cake is still warm (pliable) and stuff from the bottom of the cake.
Drizzle the icing on the cooled cake and sprinkle the colored sugars on top. I put sugar in a zip-top bag with food coloring and smash it around until I get the color I want. You can purchase colored sugars but I'm cheap and like to make my own.
When you're ready to cut into your Mardi Gras King Cake, just for showmanship, rotate your cake in a circle mumbling some voodoo-like words. Abracadabra may not work here but this is just for fun. It will also confuse those who think that they know where the baby is.
A cup of Cafe du Monde Coffee and Chicory will go wonderful with this cake. If you don't have this New Orleans brand of coffee, a strong cup of coffee will do just fine. Maybe a little "delightful" (a shot of liquor) will add that special something to your coffee.
Make your own Mardi Gras tradition and have fun!
laisser les bons moments rouler!