A King Cake for Mardi Gras

The "King Cake," or "Gateau de Roi" is a traditional New Orleans, Louisiana dessert served anytime during Mardi Gras or Carnival which begins Kings' Day or Twelfth night on January 6. Kings Day celebrates the arrival of the three kings to Jesus' birthplace, and the ensuing carnival season ends on Fat Tuesday, the day before Ash Wednesday, and the beginning of the forty days of Lent before Easter.

The King Cake is really more of sweet bread or brioche, decorated in the colors of the Mardi Gras Carnival which are purple, green, and gold — apparently established by an early Mardi Gras king to represent justice, faith, and power.

King Cakes range from simple cinnamon roll coffee cakes to giant concoctions filled with just about anything you can imagine including pecans, fruit, various flavors of cream cheese, and chocolate.

The secret ingredient in every King Cake is a tiny plastic or porcelain baby, which represents the baby Jesus. 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.

Every year my husband's office is gifted by a business client from Louisiana with a 

King Cake and he'd often bring a piece of it home for me to enjoy. This year I wanted to make my own.

There are many different recipes for King Cake, but this one was a wonderful basic cinnamon-flavored one from the New Orleans Times's Picayune:

King Cake

Makes 1 large ring -- recipe adapted from The New Orleans Times-Picayune newspaper.

DOUGH:

Butter (for the bowl) 1/4 cup lukewarm water 1 envelope active dry yeast 1/4 cup lukewarm milk 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature 2 tablespoons granulated sugar 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg 1/2 teaspoon salt 3 to 3 1/2 cups flour 2 eggs Extra flour (for sprinkling)

1. Butter in a large bowl.

2. In another large warm bowl, pour the water and sprinkle the yeast on top. Stir until it dissolves. Stir in the milk, butter, granulated sugar, nutmeg, and salt. (The butter will not blend in completely.)

3. Add 1 cup of the flour and blend well. Stir in the eggs and enough of the remaining 2 1/2 cups flour to make a soft dough.

4. Lightly flour a work surface. Turn the dough out and knead it for 5 minutes or until it is smooth and elastic, adding more flour if the dough sticks.

5. Transfer to the buttered bowl and turn the dough so it is buttered all over. Cover with a clean kitchen towel and let rise in a warm, draft-free place for 1 hour or until doubled in bulk.

FILLING:

4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted 2/3 cup packed light brown sugar 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon 1 small plastic baby figurine or you can substitute with a red bean

1. Have on hand a large-rimmed baking sheet. Butter the sheet. Punch down the dough. Lightly flour the work surface and with a rolling pin, roll the dough to a 30-by-9-inch rectangle. Brush with melted butter.

2. In a small bowl, combine the brown sugar and cinnamon. Sprinkle the brown sugar mixture over the dough to within 1/2 inch of the edge. Beginning at the long end, roll it up tightly, as for a jelly roll. Pinch the long seam to seal the roll. Form the roll into a ring and join the ends, pinching them together; keep the cut sides up. Transfer the ring to the baking sheet.

3. If using a red bean or pecan half, push it into the underside of the dough to hide it. (A baby charm will go in after baking.) Cover and let rise in a warm, draft-free place for 20 to 40 minutes or until doubled in bulk.

FROSTING:

1 cup confectioner's sugar, sifted 1/4 teaspoon almond extract 1-2 tablespoons milk Purple, green, and yellow paste food coloring or sprinkles

1. Set the oven to 350 degrees.

2. Bake the ring for 30 minutes, or until firm and lightly browned. Remove the cake from the baking sheet and transfer it to a wire rack to cool. (If using a plastic baby figurine, push it into the underside of the cake.)

3. In a small bowl, combine the sugar, almond extract, and 1 tablespoon of the milk. Stir until smooth, adding more of the remaining 1 tablespoon milk to make a smooth, pourable frosting.

4. Divide the frosting among 3 small bowls. Tint 1 mixture of purple, 1 green, and 1 yellow stirring each well. Drizzle each color over the top of the cake in 3 separate places.

If using sprinkles leave the frosting white and drizzle it over the cake and then sprinkle bands of green, purple, and yellow sprinkles on top.

The cake was delicious and perfect accompanied by a cup of New Orleans Cafe Du M0nde coffee & chicory.

Happy "Fat Tuesday"! Laissez les bons temps rouler ...... Let the good times roll!