King Cake – A Primer (Includes Recipe for King Cake)
If you wait till Fat Tuesday to celebrate Mardi Gras, you’ll miss out on weeks worth of parties. Mardi Gras actually kicks off on Jan. 6, a day known as Twelfth Night, or King’s Day, in honor of the arrival of the biblical three kings to the Nativity manger, twelve days after Jesus’ birth. Twelfth Night has been celebrated for centuries and at some point, a cake was included as part of the tradition, and was referred to as King Cake, in honor of the three kings.
The tradition of King Cakes came to the Gulf coast region in the eighteenth century. The cakes are served in conjunction with Mardi Gras parties and events. King Cakes are a ring of cinnamon spiced dough, often filled with cream cheese or fruits, and topped with sugar or icing in the three colors of Mardi Gras, green (symbolizing faith), purple (justice) and gold (power).
Inside each King Cake is a small plastic baby, a representation of the eight pound, six ounce, little baby Jesus. Tradition requires that the person who gets the plastic baby in his or her piece of cake has to bring the King Cake to the next party. A variation on this requires the recipient to throw the next party. Some Mardi Gras krewes, or societies, have selected their king and queen by who gets the baby.
King Cake parties abound during the Mardi Gras season, and as a consequence, a nice cottage industry has sprouted around King Cakes, and bakeries take orders in advance. Some preferred bakeries get so many requests they stop taking orders. If you find yourself unable to order your King Cake in time, or if you just like to bake, we’ve included a recipe. You’ll have to find your own baby Jesus. Happy Mardi Gras!
Traditional King Cake Recipe
1/2 cup warm water (110 to 115 degrees Fahrenheit)
2 packages active dry yeast
1/2 cup plus 1 teaspoon sugar
3 1/2 to 4 1/2 cups flour unsifted
1 teaspoon nutmeg
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon lemon zest (this is lemon rind, grated)
1/2 cup warm milk
5 egg yolks
1 stick butter cut into slices and softened, plus 2 tablespoons more softened butter
1 egg slightly beaten with 1 tablespoon milk
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 1-inch plastic baby doll
Pour the warm water into a small shallow bowl, and sprinkle yeast and 2 teaspoons sugar into it. Allow the yeast and sugar to rest for three minutes then mix thoroughly. Set bowl in a warm place for 10 minutes, or until yeast bubbles up and mixture almost doubles in volume. Combine 3 1/2 cups of flour, remaining sugar, nutmeg and salt, and sift into a large mixing bowl. Stir in lemon zest. Separate center of mixture to form a hole and pour in yeast mixture and milk. Add egg yolks and, using a wooden spoon, slowly combine dry ingredients into the yeast/milk mixture. When mixture is smooth, beat in 8 tablespoons butter (1 tablespoon at a time) and continue to beat 2 minutes, or until dough can be formed into a medium-soft ball.
Place ball of dough on a lightly floured surface and knead like bread. While kneading, sprinkle up to 1 cup more of flour (1 tablespoon at a time) over the dough. When dough is no longer sticky, knead 10 minutes more until shiny and elastic.
Using a pastry brush, coat the inside of a large bowl evenly with one tablespoon softened butter. Place dough ball in the bowl and rotate until the entire surface is buttered. Cover bowl with a moderately thick kitchen towel and place in a draft-free spot for about 1 1/2 hours, or until the dough doubles in volume. Using a pastry brush, coat a large baking sheet with one tablespoon of butter and set aside.
Remove dough from bowl and place on lightly floured surface. Using your fist, punch dough down forcefully. Sprinkle cinnamon over the top, pat and shake dough into a cylinder. Twist dough to form a curled cylinder and loop cylinder onto the buttered baking sheet. Pinch the ends together to complete the circle. Cover dough with towel and set it in draft-free spot for 45 minutes, or until the circle of dough doubles in volume. Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.
Brush top and sides of cake with egg wash and bake on middle rack of oven for 25 to 35 minutes until golden brown. Place cake on wire rack to cool. If desired, you can hide the plastic baby in the cake at this time.
Colored sugars
Green, purple, and yellow paste
12 tablespoons sugar
Squeeze a dot of green 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 2 colors. Place aside.
Icing
3 cups confectioners sugar
1/4 cup lemon juice
3 to 6 tablespoons water
Combine sugar, lemon juice and 3 tablespoons water until smooth. If icing is too stiff, add more water until spreadable. Spread icing over top of cake. Immediately sprinkle the colored sugars in individual rows consisting of about 2 rows of green, purple and yellow.
Cake is served in 2 to 3 pieces.