No Mardi Gras celebration would be complete without a colorful King Cake. The cake is decorated with gold, green and purple sugars, which are the traditional colors of Mardi Gras. Gold represents power, green stands for faith, and purple is justice.
The King Cake is thought to have started in France, where it was named after the three kings of the Bible that visited the baby Jesus. That's why it's shaped into a ring that resembles a crown. All King Cakes have a baby hidden in the cake, probably to represent the baby Jesus. Tradition holds that the person who gets the slice with the baby is the “king” or “queen” for the day, and is also responsible for bringing the next King Cake.
INGREDIENTS:
3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 package (2 1/4 teaspoons) Rapid Rise yeast
1 cup milk
1/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened, cut into 12 pieces
CINNAMON FILLING:
2/3 cup packed light brown sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
ICING:
1cup powdered sugar
1 tablespoon milk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
DECORATION:
Dark green, purple, and yellow or gold sugars
Miniature plastic baby
MAKE THE CAKE:
- Mix 2 1/2 cups of the flour and all the yeast in the mixing bowl of stand mixer. Using the paddle attachment, mix on low for about 30 seconds.
- Heat the milk, sugar, and salt in a small saucepan over medium heat until sugar is dissolved and milk is about 125°F.
- With the mixer on low, pour in the milk mixture mix until incorporated. Add eggs one at a time. Continue mixing until a dough forms. Remove the paddle and switch to a dough hook.
- With the mixer still on low, add in the remaining 1 cup flour a little at a time, adding more or less flour as needed to make a soft dough. Add the softened butter, one piece at a time. Continue kneading until each piece of butter is absorbed.
- After all the butter has been added, continue kneading for eight minutes on low. The dough should completely clear the sides of the bowl. If it is too sticky, add additional flour 1 tablespoon at a time. If the dough seems too dry, spritz with water from a spray bottle a couple of times, mixing in thoroughly before determining if more water is needed. Periodically, stop the mixer to scrape the dough off the hook before continuing.
- Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead a few times by hand to be sure it’s smooth then roll the dough into a ball and place in a greased bowl. Turn it over so greased surface is on top. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour.
- In small bowl, combine the brown sugar and ground cinnamon. Combine butter with cinnamon mixture and mix well.
- Roll the chilled dough into a 10 x 20 inch rectangle. (NOTE: A traditional King Cake is braided, however, it can be made without braiding. Just spread the filling on the dough and roll it like a jelly roll. Then form into an oval.)
- To make a braided cake, spread the filling on half of the long side of the dough. Fold the dough in half to cover the filling and press the dough down firmly so it sticks together.
- Using a pizza cutter, cut dough into three long strips. Press the tops of the strips together and braid them. Then, press the ends together at the bottom. Gently stretch the braid so that it measures 20 inches again. Shape it into a circle/oval and press the edges together.
- Place the ring on a parchment lined or greased baking sheet. Cover the dough with plastic wrap and let it rise for 1 hour or until it has doubled in size.
- Preheat the oven to 350°. Bake the cake until it is golden brown, 20 – 35 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool 10 minutes before transferring it on a cooling rack to cool completely.
- Just before icing, make a small slit in the bottom of the cake and add the miniature plastic baby.
- In a small bowl, mix the powdered sugar, milk and vanilla until smooth (add additional milk if mixture is too thick or powdered sugar if too thin).
- Spoon icing over top of the cake and immediately sprinkle on the colored sugar, alternating between the three colors.
- Enjoy!
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