1. Home
  2. Food & Drink
  3. Southern Food

King's Cake

User Rating5.0 out of 5 (2 Reviews)  Write a Review

By , About.com Guide

Here's a traditional New Orleans style King's cake recipe, with a small doll or coin baked into the dough.

Ingredients:

  • Brioche:
  • 1/2 cup warm water, about 105 to 115 degrees
  • 2 envelopes active dry yeast
  • 4 1/2 to 5 1/2 cups sifted flour
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
  • 2 teaspoons salt
  • 1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
  • 1/2 cup lukewarm milk
  • 3 eggs
  • 4 egg yolks
  • 1/2 cup butter, softened
  • 2 tablespoons butter
  • 1 egg, lightly beaten
  • with 1 tablespoon milk
  • a tiny doll or coin
  • .
  • Icing:
  • 3 cups confectioner's sugar
  • 1/4 cup lemon juice, strained
  • 3 to 5 tablespoons water
  • 2 candied cherries, halved
  • .
  • Sugar Topping
  • Paste food coloring: purple, green, and yellow
  • 3/4 cup sugar

Preparation:

Brioche:
Combine yeast and the warm water. Combine flour, sugar, nutmeg and salt in a large mixing bowl. Stir in lemon peel. Make a well in center and add yeast and water mixture, along with milk. Lightly beat the 3 eggs and 4 egg yolks; add to liquid mixture. With a large wooden spoon, gradually incorporate dry ingredients into liquids in the center well. Beat in 1/2 cup of the butter and continute beating until dough forms ball. Use a food processor or dough hook for beating, if desired. Place ball on floured board and knead until smooth and elastic, incorporating more flour as necessary, a little at a time. Butter the inside of a large bowl with 1 tablespoon of the butter. Place dough in bowl and turn so the entire surface will be buttered Cover bowl and set aside for 1 to 1 1/2 hours, or until doubled in bulk. Brush a large baking sheet with remaining butter. Punch dough down on lightly floured surface. Knead, then pat and shape dough into a cylinder about 14 inches long. Place on baking sheet and form into a ring. Press bean or doll well into dough so that it doesn't show. Set aside again to rise for about 45 to 60 minutes. When ready to bake, brush the top and sides of the ring with the egg-milk mixture. Bake the King's Cake in middle of oven at 375° for 25 to 30 minutes, or until golden brown. Slide cake onto wire rack to cool.

Icing:
Combine the confectioners' sugar, lemon juice and 3 tablespoons of water in a deep bowl; stir until the icing smooth. If too stiff to spread, beat in 1 teaspoon water at a time, until desired consistency is reached. It should be thin enough to run slowly down the sides of the cake. Spread the icing over the top of the cake, letting it to run down the sides. Prepare the colored sugars:
Squeeze a dab of green paste into the palm of one hand. Sprinkle 2 tablespoons of sugar over the paste and rub hands together to color the sugars evenly. Put colored sugar in a cup and repeat process with green, then twice with purple and yellow, putting each color in a separate cup.

Sprinkle the colored sugars over the icing immediately, forming a row of purple, yellow, and green strips, each about 2 inches wide, on both sides of the ring. Arrange cherry halves evenly on top of the cake, pressing them gently into the icing.

Related Recipes
Herb and Bacon Rolls
Easy Buttermilk Rolls
Parker House Rolls
Easy Cinnamon Rolls
Hot Cross Muffins
Pull-Apart Breakfast Rolls
Orange Marmalade Buns
Cream Filled Doughnuts
Chocolate Doughnuts
Mashed Potato Doughnuts
French Market Doughnuts
Bread Machine Cinnamon Buns
Raspberry Oatmeal Rolls
Glazed Donuts, Bread Machine

Yeast Breads and Rolls
Cinnamon Rolls, Sweet Rolls
Bread Machine Recipes
Quick Bread Recipes

Slow Cooker Recipes | Casseroles | Main Recipe Index
Weekly Crockpot Recipe Newsletter

5 out of 5 5 out of 5
Perfect!February 28, 2008By gmsaulsbury09
"I made this king cake according to the recipe...I may have cut the rising times a little short, but I was in a hurry. The only thing I did differently was that instead of rolling it all into one cylinder and forming a ring, I separated it into three sections about 14"" long and braided them, then made that into a ring. This made it look just the way a king cake ought to (my family is Cajun and celebrates a very traditional Mardi Gras). I highly recommend this recipe on its own or as a great building block for more elaborate king cakes. Next year I plan to try a cream cheese or cinnamon pecan filling."

Explore Southern Food

About.com Special Features

Holiday Central

What to eat, where to go, fun things to do and how to save money on the perfect gifts. More >

Conquering High Cholesterol

Learn how you can reduce your your numbers with these nutrition and exercise tips. More >

  1. Home
  2. Food & Drink
  3. Southern Food
  4. Southern Regional Food
  5. Cajun Cuisine
  6. King's Cake - Louisiana King Cake>

©2009 About.com, a part of The New York Times Company.

All rights reserved.