MARDI GRAS KING CAKE RECIPE
History of King Cakes
Mardi Gras Day has a moveable date and may occur on any Tuesday from February 3rd to March 9th. It is always the day before Ash Wednesday, and always falls 46 days before Easter.
The King Cake tradition is thought to have been brought to New Orleans from France in 1870. A King Cake is an oval-shaped bakery delicacy, crossed between a coffee cake and a French pastry that is as rich in history as it is in flavor. 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. Epiphany comes from a Greek word that means “to show.” Jesus first showed himself to the three wisemen and to the world on this day. As a symbol of this Holy Day, a tiny plastic baby is placed inside each King Cake. In the past such things as coins, beans, pecans, or peas were also hidden in each King Cake.
Today, a tiny plastic baby is the common prize. At a party, the King Cake is sliced and served. Each person looks to see if their piece contains the “baby.” If so, then that person is named “King” for a day and bound by custom to host the next party and provide the King Cake.
Buttermilk Beignets
I found this recipe in Bon Appetite many years ago and it is truly spectacular. They are ridiculously easy to make and they are so light that they seem to evaporate when you take your first bite. Trust me, you will be amazed.
Equipment
- Deep fat frier (optional)
- Stand mixer with dough hook
Ingredients
- ¾ cup whole milk
- 1½ cup buttermilk
- 4 tsp active dry yeast
- 2½ tbsp granulated sugar
- 3½ cups bread flour plus extra for flouring work surface
- ½ tsp baking soda
- ¼ tsp kosher salt
- Oil for frying peanut or canola
- confectioners sugar for serving as much as you think you will need and then double that
Instructions
- Heat the milk in a small saucepan over medium-high heat until small bubbles form at the surface. Remove from the heat, add the buttermilk, and then pour into a stand mixer bowl. Whisk in the yeast and the sugar and set aside for 5 minutes. Add the flour, baking soda, and salt, and mix on low speed, using a dough hook, until the dry ingredients are moistened, 3-4 minutes. Increase the mixer speed to medium and continue mixing until the dough forms a loose ball and is still quite wet and tacky, 1-2 minutes longer. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and set the dough aside in a draft-free spot for 1 hour.
- Pour enough oil into a large pot to fill it to a depth of 3 inches and bring to a temperature of 375°F over medium heat (this will take about 20 minutes). Line a plate with paper towels and set aside.
- Lightly flour your work surface and turn the dough out on it. Sprinkle the top of the dough with flour, gently press to flatten, fold it in half, and gently tuck the ends under to create a rough-shaped round. Dust again and roll the dough out into a ½-inch-to ⅓-inch-thick circle. Let the dough rest for 1 minute before using a chef's knife, a bench knife, or a pizza wheel to cut the dough into 1½-inch squares (you should get about 48).
- Gently stretch a beignet lengthwise and carefully drop it into the oil. Add a few beignets (don't overcrowd them, otherwise the oil will cool down and the beignets will soak up oil and be greasy) and fry until puffed and golden brown, turning them often with a slotted spoon, for 2 to 3 minutes. Transfer to the prepared plate to drain while you cook the rest. Serve while still war , buried under a mound of confectioners' sugar, with hot coffee on the side.
Notes
MAKE AHEAD: The beignet dough can be made up to 8 hours in advance of frying. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and spray it with nonstick cooking spray. After cutting the dough, place the beignets on the paper and place another greased sheet of parchment paper, sprayed-side down, on top. Wrap the entire baking sheet with plastic wrap and refrigerate. The beignets can be fried straight fro the refrigerator.
Royally Wonderful King Cake
This is a cross between a coffee cake and a French pastry and is as rich in history as it is in flavor. it is decorated in royal colors of PURPLE, GREEN AND GOLD to resemble a jeweled crown honoring the Wise Men who visited the Christ Child on Epiphany.
Ingredients
For the dough
- 1½ tsp dry yeast
- ⅛ cup warm water
- ¼ cup whole milk
- ½ cup unsalted butter
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- 1 large whole egg
- 1 large egg yolk
- 2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
For the filling
- 1 16-oz can cherry pie filling
- 1 8-oz package cream cheese softened
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- 2 tbsp all-purpose flour
- 2 egg yolks
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 1 King cake baby or a dried fava bean
- purple, green and gold sanding sugars
- Confectioner's sugar
Instructions
For the dough
- Mix yeast with warm water. Stir 1 teaspoon of the sugar and 1 teaspoon of the flour into the yeast and set aside. By the time you have measured the other ingredients into a bowl, the yeast should be beginning to form bubbles and foaming.
- Bring the milk to a boil and stir in the butter and sugar. Allow to cool and pour into a large bowl; the mixture should be lukewarm.
- Beat in the egg yolk, whole egg and yeast mixture.Beat in approximately 2 cups of flour, until the dough is fairly smooth. Gradually add enough additional flour to make a soft dough that you can form into a ball. Knead until the dough is smooth and elastic.
- Lightly oil a bowl, drop dough into bowl and then turn over so the top is oiled.Cover with a cloth and leave to rise in a warm spot until doubled in size, about 2 hours.Pat the dough down and cover the bowl with a damp towel, plastic film over that and refrigerate until the next day.
For the filling
- Remove dough from refrigerator and with well-floured hands, while it's firm and cold, shape it into a long sausage shape. Using a floured roller on a floured surface, roll out the dough into a 30-inch by 9-inch rectangle as thin as pie crust. Let dough rest.
- If necessary, drain extra juice from pie filling. Mix the cream cheese with the sugar, flour, egg yolks and vanilla extract. Spoon approximately an inch-wide strip of cream cheese filling the length of the dough, about 3-inches from one of the outside edges.Spoon an inch-wide strip of fruit filling the length of the dough, about 3-inches from the other edge. Brush both sides of dough with egg wash. Insert the fava bean. (If using a plastic baby instead of a bean, insert it into the bottom of the cake after it has baked.)
- Fold one edge of dough over the cream cheese and fruit filling, then fold the other edge over. Gently place one end of the filled roll onto a greased cookie sheet. Ease the rest of the roll onto the pan. joining the ends to a from a circle or oval.Cover and let rest for 30 minutes. Brush again with egg wash and cut deep vents into the cake. Sprinkle with the colored sugars, if desired.
- Bake in 375°F preheated oven for 45 minutes to 1 hour, or until cake is ell risen and golden.Cool before icing with confectioner's sugar mixed with enough water to make a paste then enough to drizzle over top.
