Mardi Gras is always best served with a side of snow, right? Well, Mother Nature seems to think so, at least. Maybe you’re not dancing in the icy streets right now, but that’s no reason not to celebrate. Why not hunker down and fill your belly with goodness anyway?
King cake is a must on Fat Tuesday, despite the outside conditions. The folks at TracyCakes are keeping everyone in a jolly mood with this recipe they were kind enough to share. So put on your beads, grab a mask and let them eat cake.
King Cake Recipe
The Ingredients:
-For the cake
- 1/2 cup warm water (105 – 115 degrees)
- 2 packages dry yeast
- 2 tsp. sugar
- 4 to 5 cups all purpose flour
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 2 tsp. salt
- 1 tsp. ground nutmeg
- 1 tsp. lemon juice
- 1/2 cup warm milk (105 to 115 degrees)
- 1/2 cup melted unsalted butter, cooled
- 5 egg yolks
- 1 King Cake baby (can use a pecan half)
-For the filling
- 1 cup packed brown sugar
- 1 tbsp. ground cinnamon
- 1/2 cup all purpose flour
- 1/2 cup raisins
- 1/2 cup melted butter
-For the frosting
- 1 cup confectioner’s sugar
- 2 tbsp. water
The Process:
Combine the warm water, yeast and 2 tsp. sugar in a small bow. Mix well and set aside to a warm place for about 10 minutes.
Combine 4 cups of flour, 1/2 cup sugar, salt, nutmeg, lemon juice and add warm milk, melted butter, egg yolks and yeast mixture. Beat until smooth.
Turn dough out on a lightly floured surface. Knead in enough remaining flour until the dough is no longer sticky. Continue kneading until the dough is smooth and elastic (about 10 minutes). Place the dough in a well-greased bowl. Turn once so greased surface is on top.
Cover the dough and let rise in a warm place until doubled in bulk (about 1 1/2 hours). Make filling while dough is rising.
To make the filling, combine the brown sugar, ground cinnamon, 1/2 cup flour and 1/2 cup raisins. Pour 1/2 cup melted butter over the cinnamon mixture and mix until crumbly.
Punch the dough down and place on a lightly floured surface. Roll dough into a large rectangle (approximately 10×16 inches or so). Sprinkle the filling evenly over the dough and roll up tightly like a jelly roll, beginning with the wide side. Bring the ends together to form an oval shaped ring.
Place the ring on a prepared cookie sheet. With scissors make cuts 1/3 of the way through the ring at 1 inch intervals. Cover the ring with a towel and let rise in a warm spot until doubled in size (about 45 minutes). Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Bake in a preheated oven for 30 minutes. Push the doll into the bottom of the cake.
Frost while warm with confectioner’s sugar blended with water. Sprinkle colored sanding sugar over glaze while wet to decorate.
Remember, when serving, whoever gets the baby must the provide the king cake the following year.
Still not enough to satisfy your sweet tooth? TracyCakes is open 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Tuesday-Saturday. Stop by the Breckenridge location at 10301 N. Rodney Parham.