Cajun and Creole Recipes
Traditional King Cake
Ingredients
Cake
- 1/2 cup warm water (110 to 115 degrees F)
- 2 packages active dry yeast
- 1/2 cup + 1 teaspoon granulated sugar
- 3 1/2 to 4 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, unsifted
- 1 teaspoon nutmeg
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest (lemon rind, grated)
- 1/2 cup warm milk
- 5 egg yolks
- 1 stick butter, cut into slices and softened, + 2 tablespoons more softened butter
- 1 egg, slightly beaten with 1 tablespoon milk
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 (1 inch) plastic baby doll
Colored sugars
- Green, purple, and yellow paste
- 12 tablespoons granulated sugar
Icing
- 3 cups confectioners' sugar
- 1/4 cup lemon juice
- 3 to 6 tablespoons water
Instructions
Cake
- 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.
- Heat oven to 375 degrees F.
- 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
- 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
- Combine confectioners' 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.