King Cake

By trf0ster

This sweet bread is traditionally made for Mardi Gras. The main part of the celebration was the baking of a King’s Cake to honor the three Kings. The cakes were made circular to portray the circular route used by the kings to get to the Christ Child, which was taken to confuse King Herod who was trying to follow the wise men so he could kill the Christ Child. In these early King Cakes a bean, pea, or coin was hidden inside the cake. The person who got the hidden piece was declared King for the day or was said to have good luck in the coming year.

In Louisiana, Twelfth Night also signifies the beginning of the carnival season which ends with Mardi Gras Day. The bean, pea and the coin have been replaced by a small plastic baby to symbolize the Christ Child.

Ingredients

• CAKE:
• 1 stick butter, plus 1 tablespoon
• 2/3 cup 99% fat free skim evaporated milk
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 2 packages dry yeast
• 1 cup warm water
• 4 eggs
• 1 tablespoon lemon rind, grated
• 2 tablespoons orange rind, grated
• 5 cups flour
• 1 cup flour, set aside
• FILLING:
• 1/2 cup dark brown sugar, packed
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1 tablespoon cinnamon
• 1 stick butter, melted
• TOPPING:
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1 cup sugar, colored (1/3 cup each of yellow, purple and green)
• 2 plastic babies (3/4 inch) or 2 lucky beans (dried fava)

Details

Servings 2

Preparation

Step 1

In a saucepan, melt 1 stick butter, milk, 1/3 cup sugar, and salt. Cool to lukewarm.

In a large mixing bowl, combine 2 tablespoons sugar, yeast, and water. Let stand until foaming, about 5 to 10 minutes. Beat eggs into yeast; then milk mixture and rinds. Stir in flour, 1/2 cup at a time, reserving that last 1 cup to flour kneading surface.

Knead dough until smooth, about 5 to 10 minutes. Place in large mixing bowl greased with 1 tablespoon butter; turning dough once to grease top; cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 1 1/2 to 2 hours.

For filling, mix sugars and cinnamon. Set aside.

For topping, tint sugar by mixing food coloring until desired color is reached (for purple use equal amounts of blue and red food coloring). A food processor aids in mixing and keeps the sugar from being too moist.

When dough has doubled, punch down and divide in half. On a floured surface, roll half into a rectangle 30 X 15-inches. Brush with half of melted butter and cut into 3 lengthwise strips. Sprinkle half of sugar mixture on strips, leaving a 1-inch lengthwise strip free for sealing. Fold each strip lengthwise toward the center, sealing the seam. You will now have 3, 30-inch strips with sugar mixture enclosed in each. Braid the 3 strips and make a circle by joining the ends. Repeat with other half of dough.

Place each cake on a 10 X 15-inch baking sheet, cover with a damp cloth and let rise until doubled, about 1 hour.

Brush each with egg and sprinkle the top with colored sugars, alternating colors.

Preheat oven to 350°F. Bake for 20 minutes.

Remove from pan immediately so sugar will not harden. While still warm, place 1 plastic baby in each from underneath.

To freeze: Wrap cooled cake tightly in plastic. Before serving, remove plastic and thaw.