King Cake

Rachel Egan 0 Comments
A New Orleans Pastry
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King Cake

Author: Rachel Egan Cuisine:
Difficulty: Beginner Prep Time 40 mins Cook Time 40 mins Rest Time 2 hrs Total Time 3 hrs 20 mins

Ingredients

The dough

Filling

Icing

Instructions

  1. Making the dough
    1. In a small bowl dissolve the yeast in the water. Stir in 1 teaspoon sugar and let stand 5 to 10 minutes. Or, if using instant yeast, skip to step 2.
    2. In a large bowl, combine the yeast mixture, milk, sugar, butter, egg yolks, salt, and the spices.
    3. Using your hands or a spoon, mix in 1½ cups flour. Gradually add enough of the remaining flour to make a soft workable dough.
    4. On a lightly floured surface or in a mixer with a dough hook, knead the dough until smooth and springy, about 5 minutes.
    5. Place in an oiled bowl and turn to coat. Cover with a kitchen towel or loosely with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm, draft-free place until doubled in bulk, about 2 hours, or in the refrigerator overnight.
  2. The filling
    1. Chop up or using a food processor to blend the nuts.
    2. Add in the butter, cinnamon, brown sugar, salt, and cream cheese and mix or process until a paste forms.
    3. Stir in the flour.
  3. Baking
    1. Heat oven to 350. Using a clean (but not floured) surface, roll the dough into a large rectangle.
    2. Spread the filling evenly across the dough, leaving a 1-inch gap on all sides.
    3. Beginning from a long end, roll the dough up.
    4. Bring the ends together to form an oval.
    5. Place on a parchment paper-lined or greased baking sheet, seam side down. Cover with a towel or plastic wrap spritzed with cooking spray and let rise at room temperature until nearly doubled in bulk, about 1 hour.
    6. Position a rack in the center of the oven. Preheat the oven to 350°F.
    7. Brush the dough with the egg wash.
    8. Bake until golden brown, 25 to 30 minutes.
    9 . Transfer to a wire rack to cool.
    10. Add the token! You can bake these in but I find it just as easy to push into the bottom of the cake after it is baked.
  4. Icing the cake
    1. In a medium bowl, stir the powdered sugar, butter, vanilla, and enough buttermilk milk until smooth. You want it easy to pour.
    2. Pour the icing over the top.
    3. While the icing is still wet, decorate with sprinkles or colored sugar. Typically, the cake will be decorated with colored blocks of purple (justice), green (faith), and gold (power).
Keywords: New Orleans, King Cake, Mardis Gras
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