What I ate:
KING CAKE
Why it was awesome:
Sugar, cinnamon, butter, cream cheese icing. I’m a traditionalist, and this is how I like my King Cake.
While living in New Orleans for 1 Mardi Gras season, I thought I ate enough King Cake to last a lifetime. Turns out, I can’t get enough of this sweet delight.
After living together in Louisiana, and both universally missing King Cake, my good friend Erin and I worked on this recipe. I have to admit, it is not for the faint of heart. Just like any good yeasted dessert, it takes time, patience, and lots of love.
A stand mixer for kneading the dough is a must–this dough is fairly slack and I curse the dickens out of it every year. I inevitably get cracks as it bakes, and a little sugary leakage (line those pans with parchment paper!!). I always swear I’m never making it again. But then I pull it out of the oven and take my first slice and…it is everything I want it to be.
One word of advice–Erin and I wrote this recipe to make 2 cakes (one to freeze or give away!), but I find that it works best as 4 smaller cakes. The dough is much easier to maneuver, and then you have more to share (or….ahem….just freeze it for later, okay? You went through all of that work and later you will love you for it!).
The recipe:
The dough
1.5 tablespoons yeast
½ cup warm water
1 tablespoon sugar
16oz sour cream
⅓ cup sugar
4 tablespoons butter
1tsp salt
2 eggs
6.5 cups flour
The filling
2 sticks of butter, soft
1 ⅓ cup brown sugar
⅓ cup flour
⅓ cup sugar
2 tablespoons cinnamon
The icing
8 ounces cream cheese, soft
1 stick butter, soft
~2 cups powdered sugar
1-2 tablespoons half and half or heavy cream
Almond extract
Vanilla extract
Purple, green and yellow food coloring
In a small bowl or measuring cup, mix the yeast, warm water, and tablespoon of sugar. Let it sit for 5 minutes.
While the yeast is activating: Either in a small saucepan OR in the microwave (in 30-second bursts) heat the sour cream, additional 3 ounces of sugar, butter and salt, until the butter is melted and the entire mixture is warm (~100F).
In a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, combine the sour cream mixture, the yeast mixture, the eggs, and 2 cups of the flour. Mix on medium until smooth. Reduce the speed and slowly add the rest of the flour. When the flour is just combined, switch to the bread hook and knead for 5-8 minutes. The dough will be very wet–you are looking for the dough to pull away from the sides of the bowl into a very soft but definitive ball. It should pass the “window pane” test when held up to the light and stretched.
Grease a large bowl or lidded container. When the dough is kneaded sufficiently, put it in the container with a lid, and leave it in a warm place at least 1 hour and up to 2 hours until doubled in size. I like to use my oven with the light on.
While the dough is rising, use the stand mixer with the paddle attachment to beat the filling ingredients until very light and fluffy, and a paler shade of brown (at least 5 minutes).
Prepare 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
When the dough is double in size, knock the air out. Divide into 4 equal pieces.
Work one piece at a time on a floured surface, pat and stretch each piece into a ~10” square. Carefully dollop on ¼ of the filling. The dough tends to be pretty slack and might tear if you try to spread it like jelly on bread. I prefer to put teaspoon dollops all over and smush them together. Roll the whole thing up jelly-roll style. Connect the ends to make a 8” ring. Place 2 rings per baking sheet. Cover with a greased piece of plastic wrap as the oven preheats (~20 minutes)
Preheat the oven to 350F.
Bake the king cakes for 18-20 minutes, until brown and a knife comes out clean.
While the king cakes are baking, prepare the icing. In a stand mixer with the whisk attachment, beat the cream cheese and butter until very light. Add almond and vanilla extracts (start with .5 teaspoon, and add more to taste). Start with 1.5 cups of powdered sugar, beat until smooth. If it is looking too pasty, add 1 tablespoon of half and half or heavy cream until the desired texture is reached. If it is too thin, add more powdered sugar. Divide the icing into 3 bowls, and add purple, green and yellow food coloring.
When the king cakes are cool, decorate with the icing.