Anybody who has been down to Louisiana, or the Gulf Coast, for Mardi Gras, know we all go nuts for King Cake during the Mardi Gras season.
But I would pretty much guess that 85% of the visitors have no clue as to WHY we eat the King Cakes, so let me educate you before I give you a killer recipe for it!
The Feast of Epiphany, also known as King's Day or Twelfth Night, celebrates the three wise men bearing gifts to the Christ Child 12 days after Christmas (January 6th). The baking of the King Cake is believed to have originated in France in the 12th century as an homage to the three kings. When French colonists settled in New Orleans, they brought the tradition with them. they would insert a nut or jewel in their King Cakes, to represent the baby Jesus.
After the Civil War, a group called the "Twelfth Night Revelers" heralded the start of the carnival or Mardi Gras season (Twelfth Night to Ash Wednesday) with a King Cake as the main attraction. In New Orleans, the first cake of the season is served on Jan. 6, and once a week (on Fridays) thereafter until Mardi Gras Day. Whoever finds the plastic figurine of the Christ Child (aka THE BABY) in the cake will hopefully avoid a chipped tooth (which is why recent cakes have the baby put in the bottom, not cooked in the cake), AND will then be expected to host the following week's King Cake party (aka BUY the next cake!). The traditional colors of the King Cake represent justice (purple), faith (green) and power (gold)- echoing the 3 gifts of the Magi.
Traditional FRENCH King Cakes are pretty much like a cinammon roll made into a bread- cake is a misnomer, it's really a bread. However, everybody has to monkey with tradition, so you know have filled cakes with flavors and cream cheese (yeah, not to my liking, did ya guess? HA HA).
This recipe from Rheinlander's Bakery in in Arvada, CO, (GO FIGURE-they make them right) was recently published in American Profile magazine in local papers. It's pretty much the recipe I grew up eating, so here it is again for you to try with your kids!
Filling:
1/2 cup sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/3 cup unsalted butter, softened
Glaze and Sugars:
1 1/3 cups powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon lemon extract
Water
Green, gold and
purple sugar Instructions
If you cannot find the colors at the grocery store, you can color sugar at home.
1 1/2 cups sugar, divided
1 to 2 drops each of green, yellow, red and blue food coloring
Combine 1/2 cup sugar and a drop of green coloring in a jar. Place lid on jar, and shake vigorously to mix the color with sugar. Repeat with yellow coloring. To make purple sugar, use 1 drop red and 1 drop blue with 1/2 cup sugar. You’ll have about half the colored sugars left over.
Note: after Mardi Gras, you can use the same recipe and change the colored sugars to the holiday at hand, aka red/white/blue for 4th of July or Bastille Day!
So now you have been culturally educated and gotten a great recipe in the meantime- ENJOY!
But I would pretty much guess that 85% of the visitors have no clue as to WHY we eat the King Cakes, so let me educate you before I give you a killer recipe for it!
The Feast of Epiphany, also known as King's Day or Twelfth Night, celebrates the three wise men bearing gifts to the Christ Child 12 days after Christmas (January 6th). The baking of the King Cake is believed to have originated in France in the 12th century as an homage to the three kings. When French colonists settled in New Orleans, they brought the tradition with them. they would insert a nut or jewel in their King Cakes, to represent the baby Jesus.
After the Civil War, a group called the "Twelfth Night Revelers" heralded the start of the carnival or Mardi Gras season (Twelfth Night to Ash Wednesday) with a King Cake as the main attraction. In New Orleans, the first cake of the season is served on Jan. 6, and once a week (on Fridays) thereafter until Mardi Gras Day. Whoever finds the plastic figurine of the Christ Child (aka THE BABY) in the cake will hopefully avoid a chipped tooth (which is why recent cakes have the baby put in the bottom, not cooked in the cake), AND will then be expected to host the following week's King Cake party (aka BUY the next cake!). The traditional colors of the King Cake represent justice (purple), faith (green) and power (gold)- echoing the 3 gifts of the Magi.
Traditional FRENCH King Cakes are pretty much like a cinammon roll made into a bread- cake is a misnomer, it's really a bread. However, everybody has to monkey with tradition, so you know have filled cakes with flavors and cream cheese (yeah, not to my liking, did ya guess? HA HA).
This recipe from Rheinlander's Bakery in in Arvada, CO, (GO FIGURE-they make them right) was recently published in American Profile magazine in local papers. It's pretty much the recipe I grew up eating, so here it is again for you to try with your kids!
Rheinlander Bakery's King Cake
Ingredients 1/4 cup whole milk
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/4 sticks cold, unsalted
butter, cut into small pieces
1 (.25-ounce) package active dry yeast
1/4 cup warm water (105F to 115F)
1/8 teaspoon mace
1/8 teaspoon cardamom
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 eggs, beaten
1 plastic trinket
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/4 sticks cold, unsalted
butter, cut into small pieces
1 (.25-ounce) package active dry yeast
1/4 cup warm water (105F to 115F)
1/8 teaspoon mace
1/8 teaspoon cardamom
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 eggs, beaten
1 plastic trinket
Filling:
1/2 cup sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/3 cup unsalted butter, softened
Glaze and Sugars:
1 1/3 cups powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon lemon extract
Water
Green, gold and
purple sugar
1. Heat milk in a small saucepan until it steams; remove from heat. Add sugar, salt and butter, stirring until butter is melted. Let cool to lukewarm. In a large bowl, sprinkle yeast over warm water. Stir to dissolve and let stand until frothy. Add milk mixture to yeast mixture.
2. Combine mace, cardamom and flour.
3. Add eggs and 1 1/2 cups flour mixture to milk mixture; stir with a wooden spoon until smooth. Add remaining flour mixture. Stir until dough is smooth and pulls away from the side of the bowl.
4. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Knead about 4 minutes, until a small piece of dough stretches, without tearing, to form a thin windowpane. If it tears, the gluten has not developed; continue kneading. Place dough in an oiled bowl. Loosely cover with a cloth or plastic wrap and let rise until doubled in size, about 1 hour in a warm room. Punch dough down, cover and refrigerate overnight.
5. To prepare filling, combine sugar and cinnamon.
6. Roll dough into a 6 x 24-inch rectangle. Spread butter over dough and sprinkle with cinnamon mixture. Fold dough over the filling and roll up tightly, forming a long rope and leaving seam side down. Form roll into a circle, placing one end inside the other to hide the seam; pinch to seal. Place on a baking sheet and let rise, loosely covered with a cloth or plastic wrap, until doubled in bulk, about 45 minutes.
7. Preheat oven to 350F.
8. Bake cake 30 to 35 minutes, until golden brown. Cool on wire rack. When cake has cooled, make a slit in the bottom and insert trinket, so it does not show.
9. To prepare glaze, combine powdered sugar and extracts. Drizzle in enough water, while whisking, to make a thin icing. Spoon icing over cake. Decorate cake with alternating bands of purple, green and gold sugars. Serves 12.
How to Make Colored Sugar 2. Combine mace, cardamom and flour.
3. Add eggs and 1 1/2 cups flour mixture to milk mixture; stir with a wooden spoon until smooth. Add remaining flour mixture. Stir until dough is smooth and pulls away from the side of the bowl.
4. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Knead about 4 minutes, until a small piece of dough stretches, without tearing, to form a thin windowpane. If it tears, the gluten has not developed; continue kneading. Place dough in an oiled bowl. Loosely cover with a cloth or plastic wrap and let rise until doubled in size, about 1 hour in a warm room. Punch dough down, cover and refrigerate overnight.
5. To prepare filling, combine sugar and cinnamon.
6. Roll dough into a 6 x 24-inch rectangle. Spread butter over dough and sprinkle with cinnamon mixture. Fold dough over the filling and roll up tightly, forming a long rope and leaving seam side down. Form roll into a circle, placing one end inside the other to hide the seam; pinch to seal. Place on a baking sheet and let rise, loosely covered with a cloth or plastic wrap, until doubled in bulk, about 45 minutes.
7. Preheat oven to 350F.
8. Bake cake 30 to 35 minutes, until golden brown. Cool on wire rack. When cake has cooled, make a slit in the bottom and insert trinket, so it does not show.
9. To prepare glaze, combine powdered sugar and extracts. Drizzle in enough water, while whisking, to make a thin icing. Spoon icing over cake. Decorate cake with alternating bands of purple, green and gold sugars. Serves 12.
If you cannot find the colors at the grocery store, you can color sugar at home.
1 1/2 cups sugar, divided
1 to 2 drops each of green, yellow, red and blue food coloring
Combine 1/2 cup sugar and a drop of green coloring in a jar. Place lid on jar, and shake vigorously to mix the color with sugar. Repeat with yellow coloring. To make purple sugar, use 1 drop red and 1 drop blue with 1/2 cup sugar. You’ll have about half the colored sugars left over.
Note: after Mardi Gras, you can use the same recipe and change the colored sugars to the holiday at hand, aka red/white/blue for 4th of July or Bastille Day!
So now you have been culturally educated and gotten a great recipe in the meantime- ENJOY!
