King Cake #Recipe @PegCochran

 

Laissez les bons temps rouler!

Let the good times roll!

Since Mardi Gras or Fat Tuesday is coming up on February 16, I thought this was the perfect time to try my hand at a King Cake. I had it for the first time when my sister sent me one when she lived in Baton Rouge.  

King Cake is a circular cake historically associated with the Epiphany, which falls on January 6.  There are a number of variations on the cake but they are all shaped in a ring to mimic the appearance of a king’s crown.  The cake also contains a trinket—often a small plastic baby.  Whoever gets the baby in their slice of cake is “king” for the day.  

In New Orleans, king cake is synonymous with Mardi Gras.  The cakes begin appearing in bakeries in early January and up until Ash Wednesday and the start of Lent.  The person who gets the baby in their slice of cake must host the next year’s celebration.  The cakes are usually decorated in Mardi Gras colors—green, gold and purple representing faith, power and justice.

This recipe comes from Betty Crocker and I followed the directions exactly as is although I doubled the quantity of icing as was suggested in the comments.

 Ingredients

 

3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 package (2 1/4 teaspoons) Rapid Rise yeast

1 cup milk

1/4 cup sugar

1 teaspoon salt

2 eggs   

6 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened, cut into 12 pieces 

 

Cinnamon Filling

2/3 cup packed light brown sugar

1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

4 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened 

 

Icing

1 cup powdered sugar

1 tablespoon milk

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Decoration (Optional)

Dark green, purple, and yellow or gold sugars, if desired

Miniature plastic baby, if desired

 

Mix 2 1/2 cups flour and yeast in mixing bowl of stand mixer with the paddle attachment for about 30 seconds.

 

Heat milk, sugar, and salt in a small saucepan until sugar is dissolved and milk registers between 120°F to 130°F.

 

With your mixer on low, add liquids to flour and yeast and mix until incorporated.

 

Add eggs one at a time and continue mixing until a shaggy dough forms. 

 

 

 

Switch to the dough hook. Mix in the remaining 1 cup flour a little at a time, adding more or less flour as needed to make a soft dough.

 

Add the softened butter, a piece at a time, kneading until each piece of butter is absorbed.

 

Knead for eight minutes on low. The dough should completely clear the sides of the bowl. If it is too sticky, add additional flour 1 tablespoon at a time, mixing in thoroughly before determining if more flour is needed. Every 2 minutes, stop the machine, scrape the dough off the hook, and then continue kneading.

 

 

Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead a few times by hand to be sure it’s smooth and elastic. Form it into a ball and place into a greased bowl. Turn once so greased surface is on top. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour. 

 

 

 

Make cinnamon filling. In small bowl, combine the brown sugar and cinnamon. Combine butter with cinnamon mixture and mix well. I started with a fork and then used my fingers.

 

 

 

Roll the chilled dough into a 10 x 20 inch rectangle. 

 

 

Spread the filling on half of the long side of the dough. Fold the dough in half covering the filling. Pat dough down firmly so the dough will stick together. 

 

 

 

Cut dough into three long strips. Press the tops of the strips together and braid the strips. Press the ends together at the bottom. Gently stretch the braid so that it measures 20 inches again. Shape it into a circle/oval and press the edges together. 

 

 

 

Transfer the ring to a parchment lined or greased baking sheet. Cover the dough with plastic wrap and let it rise until doubled, about 1 hour. 

 

 

 

While the dough is rising, preheat the oven to 350°.

 

Bake the cake until it is golden brown, 20 – 35 minutes. Remove from

oven and let cool 10 minutes on baking sheet and then place it on a cooling rack to cool completely.

 

 

 

Icing: In a small bowl, mix powdered sugar, milk and vanilla until smooth (add additional milk if mixture is too thick or powdered sugar if too thin).

 

Spoon icing over top of the cake. Immediately sprinkle on colored sugar, alternating between the three colors.

 

 

 

Murder in the Margins has everything: England * Charming town * Book shop * Writer-in-residence * Royalty * Cute detective * Murder!

 

 

The plot thickens for American gothic writer Penelope Parish when a murder near her quaint British bookshop reveals a novel's worth of killer characters.

Penelope Parish has hit a streak of bad luck, including a severe case of writer's block that is threatening her sophomore book. Hoping a writer in residence position at The Open Book bookstore in Upper Chumley-on-Stoke, England, will shake the cobwebs loose, Pen, as she's affectionately known, packs her typewriter and heads across the pond.

Unfortunately, life in Chumley is far from quiet and when the chairwoman of the local Worthington Fest is found dead, fingers are pointed at Charlotte Davenport, an American romance novelist and the future Duchess of Worthington. Charlotte turns to the one person who might be her ally for help: fellow American Pen. Teaming up with bookstore owner Mabel Morris and her new friend Figgy, Pen sets out to learn the truth and find the tricks that will help her finish her novel.

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