Originally posted on TKL by Lori D./FL on 9:55:34 pm 2/25/98:
Mardi Gras King Cake
In her book, The Neighborhood Bakeshop, Jill Van Cleave
proves that America's melting pot can also be found in its ovens.
With recipes for Armenian flatbread, Italian Panettone, and
Challah Turbans, this book gives us a warm, nostalgic look at all
types of baked goods, and the lore behind each makes the recipes
even more special. The 125 recipes are as much fun to read as
they are to eat. Below are her comments about the Mardi Gras
custom of "King Cakes," including her recipe.
-KH
Mardi Gras King Cake
King Cake is an integral part of Mardi Gras festivities. The coffee
cake, a carnival tradition, is served at parties late into the evening
during the six weeks between Three Kings Day and Fat Tuesday.
New Orleans residents wouldn't think of making their own King
Cake; that's what bakeries are for. Besides, the bakeshops add
paper crowns, plastic beads, toy coins, and other trinkets to the
cake box, creating a ready-made Mardi Gras hostess gift.
More Lore:
Louisiana bakers begin their own Mardi Gras observation on
January 6, or Three Kings Day. By Fat Tuesday, which ends the
festivities some six weeks later, bakers in New Orleans will have
made more than 250,000 king cakes.
King cake is the traditional celebration cake of carnival. It's really
a coffee cake, made from either brioche dough or puff pastry,
filled with any number of sweet nut pastes, fruit, and pastry cream
or cream cheese, and baked in a ring. The cake's decorative icing
is often tinted in the Mardi Gras colors of purple (for justice),
green (for faith), and gold (for power). Hidden inside, according to
custom, is a plastic toy baby, which symbolizes the Christ child. It
reputedly brings good fortune to the person in whose slice it is
found.
Brioche:
2-1/2 teaspoons (1 envelope) active dry yeast
3/4 cup lukewarm milk (95F to 110F)
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon salt
3 large eggs, plus 1 egg yolk
3-1/2 cups bread flour
Filling:
1-1/3 cups mixed golden raisins and dried cranberries
2 cups almond paste
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter at room temperature
1/2 cup granulated sugar
4 large egg whites, 2 yolks reserved
Zest of 2 medium lemons
1/4 cup orange-flavored liqueur (preferably Cointreau)
2 tablespoons water
2 small plastic toy babies (optional)
Glaze:
2 cups confectioners' sugar
2 tablespoons warm water
4 to 5 teaspoons rum
Food coloring (optional)
1. Prepare the brioche dough 1 day ahead. In a small bowl,
dissolve the yeast in the milk and set aside to proof.
2. In the bowl of a stationary electric mixer fitted with the flat
paddle attachment, cream the butter, sugar, and salt at medium
speed until fluffy and light in color, about 2 minutes. Reduce the
mixer speed to medium-low and beat in 1 of the eggs. Add 1 cup
of the flour and blend until smooth. Beat in the remaining 2 eggs
and additional egg yolk, then add 1/2 cup more flour. Blend
thoroughly.
3. Reduce the speed to low and add the yeast mixture. Slowly add
the remaining 2 cups flour, a little at a time, blending between
additions. Continue to mix for 2 minutes after all of the flour has
been added. Remove the bowl from the stand, cover with plastic
wrap, and set aside to rise at room temperature for 1 hour.
4. Lightly grease a large bowl. Punch down the dough and transfer
it to the bowl. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate
overnight. (The dough will double in volume.)
5. To prepare the filling, place the raisins and cranberries in a small
bowl and cover with hot tap water. Set aside to soak for 30
minutes. Drain and pat the fruit dry with paper toweling.
6. Meanwhile, combine the almond paste, butter, sugar, and egg
whites in a food processor. Process to a smooth paste. Add the
lemon zest and liqueur and process until smoothly blended. Cover
and set aside.
7. Beat the reserved egg yolks with the 2 tablespoons water in a
small dish for a wash; cover and set aside.
8. For the glaze, combine the confectioners' sugar and warm water
in a medium-size bowl. Stir in the rum and blend into a smooth,
fairly thick icing. Mix in a drop or 2 of food coloring, if desired.
Cover and set aside.
9. To assemble, place the chilled brioche dough on a lightly floured
work surface. Knead the dough briefly to deflate and shape it into
a ball. Divide the ball in half. Roll out 1 piece into an 18 x 6-inch
rectangle. Spread half of the filling evenly down the center of the
rectangle lengthwise. Scatter half the drained fruit over the filling.
Push a plastic toy baby into the filling, if desired. Brush the
exposed dough with the egg yolk and water wash.
10. Fold one long side of the rectangle over the filling, then fold the
opposite side two-thirds over the dough to completely enclose the
filling. (The log will be very full.) Press lightly to seal the seams.
Shape the log into a ring, fitting one end inside the other and
pinching the seams to seal tightly. Transfer the ring to a cookie
sheet that has been lightly greased or lined with parchment paper.
Cover loosely with plastic wrap and set aside at room temperature
to rise for 45 minutes.
11. Repeat the rolling, filling, shaping, and rising process for the
second piece of dough. To bake the coffee cakes one at a time,
place the second in the refrigerator until the first goes into the
oven, then allow it to rise for 1 hour before baking.
12. Preheat the oven to 350F. (You will need to heat 2 ovens to
bake both coffee cakes simultaneously.)
13. Brush the rings with the egg yolk and water wash before
baking. Bake for about 30 minutes, until the crust is deep golden
brown. Remove to a wire rack and allow to cool for about 30
minutes. (The cake should be warm, but no longer hot.)
14. Set the rack over a baking sheet. Paint thoroughly with the
glaze, which will melt slightly and adhere to the crust in a thin
coating. Set aside to cool completely.
15. Cut into wedges and serve at room temperature.
Yield: 2 coffee cakes
Sometimes I make just one King Cake (cutting all filling and glaze
ingredients in half) and use the remaining half of the dough for an
airy loaf or dinner rolls.
For a Brioche Loaf form the dough into a loaf and fit it into a
greased 8-1/2 X 4-inch loaf pan. Cover and let rise for 45
minutes. Brush with the eggyolk and water wash and bake in a
350¡F oven about 35 minutes, until well browned and hollow
sounding when tapped on the bottom.
For Brioche Rolls, divide the dough into six equal pieces, shaping
each into a smooth round. Cover and let rise for 30 minutes on a
lightly greased baking sheet. Brush with the egg yolk and water
wash and bake in a 400F oven for about 15 minutes, until deep
golden brown.
From:
The Neighborhood Bakeshop
by Jill Van Cleave
William Morrow & Co., $28.00/hardcover
270 pages; October 1997
Recipe reprinted by permission
