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Preparing
a King Cake for Mardi Gras
King
cake began in Medieval France as Twelfth-Night
cake: a stack of galettes with citrus glaze in
between and a dried bean hidden in one. The
galettes gave way to a richer sweet-bread
formed into a long baguette whose ends where
brought together to form a crown. This type
began to appear in
America
around 1723, when Nouvelle Orle’ans became
the capital of Louisianne territory.
In
1867, the first Mardi Gras krewe was formed:
Comus. American chefs increased the sugar in
the Twelfth-Night cakes to better to suit the
delicate tastes of the upper class krewe
members - who were the only ones who could
afford pastries – and the Mardi Gras
parties.
The
King cake tradition fully established itself
1871 when the first Mardi Gras “queen” was
chosen by the Twelfth Night Revelers (the
second-ever krewe), by allowing a worthy, fair
maiden to draw a golden bean from a
Twelfth-Night cake (thereafter called King
cake).
Fillings
like cream cheese, fruit, and nuts came much
later. Traditional New Orleans King cake has
no filling, only sugary glaze. The colors of
Mardi Gras, chosen by King Rex in 1871: purple
for justice; green for faith; and gold for
power; have since also been the official
colors of King cake decor.
Pastry
King Cake
There
are actually two types of King Cake. One, a
flaky pastry rolled over filling or cinnamon
sugar; the other, a yeast-based pastry that
can also be filled or rolled. Below is a quick
and easy recipe for the flaky pastry kind. The
Crescent rolls take the place of puff pastry,
which takes hours to develop.
12-pack
of crescent rolls
¼ cup
melted butter
¼ cup granulated white sugar
Cream Cheese Filling
Cake Glaze
Decorating sugars
Open
the rolls and arrange them on a baking sheet
in a circle so that the wide ends overlap,
creating a continuous 2” band, with pointed
ends extending out like the tips of stars.
Brush
the melted butter over the entire surface of
each unrolled roll. Plunk two tablespoons of
Cream Cheese Filling at the wide end of each
piece. At this point, you may also plunk a
tablespoon or two of the pie filling of your
choice (blueberry or cherry are suggested) or
of lemon curd on top of the cream cheese
filling.
Now,
carefully pick up the pointed ends, one at a
time, and tuck them under the wide ends so
that a wreath-like form is achieved. Brush the
entire surface with butter.
Bake
at 375° for 10 – 12 minutes, or until the
surface is golden brown. When it is done, pour
King Cake Glaze over the warm cake, according
to your tastes. Decorate as you desire.
1987
King Cake
This
recipe makes 2 “cakes.” It is actually a
pastry, so use either all-purpose or bread
flour to ensure your success.
Combine
these in a saucepan; heat until butter melts.
Let cool to 105° to 115°:
2
cups non-fat plain yogurt
4 tablespoons butter
5 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 teaspoon salt
While that’s cooling, whisk together the
following ingredients in a large mixing bowl
and let sit undisturbed for 10 minutes:
2
packages (2 Tablespoon) active, dry yeast
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
½ cup
water at 105° to 115°
Now add the butter mixture and these
ingredients to the yeast mixture:
2
eggs and 2 egg yolks, room temperature
2 cups all-purpose or bread flour
Beat at a medium speed until smooth. Gradually
stir in this much flour:
4
cups all-purpose flour (give or take ¼ cup)
The
goal is to achieve a soft dough that is a
little sticky, but that will hold its shape.
Now knead the soft dough with a dough hook or
on a lightly floured surface for about 10
minutes: until smooth and elastic. Place in a
well-greased bowl, turning to grease the top.
Cover it with saran wrap and a heavy towel.
Let it rise in a warm place until it’s
doubled in bulk.
At
this point, you can let the dough rise,
punching it down about every 12 hours for up
to 3 days. By the third day, you will have a
fine sour dough that will heighten the taste
of any filling you use, while producing the
flaky yeast pastry found only in the finest
European boulangeries.
When
you are ready, punch the dough down and divide
it into two even parts. Cover one part with a
heavy cloth while you work with the other.
Squeeze the other into a long baguette shape.
Then roll the dough as evenly as possible into
a 28” by 8” rectangle. Pour your favorite
filling down the middle OR slather it with
butter and sprinkle ¼ cup cinnamon sugar on
it. Do the same with the one part that has
been resting.
If
you opt for filling, fold the dough over the
filling and pinch the ends together down the
length of it. Place it on the intended baking
sheet, bring the ends together, pinching them
firmly. Work it until you have the crown-shape
you desire. You can even twist it a little to
get a more textured outer crust. Then let your
cake rise for at least 1 hour. Bake it at 375°
for 15 – 20 minutes. You can fill it with
the cream cheese filling below OR with 1 ½
cups of the pie filling of your choice OR you
can mix some of the cream cheese filling with
some pie filling.
If
you opt for the butter and cinnamon sugar,
roll the dough jelly-roll style, pinch the
ends together down the length of it and
continue as above.
When
I made the first one, it was late at night. I
fell asleep and let it rise overnight. It was
fabulous! When I made the other, my husband
and I were so excited that we could let it
rise for only 20 minutes. The insides were a
little undercooked. We ate it all up anyway!
Cream
Cheese Filling
Makes
enough for 2 cakes
2
8-oz packages cream cheese
3 cups confectioner’s sugar
4 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon heavy cream (optional)
2 teaspoons vanilla flavoring
½
teaspoon lemon flavoring
Cream
all ingredients together in an electric mixer.
Can use an equal amount (2 cups) of your
favorite fruit filling with this filling in
any regular-sized king cake. You can add
either or both of these: 1 tablespoon lemon
zest; 1 tablespoon orange zest. I add the
heavy cream for texture.
King
Cake Glaze
Will
glaze 2 cakes
3
cups confectioner’s sugar
4 tablespoons melted butter
5 tablespoons milk
2 teaspoons vanilla flavoring
1/2 teaspoon lemon flavoring (optional)
Whisk
all ingredients together in a small bowl until
of desired consistency for drizzling. You can
divide the frosting in thirds and use candy
pastes or food coloring to make purple, green,
and gold frosting. Drizzle over cooked King
Cakes.
I
sometimes color the glaze in orange, pink, and
green – and called it Spring Cake.
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