There’s a lot of symbolism and just stuff involved with king cake, most notably the gold, green, and purple sprinkles and the plastic baby (I’ve heard the colors represent the three wise men and also that purple=justice, green=faith, gold=power; I’ve also heard that the three colors represent The Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, so I just don’t know what’s true. Also, the finder of the plastic baby (which is Baby Jesus) gets to be the next Mardi Gras king or queen.) I don’t recommend baking the babies (or dried beans, in a pinch) inside the cake for lots of reasons; if you decide to use the plastic babies, I recommend tucking the baby into the bottom of the cake after it’s baked or using them on top as decoration.
This recipe is full of lots of options and alternatives, but I’ve tried to keep it as simple and organized as possible. Just like just about every traditional Louisiana food, there are a million ways to do it and everyone thinks theirs is the right way, depending on where they live and their family traditions. I have the luxury of being able to say, “Ermmm, I’m not from here…” and then awkwardly exiting the conversation with a mouth full of carbs. To prepare the dough, you’ll need whole milk, sugar, a flavor-neutral vegetable oil like canola or peanut oil, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.
Combine milk,
sugar,
and oil
in a large pot. Heat just to boiling, stirring occasionally, and then remove from heat. If you’ve got lots of ice handy, dump all that you have into a clean sink and then place the pan of scalded milk over the ice. This way, the milk mixture cools quickly and the melted ice just drips down the drain. When the milk is warm (around 105-115 degrees), remove from ice and sprinkle yeast over the milk mixture.
Allow to stand for 10 minutes. Mix in 8 cups of flour (lightly spooned into measuring cups and leveled with a knife)–this can be done with a wooden spoon; the dough is VERY soft, more like a batter.
Cover with a clean dish cloth and allow to rise for 1 hour.
Mix remaining 1 cup flour with baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Sprinkle over the dough
and then mix it in with the wooden spoon. You may need to mix it with your hands to ensure all the dry ingredients get incorporated.
Place a sheet of plastic wrap over the pan and refrigerate for at least a few hours and up to a few days (just be sure and punch the dough down as necessary so it doesn’t spill all over your fridge). When ready to make your King Cakes, decide how you want to prepare them. This dough will make enough for 2 large king cakes, 16 small, individual cakes, or a combination of the two (like one large cake and 8 small cakes). You’ll also need to decide how you want to fill them (I’m including instructions for cinnamon cream cheese, cream cheese and fruit, and cinnamon sugar.) See the notes below for individual filling instructions. To Make Large Cakes To prepare cakes, line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Turn dough onto a greased surface and divide in half. Roll one half into a 4-5″-24″ rectangle.
If using one of the cream cheese fillings, spread with 1/2 of the cream cheese mixture.
If using cinnamon sugar, spread about 3-4 tablespoons softened butter onto the dough, sprinkle with cinnamon sugar. and then carefully roll the dough lengthwise into a tube. Seal the edges of the dough and then carefully form a circle and seal the two ends together. Place on a greased cookie sheet and cover with a clean cloth. Preheat oven to 375 and repeat with other 1/2 portion of dough. Bake each ring for 20-35 minutes or until the tops are deep, golden brown–you don’t want to burn them, but you want to make sure the cakes are cooked all the way through. Remove from oven and allow to cool completely. To Make Individual Cakes Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Divide the dough into 16 equal portions. Then divide each portion in half and roll each portion into “snakes” about 10-12″ long.
Lay one snake on top of the other,
carefully tie the bottom snake into a knot around the top portion of dough,
then tie the other dough snake into a knot.
Tuck the ends under the dough and arrange the knots so they look the way you want them.
Repeat with remaining dough, making 8 cakes per pan. Melt 4-6 tablespoons of butter per pan (so if you’re making two pans of mini cakes, you’ll need a full cup of butter) and brush generously over the cakes.
Sprinkle generously with cinnamon sugar (recipe below).
Cover and allow to rise for 20-30 minutes. While the cakes are rising, preheat oven to 375 F. Bake for 18-20 minutes (or longer if necessary) or until the tops and edges are golden brown.
Remove from oven and allow to cool completely. Glazing the Cakes While the cakes are cooling, prepare the glaze. Mix powdered sugar and melted butter together with an electric mixer. Add in almond extract and then add enough milk to achieve the desired consistency you want for your glaze. When the cakes are cool, spoon the glaze over the cakes and then sprinkle with alternating yellow, purple, and green sugars and top with a plastic baby.
