New Orleans Style King Cake Recipe

King Cake is a traditional dessert in New Orleans, Louisiana, especially during the Carnival season which starts on January 6th (known as King’s Day or Twelfth Night) and ends on Mardi Gras Day (Fat Tuesday). It is a sweet cake that is decorated with the colors of purple, gold, and green – representing justice, power, and faith – and sometimes contains a small plastic baby that symbolizes the Baby Jesus.

Ingredients:

For the dough:

– 4 cups of all-purpose flour
– ½ cup of granulated sugar
– 2 packets of active dry yeast
– 1 teaspoon of salt
– 1 teaspoon of ground cinnamon
– ½ teaspoon of ground nutmeg
– ¾ cup of warm milk
– ½ cup of unsalted butter, melted
– 5 egg yolks
– 1 teaspoon of pure vanilla extract
– Zest of 1 medium-sized lemon
– Zest of 1 medium-sized orange

For the filling:

– 1 cup of brown sugar
– 1 tablespoon of ground cinnamon
– ½ cup of unsalted butter, softened
– 1 plastic baby or small trinket (optional)

For the icing:

– 2 cups of powdered sugar
– 3 tablespoons of fresh lemon juice
– 2 tablespoons of fresh orange juice
– 2 tablespoons of milk
– Purple, gold, and green sugar or sprinkles

Instructions:

1. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, yeast, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg.

2. In a separate bowl, combine the warm milk, melted butter, egg yolks, vanilla extract, and citrus zest. Mix well.

3. Pour the liquid mixture into the dry mixture and stir until the dough comes together. Knead the dough on a floured surface for about 10 minutes until it is smooth and elastic.

4. Place the dough in a greased bowl, cover it with plastic wrap, and let it rise in a warm place for about 1 hour, until it has doubled in size.

5. While the dough is rising, make the filling by mixing the brown sugar, cinnamon, and softened butter until it is smooth and spreadable.

6. Preheat your oven to 375°F (190°C).

7. Once the dough has risen, punch it down and roll it out into a 30-inch long rectangle. Spread the filling on one half of the dough and then fold the other half over it. Pinch the edges together to seal it.

8. Transfer the dough to a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and form it into a ring. If you have a plastic baby or trinket, place it somewhere in the dough (but not too close to the edges).

9. Bake the cake for about 25-30 minutes or until it is golden brown.

10. Let the cake cool down completely before drizzling the icing on top. To make the icing, combine the powdered sugar, lemon juice, orange juice, and milk in a bowl and mix well. Pour it over the cake and then sprinkle the purple, gold, and green sugar or sprinkles on top in alternating sections.

11. Serve the King Cake sliced into pieces and enjoy the festive colors and flavors!

Summary:

– King Cake is a traditional dessert in New Orleans, Louisiana, especially during the Carnival season which starts on January 6th and ends on Mardi Gras Day.
– It is a sweet cake that is decorated with the colors of purple, gold, and green – representing justice, power, and faith – and sometimes contains a small plastic baby that symbolizes the Baby Jesus.
– To make the King Cake dough, you need flour, sugar, yeast, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, warm milk, melted butter, egg yolks, vanilla extract, and citrus zest.
– To make the filling, you need brown sugar, cinnamon, and softened butter.
– To make the icing, you need powdered sugar, lemon juice, orange juice, and milk.
– The King Cake is baked in the oven for about 25-30 minutes or until it is golden brown and then cooled down before drizzling the icing on top and sprinkling the purple, gold, and green sugar or sprinkles in alternating sections.