King Cake

Name: King Cake
Prep time: 45 min
Cook time: 45 min
Total time: 45 min
Yield: 10
Cuisine: Creole, Cajun
Ingredients: 237 milliliters melted butter; 3 teaspoons cinnamon; 59 milliliters condensed milk; 2 Tbsps dry yeast; 5 egg yolks, beaten; 887 milliliters all-purpose flour; 118 milliliters granulated sugar; 1 fève (fava bean) or plastic baby to hide in the cake after baking; 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice; 1 teaspoon grated fresh lemon zest; 237 milliliters lukewarm milk, about 110°F; 10 servings Several gratings of fresh nutmeg; 473 milliliters powdered sugar; 10 servings Purple, green, and gold decorative sugars; 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

King Cake might be just the Creole recipe you are searching for. This dessert has 706 calories, 11g of protein, and 25g of fat per serving. This recipe serves 10. This recipe covers 17% of your daily requirements of vitamins and minerals. Head to the store and pick up egg yolks, purple, milk, and a few other things to make it today. From preparation to the plate, this recipe takes approximately 45 minutes.

Instructions

For the cake, pour the warm milk into a large bowl.

Ingredients you will need

Milk

Equipment you will use

Bowl

Whisk in the granulated sugar, yeast, and a heaping tablespoon of the flour, mixing until both the sugar and the yeast have dissolved.

Ingredients you will need

Sugar

All Purpose Flour

Yeast

Equipment you will use

Whisk

Once bubbles have developed on the surface of the milk and it begins to foam, whisk in the butter, eggs, vanilla, and lemon zest.

Ingredients you will need

Lemon Zest

Vanilla

Butter

Egg

Milk

Equipment you will use

Whisk

Add the remaining flour, cinnamon, and nutmeg and fold the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients with a large rubber spatula.

Ingredients you will need

Cinnamon

Nutmeg

All Purpose Flour

Equipment you will use

Spatula

After the dough comes together, pulling away from the sides of the bowl, shape it into a large ball. Knead the dough on a floured surface until it is smooth and elastic, about 15 minutes.

Ingredients you will need

Dough

Equipment you will use

Bowl

Put the dough back into the bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and set aside in a draft-free place to let it proof, or rise, for 1 1/2 hours or until the dough has doubled in volume.

Ingredients you will need

Dough

Wrap

Equipment you will use

Plastic Wrap

Bowl

Preheat the oven to 375°F. Once the dough has risen, punch it down and divide the dough into 3 equal pieces.

Ingredients you will need

Dough

Punch

Equipment you will use

Oven

Roll each piece of dough between your palms into a long strip, making 3 ropes of equal length. Braid the 3 ropes around one another and then form the braided loaf into a circle, pinching ends together to seal. Gently lay the braided dough on a nonstick cookie sheet and let it rise until it doubles in size, about 30 minutes.

Ingredients you will need

Dough

Roll

Equipment you will use

Baking Sheet

Once it's doubled in size, place the cookie sheet in the oven and bake until the braid is golden brown, about 30 minutes.

Ingredients you will need

Equipment you will use

Baking Sheet

Oven

Remove the cake from the oven, place on a wire rack, and allow to cool for 30 minutes.

Equipment you will use

Wire Rack

Oven

For the icing, while the cake is cooling, whisk together the powdered sugar, condensed milk, and lemon juice in a bowl until the icing is smooth and very spreadable. If the icing is too thick, add a bit more condensed milk; if it’s a touch too loose, add a little more powdered sugar.

Ingredients you will need

Sweetened Condensed Milk

Powdered Sugar

Lemon Juice

Icing

Equipment you will use

Whisk

Bowl

Once the cake has cooled, spread the icing over the top of the cake and sprinkle with purple, green, and gold decorative sugars while the icing is still wet. Tuck the fève or plastic baby into the underside of the cake and, using a spatula, slide the cake onto a platter.

Ingredients you will need

Spread

Icing

Equipment you will use

Spatula