King Cake

Name: King Cake
Prep time: 12 h 55 min
Cook time: 12 h 55 min
Total time: 12 h 55 min
Yield: 12
Cuisine: Creole, Cajun
Ingredients: 1 package active dry yeast; 59 milliliters bourbon; 591 milliliters bread flour, plus more for dusting; 118 milliliters confectioners sugar; 177 milliliters packed dark brown sugar; 2 larges egg yolks, plus 2 eggs; 118 milliliters golden raisins; 3 Tbsps granulated sugar; 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon; 1 dry bean or plastic King Cake baby (available at party-supply stores or mardigrasday.com); 1 Finely grated zest of lemon; 79 milliliters milk; 1 teaspoons freshly grated nutmeg; 2 teaspoons grated orange zest; 158 milliliters toasted pecans, chopped; 12 servings Purple, green and gold sanding sugar, for decorating; 0 teaspoons salt; 1 teaspoon salt; 2 sticks unsalted butter, melted and cooled, plus more for greasing the bowl; 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

The recipe King Cake could satisfy your Creole craving in about 12 hours and 55 minutes. One portion of this dish contains roughly 7g of protein, 18g of fat, and a total of 506 calories. This recipe serves 12. A mixture of lemon zest, confectioners' sugar, egg yolks, and a handful of other ingredients are all it takes to make this recipe so flavorful. It works well as a dessert.

Instructions

Special equipment: 1 dry bean or plastic King Cake baby (available at party-supply stores or mardigrasday.com)

Heat the milk in a saucepan until scalding; transfer to a food processor, add the yeast and pulse to combine.

Ingredients you will need

Yeast

Milk

Equipment you will use

Food Processor

Sauce Pan

Add 1/2 cup flour and the egg yolks; process to combine.

Ingredients you will need

Egg Yolk

All Purpose Flour

Pour the remaining 2 cups flour evenly over the yeast mixture; do not process.

Ingredients you will need

All Purpose Flour

Yeast

Put the lid on; set aside for 90 minutes.

Add the 2 whole eggs, granulated sugar, lemon zest, salt and nutmeg to the food processor; process to make a slightly textured dough, about 1 minute. With the machine running, slowly add the butter to make a smooth, sticky dough.

Ingredients you will need

Granulated Sugar

Lemon Zest

Egg

Butter

Nutmeg

Dough

Salt

Equipment you will use

Food Processor

Transfer the dough to a lightly buttered bowl and cover tightly with plastic wrap; let rise in a warm place for 3 hours. Turn the dough out onto a clean surface and knead briefly; form into a ball and return to the bowl. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 8 hours or overnight.

Ingredients you will need

Dough

Wrap

Equipment you will use

Plastic Wrap

Bowl

Plump the raisins in the bourbon in a small saucepan over medium heat.

Ingredients you will need

Bourbon

Raisins

Equipment you will use

Sauce Pan

Remove from the heat and add the brown sugar, pecans, vanilla, cinnamon, orange zest, salt and the bean or plastic baby; mix until combined and set aside.

Ingredients you will need

Brown Sugar

Orange Zest

Cinnamon

Vanilla

Pecans

Salt

On a floured surface, roll the dough into a 20-by-7-inch rectangle, with the long edge facing you. Spoon the filling in an even layer over the dough, leaving a 1-inch border along the top and bottom. Fold the bottom and then the top edge over the filling to make a tight roll; pinch to seal.

Ingredients you will need

Dough

Roll

Transfer the roll seam-side down to a parchment-lined baking sheet; tuck one end into the other to form a ring. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and set aside in a warm place until the roll doubles in size, about 2 hours.

Ingredients you will need

Roll

Wrap

Equipment you will use

Baking Sheet

Plastic Wrap

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

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Oven

Bake the cake until firm and golden brown, about 40 minutes. Cool on a rack.

Equipment you will use

Oven

Mix 3 tablespoons water with the confectioners' sugar; brush 3 tablespoons glaze over the cake.

Ingredients you will need

Powdered Sugar

Glaze

Water

Sprinkle with bands of colored sugar; drizzle with more glaze.

Ingredients you will need

Decorating Sugar

Glaze

Photograph by Lara Robby/Studio D

Equipment

Recommended wine: Albarino, Rose Wine, Sauvignon Blanc

Cajun can be paired with Albarino, rosé Wine, and Sauvignon Blanc. These low-tannin, lower alcohol wines will complement the heat in spicy cajun dishes, instead of making your mouth burn more. One wine you could try is Palacio de Fefinanes Albarino. It has 4.2 out of 5 stars and a bottle costs about 22 dollars.