Mardi Gras (literally “Fat Tuesday”) is the finale of the New Orleans Carnival Season which starts on January 6th and goes until the beginning of Lent on Ash Wednesday. New Orleans is famous for their festival celebrations, parades & food leading up to the 40-day period of abstinence before Easter. While there are many traditions associated with Mardi Gras, King Cake is the most delicious one.

The traditional cake is actually a sweetened, cinnamon yeast bread, baked in a ring shape, frosted with icing then sprinkled with sugar crystals of gold, green, and purple representing power, faith and justice. French settlers brought this custom to New Orleans around 1870 in celebration of the Feast of the Epiphany, the arrival of the three wise men bearing gifts for Baby Jesus twelve days after Christmas. Contemporary king cakes incorporate a variety of fillings rolled into the sweetened yeast bread. A recent family event gave me the opportunity to try a few recipes out on our extended families. An almond filled version was the favorite.

King Cake with Almond Filling (a mash-up of recipes from Southern Living & Taste of Home)

Yield:  Makes 1 cake, about 18 servings   Total Time needed: about 4 hours

Ingredients:

Dough:

• 8-ounces sour cream
• 2 tablespoons butter, melted
• 1 large egg, lightly beaten
• 1/4 cup warm water
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 3 1/4 cups flour
• 1 (1/4-ounce) envelope yeast (1 1/2 teaspoons)

Filling:

• 8 ounces (3/4 cup) container almond paste or 12 ounces (1 cup) almond cake & pastry filling

Creamy Glaze:

• 1 cup powdered sugar
• 1 tablespoon butter, melted
• 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
• 1/8 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 to 2 tablespoons milk or water
• Purple, green, and gold sparkling sugar sprinkles

Directions:

To make the dough in a bread maker: Combine the sour cream, melted butter, egg and water in a small bowl, mixing well.

Add the liquid mixture and the rest of the dough ingredients to the bread pan in the order required by the manufacturer and set the machine on the dough setting.

When the dough is ready, roll it out into a 20 x 12 inch rectangle on a floured surface.

If using almond paste, roll the paste  out into an 18 x 10 inch rectangle and place it on the rolled out dough. If using the cake & pie filling, spread the filling on the rolled out dough to within a 1/2 inch of each edge.

Roll the dough up, jelly-roll fashion, starting on a long side, moistening the edges and pinching them to the roll to seal them.

Place the dough roll, seam side down, on a lightly greased baking sheet. Bring the ends of the roll together to form a horseshoe or an oval ring, moistening and pinching the edges together to seal them.

Cover the cake and let it rise in a warm place for 20 to 30 minutes or until it is doubled in size.  Bake it at 375° for 18 to 20 minutes or until it is golden brown.

Cool the cake in the pan on a wire rack for about 10 minutes then transfer the cake to a cooling rack.  Make the glaze while the cake is cooling by combining the powdered sugar, butter, lemon juice & vanilla in a small bowl. Stir in one tablespoon of the milk, adding additional milk, 1 teaspoon at a time, until the glaze is of spreading consistency. Spread the glaze on the cake.

Sprinkle the cake with the colored sugars, alternating colors and forming bands. Let it cool completely before serving.

Definitely a sweet bread worthy of kings!  ~Linda

To make the dough without a bread machine: Cook the sour cream, sugar, butter and salt in a medium saucepan over low heat, stirring often, until the butter melts. Set it aside until it cools to 100° to 110°.  Stir together the yeast, 1/4 cup warm water and 1 tablespoon sugar in a 1-cup glass measuring cup and let it stand for 5 minutes. Beat the sour cream mixture, yeast mixture, egg, and 1 cup of flour at medium speed with a heavy-duty electric stand mixer until it is smooth. Reduce the speed to low and gradually add the remaining flour (2 to 2 1/4 cups) until a soft dough forms.  Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until it is smooth and elastic, about 10 minutes. Place it in a well-greased bowl, turning to grease top.  Cover and let it rise in a warm place, free from drafts, for 1 hour or until the dough is doubled in bulk. Continue with the directions above at the rolling out the dough step.

King Cake  (a mash-up of recipes from Southern Living & Taste of Home)

Yield:  Makes 1 cake, about 18 servings   Total Time needed: about 4 hours

Ingredients:

Dough:

• 8-ounces sour cream
• 2 tablespoons butter, melted
• 1 large egg, lightly beaten
• 1/4 cup warm water
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 3 1/4 cups flour
• 1 (1/4-ounce) envelope yeast (1 1/2 teaspoons)

Filling:

• 8 ounces (3/4 cup) almond paste or 12 ounces (1 cup) almond cake & pastry filling

Creamy Glaze:

• 1 cup powdered sugar
• 1 tablespoon butter, melted
• 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
• 1/8 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 to 2 tablespoons milk or water
• Purple, green, and gold sparkling sugar sprinkles

Directions:

To make the dough in a bread maker: Combine the sour cream, melted butter, egg and water in a small bowl, mixing well. Add the liquid mixture and the rest of the dough ingredients to the bread pan in the order required by the manufacturer and set the machine on the dough setting.

When the dough is ready, roll it out into a 20 x 12 inch rectangle on a floured surface. If using almond paste, roll the paste  out into an 18 x 10 inch rectangle and place it on the rolled out dough. If using the cake & pie filling, spread the filling on the rolled out dough to within a 1/2 inch of each edge.

Roll the dough up, jelly-roll fashion, starting on a long side, moistening the edges and pinching them to seal them. Place the dough roll, seam side down, on a lightly greased baking sheet. Bring the ends of the roll together to form a horseshoe or an oval ring, moistening and pinching the edges together to seal them.

Cover the cake and let it rise in a warm place for 20 to 30 minutes or until it is doubled in size.  Bake it at 375° for 18 to 20 minutes or until it is golden brown.

Cool the cake in the pan on a wire rack for about 10 minutes then transfer the cake to a cooling rack.  Make the glaze while the cake is cooling by combining the powdered sugar, butter, lemon juice & vanilla in a small bowl. Stir in one tablespoon of the milk, adding additional milk, 1 teaspoon at a time, until the glaze is of spreading consistency. Drizzle the glaze on the cake, then sprinkle the cake with the colored sugars, alternating colors and forming bands. Let it cool completely before serving.

To make the dough without a bread machine: Cook the sour cream, sugar, butter and salt in a medium saucepan over low heat, stirring often, until the butter melts. Set it aside until it cools to 100° to 110°.  Stir together the yeast, 1/4 cup warm water and 1 tablespoon sugar in a 1-cup glass measuring cup and let it stand for 5 minutes. Beat the sour cream mixture, yeast mixture, egg, and 1 cup of flour at medium speed with a heavy-duty electric stand mixer until it is smooth. Reduce the speed to low and gradually add the remaining flour (2 to 2 1/4 cups) until a soft dough forms.  Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until it is smooth and elastic, about 10 minutes. Place it in a well-greased bowl, turning to grease top.  Cover and let it rise in a warm place, free from drafts, for 1 hour or until the dough is doubled in bulk. Continue with the directions above at the rolling out the dough step.