Classic Kings Cake Recipes

CLASSIC KING'S CAKE

Steps:

• In small bowl, sprinkle yeast over warm water to dissolve. Set aside.
• Combine flour, sugar, nutmeg and salt in a large mixing bowl of stand mixer. Stir in lemon and orange peel. Make a well in the center and add yeast mixture, milk, beaten eggs and beaten egg yolks. Gradually fold together. Add 1/2 cup of the butter and beat using dough hook of a stand mixer on Low speed until dough forms ball.
• Place ball on floured board and knead until smooth and elastic, adding flour if necessary. Butter the inside of a large bowl with 1 tablespoon of the butter. Place dough in bowl and turn to coat the entire surface with butter. Cover and set aside for 45 minutes, or until doubled in size.
• Heat oven to 375°F. Brush a large baking sheet with remaining butter. Return dough to lightly floured surface, knead several times. Shape into 14 inch long roll. Place on baking sheet and form from a ring, pinching ends together.
• Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until golden brown. Cool cake on a wire rack.
• For the glaze, combine the powdered sugar, milk and vanilla in a small bowl. Stir until smooth. Once cake has cooled, drizzle icing on top using a fork. Top with colored sugars and plastic baby, if desired. Serve.

KING CAKE

Steps:

• In a large bowl, dissolve yeast and white sugar in warm milk. Let stand until creamy, about 10 minutes.
• Stir the egg yolks and melted butter into the milk mixture. In a separate bowl, combine the flour, salt, nutmeg and lemon zest. Beat the flour mixture into the milk/egg mixture 1 cup at a time. When the dough has pulled together, turn it out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth and supple, about 8 minutes. Lightly oil a large bowl, place the dough in the bowl and turn to coat with oil. Cover with a damp cloth and let rise in a warm place until doubled in volume, about 2 hours.
• In a small bowl, combine the cream cheese and 1/2 cup confectioners' sugar. Mix well. In another small bowl, combine the remaining 2 cups confectioners' sugar, lemon juice and 2 tablespoons milk. Mix well and set aside.
• Turn the dough out onto a floured surface. Roll the dough out into a 6x30 inch rectangle. Spread the cream cheese filling across the center of the dough. Bring the two long edges together and seal completely. Using your hands shape the dough into a long cylinder and place on a greased baking sheet, seam-side down. Shape the dough into a ring press the baby into the ring from the bottom so that it is completely hidden by the dough. Place a well-greased 2 pound metal coffee can the center of the ring to maintain the shape during baking. Cover the ring with a towel and place in a warm place to rise until doubled in size, about 45 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• Bake in preheated oven until golden brown, about 30 minutes. Remove the coffee can and allow the bread to cool. Drizzle cooled cake with lemon/sugar glaze and decorate with candy sprinkles.

KING'S CAKE

Steps:

• In a saucepan, melt butter, milk, 1/3 cup sugar, and salt. Let cool to lukewarm.
• In a large bowl combine 2 tablespoons sugar, yeast, and water. Let stand until foaming appears, about 5 to 10 minutes. Beat eggs into yeast, and add milk mixture. Stir in 5 cups of the flour, 1/2 cup at a time. Use reserved cup of flour for kneading surface.
• Knead dough until smooth, about 5 to 10 minutes. It will probably take the whole cup of reserved flour.
• Place in large bowl greased with nonstick spray, turn once to grease the top, cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled in size, about 1 1/2 to 2 hours.
• Beat together the cream cheese, salt, sugar, flour, lemon juice, vanilla, and eggs until smooth. Set aside.
• On flat surface, punch down dough and divide in half. Turn 1 portion of dough out onto a lightly floured surface and roll to a 28 by 10-inch rectangle. Do not roll too thin.
• Spread half of the cream cheese filling lengthwise down the dough. Spread 1/2 of each pie filling on top of the cream cheese mixture. Place 1 baby anywhere in the filling.
• Roll dough, starting at the long side. Gently place dough roll seam side down on a lightly greased baking sheet. Bring ends of dough together to form a circle. Tuck 1 end inside the other, moisten with water and pinch edges together to seal. Cover, and let rise in a warm place until doubled in size, about 1 hour.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F, and bake for 20 minutes or until golden brown.
• Repeat directions with other half of ingredients.
• On a serving plate, ice the cake one strip at a time from center of ring to outside. Each stripe should be about 2 inches wide. Spread colored icing on cake and sprinkle colored sugar over icing. Repeat with each color of icing and sugar until entire cake is covered in icing and sugar toping.
• Have a great Mardi Gras! "Laissez les bon temps rouler."
• In a bowl, combine sugar and butter, and stir until mixture is smooth. Separate mixture into 3 containers, and add food coloring. Mix until desired color is reached.
• In 3 lidded containers, add 1/2 cup of sugar in each, and add 1 food coloring to each container, cover, and shake vigorously.

KING CAKE

Steps:

• For the dough: Melt the butter in a small saucepan over low heat. Remove from the heat and pour in the milk and water. The mixture should be just warm to the touch, about 110 degrees F; let cool or heat over low heat as needed. Stir in the yeast and let stand for 5 minutes, until bubbles come to the surface.
• In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg.
• In a small bowl, stir together the brown sugar, orange zest and egg yolks. Whisk in the yeast mixture. Add the liquid mixture to the dry ingredients; fold with a rubber spatula until all the flour is incorporated and a slightly sticky dough forms.
• Turn the dough out onto a floured work surface and sprinkle the top with flour. Knead for 2 to 3 minutes, until the dough becomes smooth and no longer sticks to the work surface. Lightly grease a medium bowl with the canola oil and add the dough, turning to coat. Cover the bowl and let proof in a warm place until doubled in size, about 1 hour.
• For the filling: Add the cream cheese, confectioners' sugar, orange juice, cinnamon, salt and nutmeg to a medium bowl. Mix with a hand-held mixer or rubber spatula until completely combined and smooth. Set aside.
• Bake the cake: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment.
• Remove the proofed dough to a lightly floured work surface and roll into an 8-by-28-inch rectangle, about 1/4-inch thick. Spread evenly with the cream cheese filling, leaving a 2-inch border. Add the plastic baby to the filling, and then roll the dough into a 28-inch log. With the log seam-side down, bring both ends together to form a circle. Lightly brush the inside of one end with water and insert the other end inside to close the circle. Brush the seam lightly with water and pinch to seal. Place the dough onto the prepared baking sheet, making sure to form it back into a circle--it should be approximately 10-inches in diameter. Using a paring knife, make six 2- to 3-inch diagonal slits in the top of the dough (to act as vents during baking). Let the dough rise an additional 30 minutes, until puffed up and the vents have opened slightly.
• Bake the cake for 40 minutes, until the top and bottom have a deep golden-brown crust. The slits may also widen as during baking; that is normal. Remove the cake from oven and let cool for 30 minutes on the baking sheet.
• For the icing: Whisk together the confectioners' sugar, milk and orange juice until smooth. Spoon the icing over the top of the cooled cake, pushing it to either side. If some icing pools in the center or on the sides, just scoop it up and drizzle it over the cake again; you want to make sure the entire cake is covered in icing. Working quickly, so the icing doesn't set, sprinkle the yellow sanding sugar over a 2-inch section of the cake. Next to that, sprinkle the green sanding sugar, followed by the purple. Continue in this pattern until the entire cake is covered in sanding sugar.
• Transfer the cake to a cake stand and serve immediately, or hold at room temperature until ready to serve. This cake is best served the same day.

KING CAKE

Steps:

• In the bowl of a stand mixer, dissolve yeast in warm milk along with 6 tablespoons bread flour and the honey. Combine until smooth, about 30 seconds, scraping sides of bowl as needed. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and allow to rise 20 minutes or until doubled.
• Add 3/4 cup bread flour, the cake flour, the eggs, the sugar, the cinnamon, the extracts and the salt to the dough and combine with paddle attachment on low. Switch to a dough hook and knead for 2 minutes on medium speed.
• Turn speed to medium high and add the butter, 1 tablespoon at a time, to dough, allowing each pat of butter to dissolve into dough before adding the next tablespoon. Mix until dough becomes a slack, tacky ball. If dough doesn't come together, add up to 1/4 cup more bread flour.
• Once the dough is kneaded, transfer into a greased bowl and cover. Let rise 1 hour or until doubled.
• Melt butter over low heat. Add sugar, stirring until it dissolves. Remove from heat. Mix in pecans. Set aside.
• Line a baking sheet with parchment. Lightly flour a large work surface with remaining bread flour (if you used 1/4 cup of bread flour in step 3, use more). Roll out dough into an approximately 6-inch-by-24-inch rectangle, 1/4-inch thick.
• Spread filling along the length of the rectangle and tightly roll so you have a rope of dough about 2 feet long and 2 inches thick. Pinch seam, and transfer dough to the baking sheet, forming dough into a ring with the seam side down. With wet fingers, pinch ends of dough together. It is fine if the ring looks uneven. Cover dough with plastic wrap or damp towel and let rise about an hour. Heat oven to 375 degrees.
• Whisk egg and milk with a fork until combined. Once dough has risen, use a pastry brush to spread egg wash thinly over the dough.
• Bake cake for 25 to 30 minutes until golden brown. Remove cake from oven and let cool for 5 to 10 minutes. While warm, carefully flip ring over. Using a pairing knife make a small x in the bottom of the cake and insert the king cake baby, if using. Flip cake upright and let cool on a rack.
• While cake cools to room temperature, use a stand mixer on low to whisk condensed milk, lemon juice and confectioners' sugar until smooth. Add more lemon juice if frosting is too thick.
• Once cake has cooled, frost using a pastry bag or spatula until the cake is covered. Working quickly, sprinkle iced cake with dusting sugars in an alternating pattern of purple, gold and green. Cake is best served fresh, but will keep covered in plastic for a day or two.

TRADITIONAL KING CAKE

Steps:

• Cook the first 4 ingredients in a medium saucepan over low heat, stirring often, until butter melts; set aside and cool mixture to 100-110°.
• Stir the yeast, ½ cup warm water, and 1 tablespoons sugar in a 1 cup glass measuring cup; let mixture stand 5 minutes.
• Beat sour cream mixture, yeast mixture, eggs, and 2 cups flour at medium speed with a heavy-duty stand mixer until smooth.
• Decrease speed to low, and gradually add enough remaining flour (4-4 ½ cups) until a soft dough forms.
• Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface; knead until smooth and elastic (about 10 minutes).
• Place in a well-greased bowl, turning to grease the top.
• Cover and let rise in a warm place (85°), free from drafts, 1 hour or until dough is doubled in bulk.
• Punch down dough, and divide in half.
• Roll each portion into a 22x12 inch rectangle.
• Spread 1/3 cup softened butter evenly on each rectangle, leaving a 1-inch border.
• Stir ½ cup sugar and cinnamon together; sprinkle evenly over butter on each rectangle.
• Roll up each dough rectangle, jelly-roll fashion, starting at 1 long side.
• Place 1 dough roll seam side down, on a lightly greased baking sheet; bring ends of roll together to form an oval ring, moistening and pinching edges together to seal.
• Repeat with second dough roll.
• Cover and let rise in a warm place free from drafts, 20-30 minutes or until doubled in bulk.
• Bake in a 375° oven for 14-16 minutes or until golden.
• Make glaze: stir together the first 4 glaze ingredients; stir in 2 tablespoons milk, adding more milk, 1 teaspoon at a time, until spreading consistency.
• Slightly cool cakes on pans on wire racks (about 10 minutes).
• Drizzle Creamy Glaze evenly over warm cakes, sprinkle with colored sugars, alternating colors and forming bands; let cool completely.

CAKE OF KINGS

Steps:

• Soak citrus peel, raisins, pine nuts and cherries in the sherry or brandy overnight until plump. Measure 140g/5oz of the fl our in a large mixing bowl and mix with the yeast. Tip the remaining flour and salt into a separate bowl and set aside. Heat the milk until just warm, make a well in the centre of the flour mix, and gradually add the milk to form a batter, beating until smooth. Cover with a tea towel and leave for 20 mins, until frothy.
• In another bowl, beat butter, sugar and zests until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, a little at a time, beating well after each addition. Don't worry if it curdles, this won't affect the final cake. Stir the mix into the batter, along with the remaining flour, to make a dough. Turn out onto a floured surface and knead for 5 mins, until smooth and elastic. Knead in the fruit mix, a bit at a time, kneading after each addition until evenly distributed. This bit is messy, but dust the dough and your hands with flour as you work.
• Pop the dough into a clean bowl and cover. Leave for 2 hrs, until doubled in size. Butter a large baking sheet. Knead the dough again briefly, then shape into a sausage, about 50cm long. Curl onto the baking sheet to make a ring, pinching the ends to join. Tuck the trinket under the cake, cover and leave for 1 hr, until doubled in size. Heat oven to 190C/fan 170C/gas 5.
• Slice the candied fruits and crush the sugar lumps into small pieces (put them in a cup and use the end of a rolling pin). Brush the top of the ring with egg and decorate with candied fruits and sugar. Bake for 45 mins, then transfer to a wire rack and brush the top with jam. Leave to cool before cutting.

TRADITIONAL NEW ORLEANS KING CAKE

Steps:

• In a large bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water. Add 1/2 cup sugar, butter, milk, egg yolks, salt, lemon zest, nutmeg and 2 cups flour. Beat until smooth. Stir in enough remaining flour to form a soft dough (dough will be sticky)., Turn onto a floured surface; knead until smooth and elastic, 6-8 minutes. Place in a greased bowl, turning once to grease the top. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 1 hour. , Punch dough down. Turn onto a lightly floured surface. Roll into a 16x10-in. rectangle. Combine cinnamon and remaining sugar; sprinkle over dough to within 1/2 in. of edges. Roll up jelly-roll style, starting with a long side; pinch seam to seal. Place seam side down on a greased baking sheet; pinch ends together to form a ring. Cover and let rise until doubled, about 1 hour. Brush with egg., Bake at 375° for 25-30 minutes or until golden brown. Cool completely on a wire rack. For glaze, combine the confectioners' sugar, lemon juice and enough water to achieve desired consistency. Spread over cake. Sprinkle with colored sugars.

KING CAKE OLD FASHIONED

Steps:

• In a small saucepan, bring the sugar, water, and cinnamon sticks to a boil, stirring occasionally, and continue boiling until the sugar is completely dissolved, 10 to 15 minutes. Cool the syrup then remove and discard the cinnamon sticks. DO AHEAD: Cinnamon syrup can be made ahead and refrigerated, in an airtight container, for up to 1 week.
• Place 1 (2 1/2-inch) ice cube in a rocks glass. Add the rum, the bitters, and 1/2 teaspoon (1/4 ounce) cinnamon syrup, and stir until well chilled. Squeeze the orange peel over the drink, making sure the oils fall into the glass, then thread the peel, along with the raisins, onto a cocktail pick. Place the pick in the drink and serve.

KING CAKE

Steps:

• In a small saucepan, combine evaporated milk, butter, and 1/3 cup granulated sugar over medium heat until incorporated; remove from heat. Let cool slightly, and stir in vanilla; set aside.
• Stir 1 tablespoon granulated sugar into warm water. Add yeast, and set aside until mixture begins to bubble, about 5 minutes. Meanwhile, butter a large bowl; set aside.
• Combine flour and salt in a medium bowl; set aside. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, mix together eggs and milk mixture on medium speed; add yeast mixture. Mix until combined. Gradually add flour, beating until fully incorporated.
• Turn dough out onto a lightly floured work surface; knead until smooth. Place in prepared bowl, turning several times to coat. Let rise, covered with wax paper and a clean damp towel, in a warm place until doubled in size, about 1 hour.
• Once dough has doubled, punch down with your fist, and knead a few times in the bowl. Turn out onto a lightly floured work surface; and divide evenly into six pieces. Roll each piece into a log, about 24 inches long. Braid 3 logs together; shape each braid into an oval, pressing the ends together to seal. Transfer to two buttered baking sheets; cover with wax paper, and let sit in a warm place until dough has doubled in size, about 1 hour.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Once dough has doubled in size, discard wax paper, and bake until just golden, 25 to 30 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack; let cool slightly.
• In a medium bowl, stir together confectioners' sugar with remaining 1/4 cup milk to form a smooth, thick glaze. Add more sugar or milk, if necessary, for desired consistency. Working quickly, coat cakes with glaze, and sprinkle with sanding sugar. Serve warm or at room temperature.

FRENCH KING CAKE

Steps:

• Frangipane - Cream the butter and sugar together.
• Mix in the almond flour.
• Add the eggs one at a time, to gradually incorporate them.
• Fold the flour into the mixture.
• Assemble - Place 1 sheet of pastry into a 9" tart pan.
• Spread the frangipane mixture over the top.
• Place the remaining pastry on top.
• Trim the edges and seal. Make a couple of vents in the top.
• Bake at 350F for 30 minutes until the pastry is golden.
• Allow to cool.