After spending five days in New Orleans, LA, eating my way through town, noshing on oysters, bbq shrimp, pralines, muffulettas and more, the only NOLA food I didn't get to sink my teeth into was the traditional Mardi Gras king cake. I guess they only have the green, purple and gold cake/bread during Mardi Gras time.
I've only had king cake once in my life, so I'm not even sure if I like it. The little plastic baby buried inside king cakes is kind of creepy. But if it's tasty, I'm willing to overlook the baby in my food.
To make my NOLA food experience complete, I came home and experimented making my own king cake from a recipe I found in a Southern Living Magazine cookbook. The cake isn't really a cake, but a yeasted dough that is similar to cinnamon buns. The dough is rolled out, smothered in softened butter, and dusted with cinnamon sugar before it's rolled up jelly-roll style and formed into a ring.
I only had green, pink, and rainbow sprinkles on hand, so I used those instead of the traditional colors. My crazy looking "cake" tasted pretty good fresh out of the oven and covered in icing, but it was not so tasty a few hours later when it was cold and hard.
So, experiment competed. Results: I probably wouldn't make it again.
King Cake
(Courtesy of Southern Living Magazine)
* I halved the recipe to make one cake. Full recipe makes two.
Ingredients:
1/4 cup butter or margarine
1 (16 ounce) container sour cream
1/3 cup sugar
1 teaspoon salt
2 (.25 ounce) envelopes active dry yeast
1 tablespoon white sugar
1/2 cup warm water (100 to 110 degrees)
2 eggs
6 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, divided
1/2 cup white sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/3 cup butter or margarine, softened
Frosting (see below)
Colored Sugars
Frosting
3 cups powdered sugar
3 tablespoons butter, melted
3 tablespoons milk
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
Directions:
1. COOK first 4 ingredients in a saucepan over low heat, stirring often, until butter melts. Cool mixture to 100 degrees to 110 degrees.
2. DISSOLVE yeast and 1 tablespoon sugar in 1/2 cup warm water in a large bowl; let stand 5 minutes. Add butter mixture, eggs, and 2 cups flour; beat at medium speed with an electric mixer 2 minutes or until smooth. Gradually stir in enough remaining flour to make a soft dough.
3. TURN dough onto a lightly floured surface; knead until smooth and elastic, about 10 minutes. Place in a well-greased bowl, turning to grease top. Cover and let rise in a warm place (85 degrees), free from drafts, 1 hour or until doubled in bulk.
4. STIR together 1/2 cup sugar and cinnamon; set aside.
5. PUNCH dough down; divide in half. Turn 1 portion out onto a lightly floured surface; roll to a 28- x 10-inch rectangle. Spread half each of cinnamon mixture and softened butter on dough. Roll dough, jellyroll fashion, starting at long side. Place dough roll, seam side down, on a lightly greased baking sheet. Bring ends together to form an oval ring, moistening and pinching edges together to seal. Repeat with remaining dough, cinnamon mixture, and butter.
6. COVER and let rise in a warm place, free from drafts, 20 minutes or until doubled in bulk.
7. BAKE at 375 degrees for 15 minutes or until golden. Drizzle with frosting, and sprinkle with Colored Sugars.
8. FROSTING: Stir together powdered sugar and melted butter. Add milk to reach desired consistency for drizzling; stir in vanilla.
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