Pardon the interruption in your regularly scheduled feline festivities, but when a certain Cat mentioned that this month's recipe involved both sparkles and cake, I simply couldn't help myself. There's nothing I like better than something brightly colored and glittering to boot.
Funny, though. When I happened to express an interest with my best and widest grin, suddenly my favorite feline stammered something about "urgent business elsewhere" and shot off with a speed only rivaled by stray thoughts or runaway popcorn. So I was left to my own devices. Fortunately, my talons are up to the task of finding appropriate recipes all on their own. Or, rather, they would be if they had to. In reality, I found a spare bit of parchment the kitty left behind with this lovely recipe already upon it. Personally, I highly approve of the purple and green sparkling sugar; I'm less certain about hiding a baby inside the cake. To me, that would be mixing sweet and savory. Instead, I would prefer a shiny gold Galleon. But to each his own!
King Cake
YIELD: Makes 1 Cake (12 slices)
INGREDIENTS:
Cake:
2 packages active dry yeast (total of 1/2 ounce)
1/2 cup warm water
3/4 cup sugar (divided into 1/2 cup & 1/4 cup)
1/2 cup softened butter
1/2 cup warm 2% milk
2 large egg yolks (room temperature)
1 1/4 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
3 1/4 to 3 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 large egg, beaten
Glaze:
1 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar
2 teaspoons lemon juice
2 to 3 tablespoons water
Green, Purple, and Yellow sugars
PREPARATION:
1. Dissolve the yeast in the warm water in a large mixing bowl. Add in the butter, milk, and egg yolks and stir gently. In a separate bowl, combine 1/2 cup sugar, the salt, lemon zest, nutmeg, and 1/2 cup flour; add to the mixing bowl and beat until smooth. Slowly add another cup and a half of flour while beating. Then stir in enough of the remaining flour to form a soft, sticky dough. (generally a total of about 3 1/2 cups of flour).
2. Spread flour on a flat surface; pour the dough onto the flour and knead until smooth and elastic (approx. 6-8 minutes). Grease a bowl with the butter wrapping and place the kneaded dough into the greased bowl. Flip it over so that all sides are greasy. Cover the bowl with a damp towel and place in a warm spot to let the dough rise until it is doubled (approx. 1 hour).
3. (the Dragon's favorite part: ) Make a fist and punch the dough right in the middle. Then lightly flour a surface and put the punched dough on it. Use a rolling pin to roll the dough into a 16x10 inch rectangle. In a small bowl, combine the cinnamon and 1/4 cup sugar, then sprinkle the mixture on the dough to within 1/2 inch of all edges. Hand-roll the dough into a cylinder as you would a jelly roll, starting with a long side. Pinch the seam together to seal. Place on a greased baking sheet, seam-side down, and round the dough to form a ring by pinching the ends together. Cover with a damp cloth and let the dough rise for another hour, until it has again doubled in size, then brush the top with the beaten egg.
4. Bake in a preheated oven at 375°F for 25-30 minutes, or until the ring is golden-brown. Remove and place on a wire rack; let cool completely. Prepare the glaze by combining the first three ingredients, using only enough water to achieve the thickness you desire. Spread the glaze on the cooled cake and decorate with the colored sugar.
NOTE: If you're going to hide a
Well, there you have it. Just don't forget to invite your favorite Dragon over to help you devour the contents! And with luck, your regularly scheduled Cat will return next month to bring you more delectable delicacies.