King Cake
recipe from the Midway Bakery & photography by Talitha Schroeder
King Cake is a classic Mardi Gras treat but it’s also popular for Christmas, especially the Feast of the Epiphany. Here’s a version from our Midway Bakery for you to try at home. If you can’t get your hands on a little plastic baby for the fève, feel free to wrap a coin in foil. And don’t forget to warn your guests!
Ingredients
2 ½ + 1 cups all-purpose flour
1 package rapid rise yeast
1 cup milk
¼ cup sugar
1 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into pieces and softened
⅔ cup packed light brown sugar
1 ½ teaspoons cinnamon
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
1 cup powdered sugar
1-2 tablespoons lemon juice
Green, purple and yellow sugars
Directions
Mix 2 1/2 cups flour and yeast in the mixing bowl of a stand mixer, using the paddle attachment, on low for about 30 seconds.
Heat milk, sugar, and salt in a small saucepan over medium heat until sugar is dissolved and milk is between 120°F to 130°F.
With the mixer on low, pour in liquids and mix until incorporated. Add eggs one at a time. Continue mixing until a shaggy dough forms. Clean off the paddle and switch to a dough hook. Mix in the remaining 1 cup flour a little at a time, adding more or less flour as needed to make a soft dough. Add the softened butter, a piece at a time, kneading until each piece of butter is absorbed.
Knead for eight minutes on low. The dough should completely clear the sides of the bowl. If it is too sticky, add additional flour 1 tablespoon at a time, mixing in thoroughly before determining if more flour is needed. If the dough seems too dry, spritz with water from a spray bottle a couple of times, mixing in thoroughly before determining if more water is needed. Every two minutes, stop the machine, scrape the dough off the hook, and then continue kneading.
Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead a few times by hand to be sure it’s smooth and elastic. Form the dough into a ball. Place dough into a greased bowl. Turn once so the greased surface is on top. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate for one hour.
While the dough is chilling, make mix brown sugar and cinnamon and melt the butter.
Roll the chilled dough into a 10 x 20 inch rectangle. Spread with melted butter and sprinkle with brown sugar mixture. Roll the dough up from the long side, then circle the roll into a ring and pinch the ends together.
Don’t worry about any imperfections, thats what the glaze and sugar are for!
Transfer the ring to a parchment lined or greased baking sheet. Cover the dough with plastic wrap and let rise until doubled, about one hour. While the dough is rising, preheat the oven to 350°. Bake the cake until golden brown, 20-35 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool ten minutes on the baking sheet and then transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely before icing. If hiding the baby or another fève in the cake, make a small slit in the bottom of the cake and slip it in once the cake has cooled.
Icing: In a small bowl, mix powdered sugar and lemon juice until smooth. Add more lemon juice if necessary. Spoon icing over top of the cake. Immediately sprinkle on colored sugar, alternating between the three colors.
Related Content
The Midway Bakery: History in Every Bite
Nestled in the basement of the former Midway School, our Midway Bakery occupies the space once used for the school cafeteria, a 1940s addition with walls of cream and aqua subway tile, and windows looking out on a playground still in use.
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