In celebration of Mardi Gras, Kit Wohl's WWL-TV Cookbook Studio presents this recipe for a sweet treat. The recipe is courtesy of Kit's book New Orleans Classic Celebrations (Pelican Publishing). Kit appears regularly in the kitchen on the Sunday edition of Eyewitness Morning News, Sundays at 6 a.m.
KING CAKE
CHEF TARIQ HANNA, SUCRÉ
One of America’s top-10 pastry chefs, Tariq Hanna of Sucré, has elevated the King Cake to rare beauty and set New Orleans talking when he introduced his elaborate, extravagant king cake. It quickly became the carnival benchmark. Cream cheese and cinnamon are added to the buttery cake then pastel lustres shimmer their version including baker’s glazes, and dusts. The specialty decorating items are available at craft stores and online. Otherwise, traditional King Cakes are decorated by pouring the white glaze over the cake, and sprinkling with colored sugars.
When did New Orleans get so silly over King Cake? The Mardi Gras season, when this place gets downright giddy, rules over all our celebrations. We toss glittered shoes from floats and festoon trees with beads. And we eat King Cake. This carnival delicacy appears on Twelfth Night then disappears by Ash Wednesday, leaving only crumbs. Not satisfied to just let it be a classic cinnamon-laced and iced, bread-like cake, King Cake creativity has gone to extremes. If any rules apply (and here most don’t), coloring almost anything edible with purple, green, and gold qualify it as King Cake. It’s the freewheeling legacy of a celebrated, storied city, one where excess is ... king.
INGREDIENTS
For the Dough:
2/3 cup whole milk
5 tablespoons sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons instant yeast
1 teaspoon kosher salt
2 3/4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
2 large eggs, room temperature
1/2 cup unsalted butter, cut into 1-inch pieces, plus 1/2 tablespoon, melted
For the Filling:
8 ounces cream cheese
1 egg yolk
1/8 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
zest of 1 lemon
For the Cinnamon Sugar:
1/2 cup sugar
1 tablespoon cinnamon
For the Glaze:
2 cups confectioner’s sugar
1/2 cup whole milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
METHOD
Make the Dough
1. In a stand mixer, combine the milk, sugar, yeast, salt, and flour on a low speed. As the dough comes together, add the eggs, one at a time. Then mix in the butter gradually, making sure it is completely incorporated. Do not over mix.
2. Place dough in a clean bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Keep at room temperature and allow dough to rise until it has doubled in size, usually 1 to 1 1/2 hours.
3. Remove the plastic wrap and punch the dough back down with your hands. Cover with fresh plastic wrap and let rise until doubled, about 30 minutes.
Make the Filling
1. In a small mixing bowl, mix the cream cheese, egg yolk, sugar, vanilla extract, and lemon zest together until smooth.
Make the Cinnamon Sugar
1. In a small mixing bowl, combine the sugar and cinnamon thoroughly.
Assemble the Cake
1. Preheat oven to 360 degrees.
2. On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough out into a rectangle about 1/4-inch thick. Cut the dough in half lengthwise.
3. Spoon the cream cheese filling onto the top 1/3 of each piece of dough. Dust the whole piece with cinnamon sugar. Bring each of the two long edges together and seal completely. Using your hands shape the dough into two long cylinders.
4. Overlap carefully, twisting them together to form a two-stand braid. Bring the two ends of the braid together to form an oval ring and press together to seal.
5. Gently place the ring seam-side down on a baking sheet lined with wax paper and let it rise to double in size, about 30 minutes.
6. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until golden brown. If the top has reached a golden brown before the bottom is finished, cover the top with foil and lower the heat to 325 degrees. Allow to cool. Slice into 2” pieces.
Make the Glaze
1. Mix the sugar, milk, and vanilla extract together until smooth and divide into three small bowls. Color each separately with a drop of green, yellow or purple
(or combine red and blue) food colors.
2. Brush each glaze over the cooled cake and sprinkle with lustre dust. Serve the King Cake when the glaze has dried or keep covered until ready to serve.
King Cake babies are available on line, or use a dried bean or nut meat. Cut a slit in the bottom of the King Cake and insert the baby. Caution guests to take care biting down. Or, place the baby on top of the cake for everyone to admire.
For colored sugar
1 cup granulated sugar, large crystals
Place 1/3 cup sugar in each of three small jars with lids. Add two to three drops of food coloring in each one. Cover with lid, and shake until color is evenly distributed throughout the large sugar crystals. Add food coloring, drop by drop until the desired shade is achieved.
Coat the top of the oval king cake with glaze. Immediately sprinkle the colored sugars.in alternating rows of purple, green and gold. Cut and serve.
This recipe is courtesy of Sucre and Kit Wohl's book New Orleans Classic Celebrations (Pelican Publishing). Kit appears regularly in the kitchen on the Sunday edition of Eyewitness Morning News, Sundays at 6 a.m.
