King Cake
1/4 cup unsalted butter
1 pint sour cream
1/3 cup sugar
1 tsp salt
2 (1/4 oz) envelopes active dry yeast
1/2 cup warm water (100° - 110°F)
1 Tbs sugar
2 large eggs, slightly beaten
6 - 6 1/2 cups bread flour
2/3 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 cup sugar
4 tsp ground cinnamon
1 recipe Creamy Glaze for King Cake
2 plastic baby decorations (see note)
Sanding sugars in purple, green and gold
Prepare two baking sheets by lining them with parchment paper or a silicone baking sheet. Set aside.
Combine 1/4 cup butter, sour cream, 1/3 cup sugar, and salt in a medium saucepan. Cook over low heat, stirring often, until butter melts and mixture is lump free. Remove from the heat and set aside to cool to lukewarm (100° - 110°F).
Stir together yeast, 1/2 cup lukewarm (100° - 110°F) water and 1 Tbs sugar in a measuring cup. Let stand 5 minutes to proof.
In a stand mixer equipped with a dough hook, combine eggs, lukewarm sour cream mixture, lukewarm yeast mixture and 2 cups of flour. Mix on medium speed until well combined. Reduce speed to low and add remaining flour in 1 cup increments (4 - 4 1/2 cups total) until a soft, sticky dough forms. Allow the machine to knead the dough for 5 minutes or until smooth, elastic and it pulls away cleanly from the sides of the bowl. (If kneading by hand, turn dough out on a lightly floured counter and knead for 10 minutes or until smooth and elastic.)
Place dough in a greased bowl, turning to coat the entire ball. Cover and let rise in a warm (85°F, draft free place for 1 hour, or until dough doubles in bulk.
In the meantime, prepare the filling by softening the butter and mixing 1 cup sugar and 4 tsp ground cinnamon in a small bowl. Set aside.
Punch down dough and divide in half. Roll each half into a roughly 12 x 22 rectangle. Spread half of the softened butter on each rectangle, leaving a 1-inch border all around. Then sprinkle half of the cinnamon sugar mixture on each. Roll each rectangle, jelly-roll style, starting with the long side. Seal the seam my moistening the edge with water and pinching to seal well.
Move each roll to a prepared baking sheet, forming a wreath or circle. Connect both ends together by moistening with water and pinching to form a tight seal. Cover and let rise in a warm location for 20 - 30 minutes, or until doubled in bulk. Preheat oven to 375°F while cakes are rising.
Bake at 375°F for 14 - 16 minutes or until light golden brown.
Allow cakes to cool on the pans on cooling racks for about 10 minutes, then gently slide cakes off the baking sheet and onto the cooling racks by pulling on the parchment or silicone liner. Make a small slit in the top of each cake and stick one plastic baby inside. The slit will be covered by the glaze and sugars, disguising the baby's location.
Prepare the glaze, and spread half on each cake while it is still slightly warm. Immediately sprinkle the colored sugars over the warm glaze in alternating bands of color. It works better if you glaze and sugar one cake at a time, since the glaze sets up very quickly.
Let the cakes cool completely before slicing and serving.
Note: Plastic baby decorations can be found at most craft and cake supply stores, as well as the colored sanding sugars.
You can make an alternative cream cheese filling if you wish. Simply omit the softened butter and cinnamon sugar filling. In the bowl of a mixer, beat together 2, 8-oz packages of softened cream cheese, 3/4 cup sugar, 1 large egg and 2 tsp vanilla extract until smooth. Spread over the dough rectangles, leaving a 1-inch border all around. Proceed with recipe as described above.
You can substitute all-purpose flour in a pinch, if you are out of bread flour.
Yields 2 King Cakes, serving about 18 each.
1 pint sour cream
1/3 cup sugar
1 tsp salt
2 (1/4 oz) envelopes active dry yeast
1/2 cup warm water (100° - 110°F)
1 Tbs sugar
2 large eggs, slightly beaten
6 - 6 1/2 cups bread flour
2/3 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 cup sugar
4 tsp ground cinnamon
1 recipe Creamy Glaze for King Cake
2 plastic baby decorations (see note)
Sanding sugars in purple, green and gold
Prepare two baking sheets by lining them with parchment paper or a silicone baking sheet. Set aside.
Combine 1/4 cup butter, sour cream, 1/3 cup sugar, and salt in a medium saucepan. Cook over low heat, stirring often, until butter melts and mixture is lump free. Remove from the heat and set aside to cool to lukewarm (100° - 110°F).
Stir together yeast, 1/2 cup lukewarm (100° - 110°F) water and 1 Tbs sugar in a measuring cup. Let stand 5 minutes to proof.
In a stand mixer equipped with a dough hook, combine eggs, lukewarm sour cream mixture, lukewarm yeast mixture and 2 cups of flour. Mix on medium speed until well combined. Reduce speed to low and add remaining flour in 1 cup increments (4 - 4 1/2 cups total) until a soft, sticky dough forms. Allow the machine to knead the dough for 5 minutes or until smooth, elastic and it pulls away cleanly from the sides of the bowl. (If kneading by hand, turn dough out on a lightly floured counter and knead for 10 minutes or until smooth and elastic.)
Place dough in a greased bowl, turning to coat the entire ball. Cover and let rise in a warm (85°F, draft free place for 1 hour, or until dough doubles in bulk.
In the meantime, prepare the filling by softening the butter and mixing 1 cup sugar and 4 tsp ground cinnamon in a small bowl. Set aside.
Punch down dough and divide in half. Roll each half into a roughly 12 x 22 rectangle. Spread half of the softened butter on each rectangle, leaving a 1-inch border all around. Then sprinkle half of the cinnamon sugar mixture on each. Roll each rectangle, jelly-roll style, starting with the long side. Seal the seam my moistening the edge with water and pinching to seal well.
Move each roll to a prepared baking sheet, forming a wreath or circle. Connect both ends together by moistening with water and pinching to form a tight seal. Cover and let rise in a warm location for 20 - 30 minutes, or until doubled in bulk. Preheat oven to 375°F while cakes are rising.
Bake at 375°F for 14 - 16 minutes or until light golden brown.
Allow cakes to cool on the pans on cooling racks for about 10 minutes, then gently slide cakes off the baking sheet and onto the cooling racks by pulling on the parchment or silicone liner. Make a small slit in the top of each cake and stick one plastic baby inside. The slit will be covered by the glaze and sugars, disguising the baby's location.
Prepare the glaze, and spread half on each cake while it is still slightly warm. Immediately sprinkle the colored sugars over the warm glaze in alternating bands of color. It works better if you glaze and sugar one cake at a time, since the glaze sets up very quickly.
Let the cakes cool completely before slicing and serving.
Note: Plastic baby decorations can be found at most craft and cake supply stores, as well as the colored sanding sugars.
You can make an alternative cream cheese filling if you wish. Simply omit the softened butter and cinnamon sugar filling. In the bowl of a mixer, beat together 2, 8-oz packages of softened cream cheese, 3/4 cup sugar, 1 large egg and 2 tsp vanilla extract until smooth. Spread over the dough rectangles, leaving a 1-inch border all around. Proceed with recipe as described above.
You can substitute all-purpose flour in a pinch, if you are out of bread flour.
Yields 2 King Cakes, serving about 18 each.
Comments