Taste of Home
Traditional New Orleans King Cake
TOTAL TIME: Prep: 40 min. + rising Bake: 25 min. + cooling
YIELD: 1 cake (12 pieces).
Get in on the fun of traditional king cake by hiding a little toy baby in the cake. Whoever finds it has one year of good luck! —Rebecca Baird, Salt Lake City, Utah
Ingredients
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2 packages (1/4 ounce each) active dry yeast
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1/2 cup warm water (110° to 115°)
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3/4 cup sugar, divided
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1/2 cup butter, softened
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1/2 cup warm 2% milk (110° to 115°)
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2 large egg yolks, room temperature
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1-1/4 teaspoons salt
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1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
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1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
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3-1/4 to 3-3/4 cups all-purpose flour
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1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
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1 large egg, beaten
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GLAZE:
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1-1/2 cups confectioners' sugar
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2 teaspoons lemon juice
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2 to 3 tablespoons water
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Green, purple and yellow sugars
Directions
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1.
In a large bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water. Add 1/2 cup sugar, butter, milk, egg yolks, salt, lemon zest, nutmeg and 2 cups flour. Beat until smooth. Stir in enough remaining flour to form a soft dough (dough will be sticky).
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2.
Turn onto a floured surface; knead until smooth and elastic, 6-8 minutes. Place in a greased bowl, turning once to grease the top. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 1 hour.
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3.
Punch dough down. Turn onto a lightly floured surface. Roll into a 16x10-in. rectangle. Combine cinnamon and remaining sugar; sprinkle over dough to within 1/2 in. of edges. Roll up jelly-roll style, starting with a long side; pinch seam to seal. Place seam side down on a greased baking sheet; pinch ends together to form a ring. Cover and let rise until doubled, about 1 hour. Brush with egg.
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4.
Bake at 375° for 25-30 minutes or until golden brown. Cool completely on a wire rack. For glaze, combine the confectioners' sugar, lemon juice and enough water to achieve desired consistency. Spread over cake. Sprinkle with colored sugars.
Nutrition Facts
1 piece: 321 calories, 9g fat (5g saturated fat), 73mg cholesterol, 313mg sodium, 55g carbohydrate (28g sugars, 1g fiber), 5g protein.
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