This was my first time making a Mardi Gras King Cake and also my first time ever trying one. I thought it came out very well and my family liked it too. I wasn't sure what to expect from it but it reminded me of a cross between a cinnamon roll and a honey bun. I looked around for a good recipe to try and this one had a lot of great reviews that I found on Allrecipes.com The only thing I did different from the original recipe was to leave out the raisins and I also scaled back the recipe to just make one cake instead of two.
First start by scalding the milk in a small saucepan and then add the butter. Then set this aside to let it cool completely.
Warm up the water until it is 110 degrees. I also use my digital thermometer to get it exactly the right temperature. This is to be sure the yeast will rise properly.
After it you add the yeast and sugar it needs to sit for about 10 minutes until the top is foamy. (I know its how to see in this terrible picture I took.) After it gets foamy on the top add the rest of the pastry ingredients and knead it for about 10 minutes. If you have a bread machine you can let it do the work for you. Cover and let rise until double about 2 hours.
Then roll it out on a flat surface until it is in a rectangle about 10" by 16"
Place this on a prepared baking sheet.
Spread the filling mixture evenly over the top of this.
Roll it up jelly roll style and the wrap it around to make a circle. Cut some slits in the top all the way around. Bake this at 375 degrees for 30 minutes. While it is still warm from the oven brush the glaze all over the top.
Here is what it looks like on the inside. Isn't that beautiful? I hope you enjoy!
_______________________________________* This Recipe makes Two cakes
Ingredients:
- PASTRY:
- 1 cup milk
- 1/4 cup butter
- 2 (.25 ounce) packages active dry yeast
- 2/3 cup warm water (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)
- 1/2 cup white sugar
- 2 eggs
- 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
- 5 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- FILLING:
- 1 cup packed brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
- 2/3 cup chopped pecans
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup melted butter
- FROSTING:
- 1 cup confectioners' sugar
- 1 tablespoon water
Directions:
1. Scald milk, remove from heat and
stir in 1/4 cup of butter. Allow mixture to cool to room temperature.
In a large bowl, dissolve yeast in the warm water with 1 tablespoon of
the white sugar. Let stand until creamy, about 10 minutes.
2. When yeast mixture is bubbling,
add the cooled milk mixture. Whisk in the eggs. Stir in the remaining
white sugar, salt and nutmeg. Beat the flour into the milk/egg mixture 1
cup at a time. When the dough has pulled together, turn it out onto a
lightly floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic, about 8 to
10 minutes.
3. Lightly oil a large bowl, place
the dough in the bowl and turn to coat with oil. Cover with a damp cloth
or plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place until doubled in volume,
about 2 hours. When risen, punch down and divide dough in half.
4. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F
(190 degrees C). Grease 2 cookie sheets or line with parchment paper.
5. To Make Filling: Combine the
brown sugar, ground cinnamon, chopped pecans, 1/2 cup flour. Pour 1/2 cup melted butter over the cinnamon mixture and mix
until crumbly.
6. Roll dough halves out into large
rectangles (approximately 10x16 inches or so). Sprinkle the filling
evenly over the dough and roll up each half tightly like a jelly roll,
beginning at the wide side. Bring the ends of each roll together to form
2 oval shaped rings. Place each ring on a prepared cookie sheet. With
scissors make cuts 1/3 of the way through the rings at 1 inch intervals.
Let rise in a warm spot until doubled in size, about 45 minutes.
7. Bake in preheated oven for 30
minutes. Push the doll into the bottom of the cake. Frost while warm
with the confectioners' sugar blended with 1 to 2 tablespoons of water.
