• King Cake

• Description
  • While we live in the midwest, and have never been to "The Big Easy" to experience Mardi Gras, we do enjoy Cajun cuisine.  For those "in the know"... you know that King Cake IS the big thing during Mardi Gras.  And everyone hopes to find the little baby that is baked inside the cake... the person who has the baby in their slice is supposed to have a year of good luck! Fat Tuesday is February 28th (so here is a goal for Russ to get the podcast edited and posted BEFORE then!)... so make plans to have this on your table to celebrate!  In episode #162 I included the recipe for Bacon-Corn Maque Choux which is another Louisiana dish that is quite tasty! For those that have never had King Cake, it is very much like a coffee cake (some recipes for King Cake include a cream cheese filling, instead of a cinnamon-sugar filling).  If you'd like to put a baby in your cake, buy a small plastic baby (about 1" long) from your local craft supply store and cut a small slit into the bottom of the cake after baking and shove the baby inside... so no one knows where the baby is when you start cutting into the cake. Russ hadn't experienced King Cake until he moved to Missouri... I think he enjoys a slice of it (even though he's not big on sweets).

• Ingredients
  • 2 packages (1/4 ounce each) active dry yeast
  • 1/2 cup warm water (110° to 115°)
  • 3/4 cup sugar, divided
  • 1/2 cup butter, softened
  • 1/2 cup warm 2% milk (110° to 115°)
  • 2 egg yolks
  • 1-1/4 teaspoons salt
  • 1 teaspoon grated lemon peel
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • 3-1/4 to 3-3/4 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1 egg, beaten

Podcast: Play in new window | Download