KS Quotient
Fairly Easy: Two-stage mixing. Some hand-shaping required.
Shaped like a large, oval doughnut and gaudily decorated with alternating sections of Carnival colors (purple, green, and yellow), the yeast bread known as King's Cake is one of New Orleans' many popular Mardi Gras traditions. The "cake" is an indulgence traditionally enjoyed on the Twelfth Night (the eve of Epiphany, which begins the twelfth day after Christmas) and up until Ash Wednesday, the beginning of Lent. The name references the custom of tucking a coin, miniature china doll, nut meat, or other small tidbit in the cake before baking and declaring whoever happens upon it the king of the next Mardi Gras ball. The King's Cake, sometimes also called Twelfth Night cake, actually dates to the Carnival celebrations of medieval Europe, where the notion of serendipitously becoming nobility was even more entertaining than it is today.
Both home and commercial bakers now prepare the Gateau du Roi, and many are shipped around the country for those wishing to participate in Mardi Gras from afar. Good-quality versions feature a light, not too sweet brioche, often flavored with citrus zest and spice. Some bakers go all out with the toppings, adding not only the traditional bands of icing or colored sugars, but bits of candied cherries or bright nonpareils for a jewel-studded look. (My grandchildren are always in favor of the heavy décor.) Since this is a Carnival-time treat, it's really impossible to be too fanciful or go too far over the top! Incidentally, both the loaf shaping and decorating are much easier than you might think.
Yield: 12 to 15, 2- to 2½-inch servings
2½ cups (12.5 ounces) unbleached all-purpose white flour, plus 1 cup (5 ounces), plus more as needed
7 tablespoons granulated sugar, divided
1¼ teaspoons table salt
1 teaspoon instant, fast-rising, or bread machine yeast
1 1/3 cups ice water, plus more if needed
Corn oil or canola oil, for coating dough top
2 large eggs plus 1 large egg yolk, at room temperature
1/3 cup good-quality instant nonfat dry milk (don't use a generic brand)
1/3 cup unsalted butter, melted and cooled just slightly
Grated zest (yellow part of the skin) of 1 large lemon
¾ teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 pecan half (or other small edible gift to insert in the cake)
1 tablespoon whole or reduced-fat milk
2 cups confectioners' sugar, sifted after measuring
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 to 2 tablespoons water, as needed
¼ cup each purchased yellow, green, and purple decorating sugar (or prepare your own using the sidebar recipe )
Candied cherries, candy dots, or nonpareils, optional
First Rise In a large bowl, thoroughly stir together 2½ cups of the flour, 3 tablespoons of the sugar, the salt, and yeast. Vigorously stir in the water, scraping down the bowl sides and mixing until the dough is thoroughly blended. If the mixture is too dry to blend together, stir in just enough more ice water to facilitate mixing, but don't over-moisten, as it should be firm. If the mixture is soft, stir in enough more flour to make it firm, but not hard to stir. Evenly brush or spray the top lightly with oil. Tightly cover the bowl with plastic wrap. If desired, for best flavor or for convenience, refrigerate for 3 to 10 hours. Then let rise at cool room temperature for 12 to 18 hours.
Second Rise In a medium bowl, thoroughly whisk the eggs and yolk together. Remove 2 tablespoons and set aside in a small cup, covered, for garnish. Lightly whisk the remaining 4 tablespoons sugar, dry milk, butter, lemon zest, and nutmeg into the egg mixture. Vigorously stir the egg mixture into the dough until thoroughly and evenly incorporated. (If preferred, use a dough hook and heavy stand mixer on low speed.) Stir or beat in the remaining 1 cup of flour until completely smooth; this will take several minutes. The dough should be stiff; if necessary, add in enough more flour to yield a hard-to-stir dough, then scrape down the bowl sides carefully.
Line a large baking sheet with baking parchment. Coat the parchment with nonstick spray, then dust with flour. Turn out the dough onto the center of the parchment, then dust with more flour and shape into a round. Push the pecan half (or other tidbit) down into the dough, carefully covering it up; it will be discovered by a lucky eater. With a well-oiled spatula or fingertips, form a hole in the center of the dough and work it outward until the dough forms a 15 x 12 x 3-inch oval doughnut with a 4-inch-wide center opening. Use the spatula or fingertips to work the inner circle of the dough to create a smooth, attractive edge and dust the dough with flour as needed to reduce stickiness. Brush or spray the top with oil and tent with nonstick spray—coated foil.
Let Rise Using Any of These Methods For a 1½- to 2½-hour regular rise, let stand at warm room temperature; for a 1- to 2-hour accelerated rise, let stand in a turned-off microwave along with 1 cup of boiling-hot water; or for an extended rise, refrigerate for 4 to 24 hours, then set out at room temperature. Continue the rise until the dough nearly doubles from the deflated size. Carefully remove the foil.
Baking Preliminaries 20 minutes before baking time, put a rack in the lower third of the oven; preheat to 375°F. Whisk the reserved egg mixture together with the milk. Brush the dough surface evenly with the egg wash, wiping up any drips.
Baking Bake on the lower rack for 25 to 30 minutes, or until the top is nicely browned. Cover with foil and continue baking for 15 to 20 minutes, or until a skewer inserted in the thickest part comes out with just a few particles on the end (or until the center registers 206° to 207°F on an -instant-read thermometer). Let cool in the pan on a wire rack.
Meanwhile, prepare the icing: In a small bowl, stir together the powdered sugar, lemon juice, and 1½ tablespoons water until smooth and well blended. Gradually add more water or more sifted powdered sugar to obtain a pourable but not runny consistency. Working in sections, pour the icing over the cool cake top, quickly spreading it over the surface and then sprinkling with colored sugar; work quickly so the icing doesn't dry before the sugar is added. Add the sugars in alternating yellow, purple, and green bands (using each color four or five times conveniently divides the cake into 12 or 15 servings). If desired, add small nonpareils by sprinkling over the top; add cherries or candy dots by lightly dipping them in the icing and then pressing into place on the cake.
Serving and StoringServe warm or at room temperature. Cool completely before storing airtight in a cake keeper or plastic container. Keeps at room temperature for up to 3 days, and may be frozen, airtight, for up to 2 months.
To Make Colored SugarsFor each color, put ¼ cup granulated sugar in a small resealable plastic bag; add two drops of liquid food color, seal, and squeeze until thoroughly blended. For purple, combine a drop of red and blue first, then mix with the sugar. Let the sugars stand to dry out slightly before using if they seem wet.