King Cake Recipe
1 package yeast
1 quarter cup warm water
6 tablespoons milk, scalded & cooled
4 cups sifted flour
melted butter
1 cup (2 sticks) butter
3 quarter cups sugar
4 eggs (reduce if eggs are x-large)
Dissolve yeast in warm water. Add milk and enough flour, about a half cup, to make a soft dough. In another bowl, combine butter, sugar, salt & eggs with electric mixer. Remove from mixer and add soft ball of yeast dough. Mix thoroughly. Gradually add 2 and a half cups flour to make medium dough that is neither too soft nor too stiff. Place in a greased bowl and brush top of dough with butter. Cover with a damp cloth and set aside till doubled in bulk, about 3 hours. Use remaining 1 cup flour to knead dough into oval ring shape. The center should be about 7 x 12 inches. Connect ends of dough by dampening with water. Cover with a damp cloth and let rise until doubled in bulk, about 1 hour. A bean or one-inch plastic baby may be placed in the cake at this time.
Bake in 325 degree oven for 35-45 minutes or until lightly browned.
Decorate by brushing top of cake with corn syrup or white glaze icing (melted white tub icing works fine) and alternating bands of purple, green and gold color sugar. (To color sugar, add a few drops of food coloring to sugar and shake in tightly covered container until desired color is achieved.)
Fun Stuff for Kids:
- How to Design a Mardi Gras Shoebox Float -- Brings back childhood memories -- keep the tradition alive!
- Mardi Gras on the Net -- Wonderful site for kids put together by 1st graders from my elementary school in New Orleans. Includes crafts, recipes, e-cards, history and more.
King Cakes:
- History of the King Cake -- Brief history of the famous cake with the baby inside.
- If you're not up to making your own, here are a couple of excellent places to order your King Cake from Gambino's Bakery or Haydel's Bakery
Everything Mardi Gras:
- MardiGrasday.com -- Official info source for Mardi Gras.
- MardiGras.com -- If it's Mardi Gras - it's here.
Web Art:
- Miss Pita's Domain -- Lots of nice Mardi Gras web art, borders, and backgrounds.
