| KING
CAKE: MAKE YOUR OWN OR ORDER THE BEST!
The King
Cake is believed to have been brought to New Orleans, Louisiana,
from France in the 1870's. It evolved from the Twelfth Night or
Epiphany pastry made by those early settlers. They added their own
touches with the Spanish custom of choosing Twelfth Night royalty.
 A
dried bean or pea was hidden inside the cake and whoever found it
received a year of good luck and was treated as royalty for that
day. Starting around the 1930s, a tiny naked baby was used instead
of the bean or pea. The baby can be pink, brown, or golden. Some
people believe that the baby represents the baby Jesus because Twelfth
Night was when the three kings found the baby in Bethlehem.
The payback for being king or queen for the day is that person
has to buy the king cake for the next day. That can cost from $4.00
- $6.00 for a small, plain grocery store cake to $25.00 for an elaborately
filled and decorated cake.King Cake season lasts throughout Mardi
Gras from Epiphany until Mardi Gras Day.The royal colors of purple,
green and gold on the cake honors the three kings who visited the
Christ child on Epiphany:
Purple respresnts Justice.
Green stands for Faith.
Gold signifies Power.
The three colors appeared in 1872 on a Krewe of Rex carnival flag
especially designed for the visiting Grand Duke of Russia. He came
to New Orleans just for the carnival, and the universal colors remain
his legacy.
Well, we promised you could make your own, so here's a recipe:
King Cake
1/4 cup butter or margarine
1 (16-oz.) carton sour cream
1/3 c. sugar
1 t. salt
1 pkgs. dry yeast
1 T. sugar
1/2 c. warm water (105 º to 115 º)
2 eggs
6 to 6 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, divided
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
1/2 cup sugar
1 1/2 t. ground cinnamon
1/3 cup butter or margarine, softened
Colored frostings
Colored Sugars
Combine the first 4 ingredients in a saucepan; heat until butter
melts, stirring occasionally. Let mixture cool to 105 º to
115 º.
Dissolve yeast and 1 T. sugar in warm water in a large bowl; let
stand 5 minutes. Add butter mixture, eggs, and 2 cups of flour;
beat at medium speed with an electric mixer for 2 minutes or by
hand until smooth. Gradually stir in enough remaining flour to make
a soft dough.
Turn dough out onto a lightly-floured surface, and knead until
smooth and elastic (about 10 minutes). Place in a well-greased bowl,
turning to grease top. Cover and let rise in a warm place free from
drafts, for 1 hour or until dough is doubled in bulk.
Combine 1/2 cup sugar and cinnamon; set aside.
Pinch dough down and it divide in half. Turn one portion of dough
out onto a lightly floured surface, and roll to a 28" X 10"
rectangle. Spread half of the butter and half of the cinnamon mixture
on the rolled out dough. Roll dough, jelly roll fashion, starting
at the long side. Gently place dough roll, seam side down, on a
lightly greased baking sheet. Bring ends of dough together and form
an oval ring. If you have access to a tiny plastic baby, tuck it
into the seam before you seal it. If not, use a large, dried bean.
Moisten and pinch the edges together to seal.
Repeat this procedure with the second half of the dough.
Cover and let rise in a warm place, free from drafts, 20 minutes
or until doubled in bulk.
Bake at 375 º for 15 to 20 minutes or until golden. Decorate
each cake with bands of colored frostings, and sprinkle with colored
sugars.Makes 2 cakes.
NOTE: If you prefer, you can replace the cinnamon and sugar inside
the roll of dough with a cream cheese filling or a pie filling in
the flavor of your choice... just spread it thinly on the center
of the rectangle before you roll it up. Popular flavors are blueberry,
cherry, and lemon.
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