King Cake - This one is Ginormous!
If you know about King Cakes and Mardi Gras…then you know that we are always looking for the next great King Cake. A good king cake should embody a mix of tradition, flavor, and texture.
Perfect Dough:
Soft, fluffy, and slightly sweet with a brioche-like texture.
A good balance between richness and lightness, ensuring it's not too dense.
2. Flavorful Filling (if any):
Classic cinnamon-sugar filling is a must for purists.
Creative flavors like cream cheese, praline, fruit jams (e.g., strawberry, blueberry), or Nutella are increasingly popular.
Well-balanced fillings that don’t overpower the dough are key.
3. Topping:
Traditional: A light glaze with purple, green, and gold sugar.
Modern twists: Cream cheese drizzle, edible glitter, or intricate piping.
4. Freshness:
A stale or dry king cake is a dealbreaker.
This recipe captures the flavor and filling of a traditional king cake while being anything but ordinary.
King Cake Recipe
First, make the Tangzhong.
Cook in a shallow pan on medium-high for 5 to 7 minutes until a thick paste forms. Remove from pan and let cook.
Tangzhong:
60g bread flour (1/2 cup)
120ml water (1/2 cup)
180ml whole milk (3/4 cup)
If using active dry yeast, activate it by combining the packet of yeast with warm milk (100 degrees) and half of the sugar in the recipe in a small bowl. When the mixture bubbles, it is ready to use. If you are using instant yeast, add it to the flour mixture.
Dough:
9g active dry yeast (~1 packet)
100g sugar (1/2 cup)
120ml whole milk (1/2 cup)
600g bread flour (5 cups), plus more
10g of kosher salt (1.5 tsp)
Grated nutmeg
2 whole eggs
2 egg yolks
113g softened butter (8 tbsp or 1 stick)
Add flour, salt, nutmeg, yeast mixture (or dry yeast), and tangzhong. Knead on low to medium to combine ingredients. Add eggs one at a time until incorporated. Add room-temperature butter one tablespoon at a time. When all the butter is incorporated, knead on medium-high for 5 minutes. This is a wet dough, but if the dough is too wet and does not pull away from the sides of the bowl—you may need to add more flour. I needed to ¼ cup of flour and mix on low until the dough pulled together.
Knead dough on medium-high for 8 minutes. The dough should be sticky but not stick to your hands. You will know if the dough is ready when you can stretch a piece of dough between your fingers and it doesn’t tear (the windowpane test)
Spray a large bowl with cooking spray and cover with plastic. Let dough rise for 2 hours in a warm place.
Filling:
160g light brown sugar (3/4 cup)
8g cinnamon (1 tbsp)
56g softened butter (4 tbsp)
30ml heavy cream (2 tbsp)
After 2 hours, the dough will be puffed up and risen above the bowl's edge. Remove the plastic and punch the dough down. Put flour down on the rolling service to prevent the dough from sticking, and remove the dough from the bowl. Lightly flour the top of the dough and gently roll it out to a thin rectangle. Keeping the dough at the same thickness will make it easier to braid and result in an even bake.
Cut the dough into three even strips, ensuring it does not stick to the surface. Spread four tablespoons of softened butter between the three strips. Then brush the two tablespoons of cream over the butter, careful not to tear the dough. Leave a clean edge around the strips for ease of rolling up.
Combine brown sugar, cinnamon, and a pinch of salt, then evenly sprinkle over the strips. Gently pat/brush the filling on each strip to ensure it is evenly covered.
Roll up each strip as you would with cinnamon rolls, keeping the roll as tight as possible and keeping the seam on the bottom.
Make the three strips as long and thin as possible without tearing them, and that they are the same length.
Now comes the braiding. Lay the three dough strips side by side, parallel to each other. Attach the tops, but don’t press.
First step: Cross the middle strip over the right outer strip to become the new middle strip.
Take the middle strip and cross it over the left strip, which will become the new middle. Alternate until you reach the end. Keep the braids as close/tight as possible. Wrap the braid around to make an oval shape. Put on a sheet pan and connect the ends (as best you can). You will need a large baking sheet ( I use the Nordic Ware XL baking sheet – I bought at Walmart.)
Cover with a towel and let rise for 45 minutes to 1 hour.
Egg Wash:
1 whole egg and 1 tablespoon of heavy cream
Finish:
2 tablespoons heavy whipping cream
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Brush the braid with egg wash before baking.
Bake for 20 to 30 minutes. The internal temperature should be 190 degrees. (I use an instant-read thermometer)
Immediately after pulling the cake out of the oven, brush 2 tablespoons of heavy whipping cream around the exterior of the cake. This will soften the outer layer, preventing it from becoming dry. The cream is primarily fat, so it will be absorbed into the cake, enhancing its flavor and creating a softer exterior. Let the cake sit on the pan for about 5 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack to cool completely before frosting.
Vanilla Icing:
320g Powdered sugar (2.5 cups)
4g Lemon juice (1 tsp)
Pinch salt
4g Vanilla extract (1 tsp)
20g corn syrup (1 tbsp)
56g melted butter (half stick)
Whole milk till desired consistency
Sift the powdered sugar into a bowl. Add melted butter, corn syrup, vanilla extract, a pinch of salt, and lemon juice. Start adding milk a couple of tablespoons until you reach a spreadable consistency. If you want to color the icing, divide it into three bowls and color one green, one gold, and one purple. If you’re going to keep it white and use colored sugar, you can do that or add green, gold, and purple sprinkles. It’s your king cake – You Do You!
Note: If you don’t want to make a full-sized cake, divide the dough in half to create two smaller cakes.
