I warned you. I told you my posts were way behind. This is from Mardi Gras. Mardi Gras, people! In case you didn't know, Easter is Sunday. Now, I'm not a religious person at all. I am spiritual, but as the daughter of two scientists, it was never forced upon me. Presented, yes but forced, no. I even went to Catholic school for 8 years (high school and college) but after struggling with understanding religion during the first year of high school, I eventually gave up and came into my own. I realized my relationship with a higher power is definitely personal and not something that should be forced upon anyone. Which is what I think religion is.
Now, not to go on a tirade about the issues I have with religion, to put it simply, I believe it was a way to explain things that could not be explained before we discovered science and the answers we have today. I think religion has become way too political and full of the power hungry. I just believe in treating everyone the way I would want to be treated and when I do that, everything else will fall into place. Okay, done. I promise.
I do believe in baking though and I made this King's Cake for Mardi Gras. It was an interesting experience considering all of the cakes I saw did not look very appetizing. Mine was no exception. People were frightened to try it. It was delicious though and it even had an almond in it (I was creeped out by putting the plastic baby in there). So I started with the dough. First I had to warm the butter and milk in preparation for the yeast.
While I let that cool a bit, I added the sugar and cinnamon.
I made the sponge by adding the active dry yeast and waited for it to start working.
When the sponge was ready, I added the flour and other dry ingredients and used my dough hook to knead the dough for a few minutes. While that was rising in the bowl, I started on the filling.
How awesomely unhealthy does this look??? Butter, sugar, raisins and cinnamon. This is what Fat Tuesday is about. Gluttony. I was not about to go light on this day! No matter how much I wanted to.
Next I assembled the loaf in the same way I would make my Cinnamon Rolls except I didn't cut them into slices but instead I rolled the tube into a circular loaf and cut slices in the top. I also hid an almond in there to keep with tradition. If you don't know, traditionally the person who gets the plastic baby (or in this case, the almond) is responsible for providing the cake next year.
I let the loaf rise for about 30-45 minutes and then baked at 375F. When I took it out, it was pretty!
Golden in the right places and baked all of the way through. I used a cream cheese frosting that was completely be accident. The glaze I was using just wasn't working for me so I threw a cream cheese and confectioner's sugar icing together and mixed, topping with sprinkles.
Here is what it looked like when we cut into it:
Yep, it's basically a giant cinnamon roll! Yummy!
Well, I should get back to my real life but I have a bunch of posts coming up from the last few weeks. Hopefully I am starting to get back on track. Thank you for being patient. I love you all dearly!
Recipe
1 12 inch circular loaf
For the Dough
1/2 cup milk
2 Tablespoons (1 ounce) unsalted butter
1 package (2 1/4 teaspoons) active dry yeast
1/3 cup warm water
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 extra large egg
1 extra large egg yolk
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 teaspoon kosher salt
Pinch of freshly grated nutmeg
3 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
For the Filling
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
1 Tablespoon ground cinnamon
1/3 cup chopped pecans (optional, I omitted)
1/4 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
4 Tablespoons (2 ounces) unsalted butter, melted
For the Dough
In a small saucepan over medium heat, heat the milk until bubbles appear around the edges. Add the butter and set aside to cool to room temperature.
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook, dissolve the yeast in the warm water with 1 tablespoon of the sugar. Let stand until bubbled and frothy, about 10 minutes. Add the cooled milk mixture, the eggs, remaining sugar, vanilla, salt, and nutmeg. With the mixer on low, knead in the flour one cup at a time. Increase the speed to medium-high and knead until smooth, about 5-7 minutes.
Transfer the dough to a lightly floured surface and knead into a ball. Spray a large bowl with non-stick spray, cover with a sheet of plastic wrap, and place in a warm, draft free place until doubled in volume, about 60-90 minutes.
For the Filling
In a medium bowl, combine the brown sugar, cinnamon, pecans if using, and flour. Pour in the melted butter and mix until a paste forms; set aside. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper; set aside.
When the dough has risen, transfer it to a lightly floured surface. Roll the dough into a 10x24-inch rectangle. Spread the filling (it won't be smooth and even) over the dough. Starting with the widest end, roll up the dough into a jelly roll, pinching the seems well. Bring the ends together to form an oval, pinching the end seams, as well. Place the oval onto the prepared baking sheet. Cover with a damp cloth and allow to rise in a warm draft free place until doubled in size, about 45 minutes.
Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 375° F. Bake the cake for 30 minutes, tenting with a sheet of foil the last 10 minutes if it appears to be browning too quickly. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
No comments:
Post a Comment