It’s that time of year again for Mardi Gras, delicious food, drinks, awesome parties and of course you can’t have a Mardi Gras celebration without a delicious King Cake.
Here is a simply delicious King Cake recipe that I’ve made many times before and you might enjoy it as well. You will need the following ingredients to make this King Cake recipe:
2 packages of active dry yeast (.25oz)
1/2 cup of white sugar
1 cup of warm milk
1/2 cup of melted butter
5 egg yolks
4 cups of all purpose flour
2 teaspoons of salt
1 teaspoon of ground nutmeg
1 teaspoon of grated lemon zest
1 package of cream cheese (8oz)
1/2 cup of confectioner’s sugar
Then you will also need:
2 cups of confectioner’s sugar
1/4 cup of lemon juice
2 tablespoons of milk
1 tablespoon of multicolored candy sprinkles
In a large bowl you will need to dissolve the yeast and the white sugar in warm milk. Let stand until the mixture is creamy. This should take about 10 minutes. Stir in the egg yolks and melted butter into the creamy mixture.
In a separate bowl you will combine the flour, salt, nutmeg and lemon zest. Beat the flour mixture into the egg mixture a small amount at a time. When the dough pulls together, turn it out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until it’s smooth, this will take about 6 to 10 minutes.
Now lightly oil a large bowl and place the dough into the bowl, turning to coat with the oil. Cover with a damp dish cloth and let the dough rise in a warm place until it’s doubled in volume. This will take about 2 hours.
In a small bowl, combine the cream cheese and 1/2 cup confectioners’ sugar. Mix well. In another small bowl, combine the remaining 2 cups confectioners’ sugar, lemon juice and 2 tablespoons milk. Mix well and set aside.
Now you will turn the dough onto a floured surface, roll the dough into a rectangle about 6 by 30 inches. You will need to spread the cream cheese filling on the center of the dough. After spreading the cream cheese you will need to bring the two long edges together and seal completely. Use your hands to shape the dough into a long cylinder and place on a greased baking sheet with the seam facing down.
Now shape the dough into a ring and press into the ring from the bottom. Place a well greased metal coffee can, or something similar in shape in the center of the ring to maintain the shape during the baking process. Cover the ring with a towel and place in a warm place to rise until it’s doubled in size, which should take about 45 minutes. In the meantime preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Bake in the preheated oven until it is golden brown, this should take about 30 minutes. Remove the coffee can and allow the bread to cool.
Drizzle the cooled cake with lemon and sugar glaze then decorate with candy sprinkles and enjoy.
Hope you enjoy this delicious King Cake Recipe!
