How to Make Louisiana King Cake

Louisiana King Cake is served at nearly every restaurant and cafe during Mardi Gras in New Orleans, and can also be made during the Epiphany celebrations. This delicious pastry-style cake is covered with colored sugar contains a small doll or coin inside as part for good luck! Here's how to make the original Louisiana King Cake.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Things You’ll Need:

• 2 packets active dry yeast
• ½ cup warm water
• 5 cups sifted all-purpose flour
• ½ cup white sugar
• ½ tsp. nutmeg
• 2 tsp. salt
• 1 tsp. lemon zest
• ½ cup 2% milk + 1 tbs. milk, separated at room temperature
• 3 whole eggs
• 4 egg yolks
• ½ cup + 2 tbs. fresh butter, separated
• 1 egg
• Coin or doll
• 3 cups powdered sugar
• ¼ cup lemon juice
• 5 tbs. water
• Colored sugar in purple, green and yellow

The Cake

1. Dissolve the yeast. Combine the dry yeast with warm water in small bowl. Set aside.
2. Create flour mixture. Combine flour, sugar and salt in large bowl. Add nutmeg and lemon peel and mix thoroughly. Make a "well" in the center and prepare to add wet ingredients.
3. Begin making the dough. Pour the yeast and water mixture and ½ cup milk into the well.
4. Add the eggs. Beat the 3 whole eggs and 4 egg yolks then pour into the well.
5. Begin combining. Take a large wooden spoon and start pushing dry ingredients into the well, slowly combining and forming a dough.
6. Add the butter. Add ½ cup butter to the mixture in chunks, and mix well. Transfer dough to a food processor to combine completely.
7. Knead the dough. Remove dough from food processor and begin kneading on a floured surface. Add spoonfuls of flour until dough becomes elastic.
8. Transfer dough to a bowl. Butter the inside of a medium sized bowl and transfer dough to rest. Leave for 1½ hours until dough has doubled in size.
9. Prepare baking sheet. Brush a baking sheet with butter and set aside.
10. Prepare dough for baking. Knead the dough down to size, and shape into a long tube. Turn it into a ring on the baking sheet, and insert the coin or doll somewhere in the ring.
11. Let dough rise a second time. Leave the dough to rise again for 55 minutes.
12. Make egg mixture. Mix together one egg with tablespoon of milk and set aside.
13. Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.
14. Brush egg mixture onto dough.
15. Bake for 25-30 minutes until golden brown. Leave cake to cool on a wire rack and prepare the icing.

The Icing

16. Prepare the icing. Mix the sugar and lemon juice thoroughly.
17. Add water. Add water to mixture, one tbs. at a time until mixture becomes stiff. Icing should be easy to pour.
18. Pour icing over cake. Pour icing over entire cake and let it drip down the sides.

Sugar Decorations

19. Add purple to the cake by sprinkling directly on icing.
20. Add yellow to the cake by sprinkling directly on icing.
21. Add green to the cake by sprinkling directly on icing in stripes.

Tips & Warnings

• Use fresh butter for easy mixing and an authentic flavor.
• The cake is often referred to as brioche.
• Make sure dough has risen to its maximum capacity during each stage.
• Water must be added a spoonful at a time to get the right consistency.
• Adding too much water will make icing runny; fix this by adding more powdered sugar.
• Dried or candied fruit can be added for more color.
• Don't let the icing set for too long before adding the sugar.