Louisiana Homemade King Cake
In Louisiana, it's all about good music, good fun, and good food! You can't celebrate Mardi Gras without eating a delicious King Cake. This traditional pastry is sure to please. But a made-from-scratch King Cake is not an easy task. It takes about 3-3 1/2 hours to prepare. In the end, the work is well worth it and lasts until the final bead is thrown.
Total Steps
13
Ingredients
17
Tools Needed
5
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup butter
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 16 ounce sour cream
- 2 package dry yeast
- 2 eggs eggs
- 6-6 1/2 cup all purpose flour, divided
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/3 cup butter, softened
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 3 cup sifted powdered sugar
- 3 tablespoons butter
- 5 tablespoons milk
- 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 drops food coloring
- 1 1/2 cup sugar, divided
- 2 drops green, yellow, red and blue food coloring
Instructions
Step 1
Combine 1/4 cup of butter, salt, and sour cream in a saucepan. Heat until melted, stirring occasionally. Cool slightly.
Step 2
Dissolve yeast and 1 teaspoon of sugar in warm water according to package directions. Let yeast stand.
Step 3
Add the butter/sour cream mixture, eggs, and 2 cups of flour to a large bowl. Beat at medium speed with an electric mixer for about 2 minutes or until smooth. Gradually stir in the remaining 4 cups of flour to make a soft dough.
Step 4
Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead for about 10 minutes, until elastic. Place dough in a well-greased bowl, turning to grease the top. Cover and let rise in a warm place (80-85 degrees F) for one hour, until doubled in bulk.
Step 5
Combine 1/2 cup of sugar, 1/2 cup of brown sugar, melted butter, and cinnamon. Set aside.
Step 6
Punch dough down and divide in half. Turn one portion of dough out onto a lightly floured surface and roll into a 28x10-inch rectangle. Spread softened butter and cinnamon mixture on the dough. Roll dough in jellyroll fashion, starting at one end and rolling towards the other. Halfway down the roll, add filling of choice (e.g., cream cheese, chocolate, Bavarian cream, fruit).
Step 7
Finish rolling to the end and gently place the dough roll seam-side down on a lightly greased baking sheet. Bring the ends of the dough together to form an oval ring, moistening and pinching the edges together to seal.
Step 8
Cover and let rise in a warm place for 20 minutes.
Step 9
Bake at 375 degrees F for 15-20 minutes or until golden.
Step 10
Repeat the procedure with the remaining dough, butter, and cinnamon mixture to make a second cake.
Step 11
Combine powdered sugar and butter. Add milk (at room temperature) to desired drizzling consistency. Stir in vanilla extract. Divide frosting into three batches, tinting one green, one yellow, and one combining red and blue for purple. This yields about 1 1/2 cups of frosting.
Step 12
Place the divided sugar in three jars or bowls. Add a drop of green food coloring to one container and mix well. Repeat for yellow and purple colored sugar.
Step 13
Decorate each cake with batches of colored frosting and sprinkle with colored sugar.