On Wed 01 Mar 2006 12:00:07a, Thus Spake Zarathustra, or was it Denise~*?

>
> I made a King cake today for fun. It was the first time I ever made
> one. It was OK, but nothing like the one we ordered a couple years ago
> from Haydels Bakery. Does anybody have a good recipe that tastes more
> like the "real deal"?
>

You didn't post the recipe you used, but most are quite similar. Many of
the commercial cakes are quite "over the top", and not really like the
"real deal".

The following recipe is from The Soulard Renaissance. It's the "real
deal".

Official Mardi Gras King Cake Recipe
Contributed by Dena Connor

Ingredients
1/2 cup warm water (110 to 115 degrees)
2 packages active dry yeast
1/2 cup plus 1 teaspoon sugar
31/2 41/2 cups unsifted flour
1 teaspoon nutmeg
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon lemon zest
1/2 cup warm milk
5 egg yolks
1 stick butter cut in slices and softened, plus 2 tablespoons more
1 egg slightly beaten with a tablespoon of milk
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 tiny plastic doll (not more than 1")

Directions

Pour the warm water into a small shallow bowl and sprinkle yeast and 2
teaspoons sugar into it. Allow the yeast and sugar to rest for three
minutes, then mix thoroughly. Set bowl in a warm place for 10 minutes until
yeast bubbles up. Combine 31/2 cups of flour, remaining sugar, nutmeg and
salt and sift into a large mixing bowl.

Stir in lemon zest. Separate center of mixture to form a hole and pour in
yeast mixture and milk. Add egg yolks and using a wooden spoon, combine dry
ingredients into the yeast/milk mixture. When mixture is smooth, beat in 8
tablespoons butter, 1 tablespoon at a time and continue to beat 2 minutes
or until dough can be formed into a medium soft ball.

Place ball of dough on floured surface and knead, gradually adding up to 1
cup more of flour. When dough is no longer sticky, knead 10 minutes more
until shiny and elastic.

Using a pastry brush, coat the inside of a large bowl evenly with one
tablespoon softened butter. Place dough ball in the bowl and rotate until
the entire surface is buttered. Cover bowl with a heavier kitchen towel and
allow dough to rise in a warm place for about 11/2 hours or until it
doubles in volume. Coat a large baking sheet with one tablespoon of butter
and set aside. After the first rising, place the dough on a floured surface
and punch it down with a heavy blow. Sprinkle cinnamon, then pat and shape
the dough into a long 'snake' or 'cylinder'. Form a twist by folding the
long cylinder in half, end to end, and pinching the ends together. Then
twist the dough. Form a ring with the completed twist pinch the ends
together. Place the completed ring on the buttered baking sheet, cover it
with a towel and allow it to rise for 45 minutes or until it doubles in
volume.

After the second rising, brush the top and sides of the cake with the egg
and milk wash. Bake in a preheated oven at 375 degrees for 25-35 minutes or
until golden brown. Cool on a wire rack and hide the plastic baby in the
cake.

Icing (2 parts)
Colored sugar
Green, purple and yellow coloring paste (sold with cake decorating
supplies)
12 tablespoons sugar

Divide sugar into three portions (for green, yellow and purple).
Add a tiny amount of the coloring paste to each sugar portion. Try mixing
the sugar and colored pasted between your palms for best results. Set
aside.

Poured icing
3/4 cups confectioners sugar
1/4 cup lemon juice
36 tablespoons of water

Combine ingredients until smooth, adding more water if it's too thick.
Spoon icing over top of cake. Immediately sprinkle on colored sugars,
alternating between the three colors. Serve in 2"3" pieces.




--
Wayne Boatwright o¿o
____________________

BIOYA