King cake is a New Orleans tradition that involves sweet cinnamon dough, a tiny plastic baby, and a party! The cake is baked with a tiny plastic baby hidden inside; whoever gets the slice with the baby in it has to host the next party. Sprinkle with purple, green, and gold sugar, or decorate with whole pecans and candied cherries. This easy king cake recipe will brighten up your Mardi Gras party in no time! A small plastic baby inserted into the side of the cake will bring good luck in the coming year to whoever discovers it in their slice of cake. Beads, additional plastic babies, curly ribbons, and other festive trinkets can be used to decorate the cake. Mardi Gras King Cake Tradition . The king cake tradition dates back hundreds of years and was originally made to celebrate Epiphany or Three Kings Day. Baking a tiny plastic baby into a king cake wasn’t common practice until the 1800s. Some say the baby represents Jesus. And, you still get to enjoy the fun colors of Mardi Gras without the mess of dishes brought on by a stand mixer and all that comes along with that. This delicious recipe provides all the Mardi Gras flavors in a Bundt pan with the fun traditional colors of Mardi Gras! It’s perfect for a festive breakfast and great for a quick and delicious This traditional Mardi Gras King cake recipe is worlds better than anything you can buy at the grocery store. This simple spiced yeast dough gets filled with a cinnamon sugar filling, twisted into a ring, and adorned with colored sugar. Add a tiny plastic baby to pull the tradition full circle! ¾ teaspoons kosher salt. 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon. ¼ teaspoon grated nutmeg. 1/8 teaspoon almond extract. 1 teaspoon grated lemon zest (chopped) 2 teaspoons grated orange zest (chopped) The circular shape is a nod to the kings' crown, emphasizing its royal inspiration. The hidden baby inside symbolizes luck and prosperity, making the discovery a moment of joy and significance. pin it Mardi Gras King Cake Recipe | myhomemaderecipe.com Make-Ahead Options. Planning ahead can simplify your baking process and ensure optimal results. Make ahead and freeze your cake: Let the unfrosted cake cool completely, then wrap in a double layer of plastic wrap and foil. Freeze for up to 3 months. Freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight at room temperature, then frost before serving. A tiny plastic (or porcelain or gold) baby is inserted into the cake–whoever is served the baby is asked to host the next Mardi Gras party. If you scroll to the bottom of the page, there is a printable recipe. In order to avoid bad luck, it should only be eaten during the Mardi Gras season (Jan. 6 through Fat Tuesday). 750,000 King Cakes are sold in New Orleans every year. The “baby in the cake” tradition began by people baking a porcelain baby inside the cake. Nowadays, a plastic or porcelain baby is usually placed inside the cake after baking. King cake is a must for every Mardi Gras celebration, but it takes some time and dedication to make from scratch. Use my clever shortcut recipe to make an easy (but delicious) king cake. The person who hosts the Mardi Gras party buys or makes the king cake, and since whoever finds the baby is said to be prosperous in the coming year, they take on the responsibility of providing the king cake for the next year. King Cake Recipe with Cake Mix. You can find all items at Walmart as well if you don’t shop onlinebut that is how I do almost all my shopping nowadays! Options for including the Mardi Gras plastic baby into the cake. Push it into the batter like I did in the video above Enjoy this delicious homemade Mardi Gras King Cake this year and let the good times roll! Made with a sweet brioche dough and a cinnamon or cream cheese filling, this is the best king cake recipe and 1,000x better than anything you’ll find in a grocery store or bakery! King Cake is a soft and delicious Mardi Gras tradition that takes minimal ingredients and time to put together. We’ve included 3 different shape options as well as instructions for adding in a plastic baby. Key Ingredients for Mardi Gras King Cake . Don't let the long ingredient list fool you—the bulk of this celebratory cake is made up with pantry staples like butter, sugar, flour, egg yolks, and milk. Active dry yeast, a few special flavorings, powdered sugar, and sanding sugars round out the list. To make Mardi Gras king cake, you'll need: Turn out onto a floured surface; knead until smooth and elastic, 6-8 minutes. Place in a greased bowl, turning once to grease the top. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 1 hour. Step 1 For the dough: In a medium bowl, stir together the yeast, water, and 2 teaspoons of the sugar. Let the mixture stand until foamy, about 5 minutes. Step 2 In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, combine the yeast mixture, milk, butter, eggs, salt, and remaining 1/2 cup of the sugar. To make the cake, heat milk in a small saucepan. Remove from heat and whisk in the granulated sugar, yeast, and a heaping tablespoon of the flour, mixing until both the sugar and the yeast have dissolved. An authentic Mardi Gras king cake scented with fresh citrus and bursting with a sweet, cinnamon filling.This recipe is adapted from Haydel's Bakery's original recipe. And calls for rich, flavorful butter instead of the hydrogenated vegetable shortening you'll find in many traditional recipes.
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