By Casey Ann Beck

Mardi Gras, literally translated from French as “Fat Tuesday,” is just next week and, for many, it marks the last day of indulgence before the 40 days of Lenten sacrifice. Cultural traditions vary, but final gorging in preparation for over a month of extra good, pre-Easter behavior seems to be the constant around the world. While we’re more familiar with the renowned New Orleans festival, some countries start the celebration in early January, after the Epiphany or Three Kings Day. The day before Ash Wednesday is marked with worldwide festivals, parades, and parties.

The traditional Gulf Coast King Cake is a well known symbol of Mardi Gras. The festive, colorful ring of dough is topped with icing and colored sugar, and is a pretty decadent option for a day of loading up on the good stuff. Typically, a trinket or fava bean is tucked into the folds of the finished cake and the person who’s served that piece is charged with brining the King Cake the following year. Try your hand at this recipe to get your fair share of a fatty, sugary treat before Ash Wednesday.

King Cake

Cake

• 1 cup lukewarm milk
• ½ cup granulated sugar
• 2 tablespoons active dry yeast
• 3 ¾ cups all-purpose flour
• 1 cup unsalted butter, melted
• 3 eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon grated fresh lemon zest
• 2 teaspoons cinnamon
• ¼ teaspoons fresh nutmeg

Filling

• 2 teaspoons cinnamon
• ½ cup sugar

Icing

• 2 cups confectioners’ sugar
• 2 tablespoons (or more, as needed) milk
• Juice from ½ a lemon
• ½ teaspoon almond extract
• Purple, gold and green sugar for topping

For the cake, pour the warmed milk into a large bowl. Whisk in the sugar, yeast, and a tablespoon of the flour, mixing until the sugar and the yeast have dissolved. Once bubbles have developed on the surface of the milk and it begins to foam, whisk in the butter, eggs, vanilla, and lemon zest. Fold in the remaining flour, cinnamon, and nutmeg with a large rubber spatula. After the dough comes together and is smooth, shape it into a large ball. Knead the dough on a floured surface until it is smooth and elastic, about 15 minutes. Put the dough back into the bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and set aside in a draft-free place to let it rise for 1 ½ hours, until the dough has doubled in volume. In the meantime, make filling by combining sugar and cinnamon. Once the dough has risen, punch it down and divide the dough into 2 equal pieces. On a floured surface, roll each piece of dough out into a large rectangle (about 14” long) and coat with sugar and cinnamon mixture, leaving an inch wide border. Roll each piece up, starting at one long end and ending at the other, making long ropes. Twist each long rope individually, then, twist the two together and join at the ends, making a ring.  Gently lay the braided dough on a nonstick cookie sheet and let it rise until it doubles in size, about 30 minutes. In the meantime, preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Once the ring has doubled in size, place the cookie sheet in the oven and bake until it is golden brown, about 30 minutes. Remove the cake from the oven and allow to cool. For the icing, whisk together the confectioners’ sugar, milk, lemon juice, and almond extract in a bowl until the icing is smooth and spreadable. If the icing is too thick, add a bit more milk. If it’s too runny, add a little more confectioners’ sugar. Once the cake has cooled, spread the icing over the top of the cake and sprinkle with purple, green, and gold decorative sugars while the icing is still wet. Let icing set, and serve.

Recipes with yeast, like breads, have always seemed intimidating to me, partly because of the time, attentiveness and care it takes when kneading. The length of this recipe would fool you into thinking it was difficult when, in reality, it’s very simple. The yeast is the key factor in making this so easy, since it really does all the work, ensuring the dough rises and expands; so long as you’re working with fresh yeast, this King Cake should be a walk in the park. You’ll notice the dough seems extra slick when you first start maneuvering it with your hands, thanks to the ample amount of butter. Just be sure to have a small bowl of extra flour set to the side so you can coat your working surface, and the dough won’t stick. The time dedicated to allowing the dough to rise, twice, seems like a lot but it’s extremely necessary. You’ll be glad you waited when you have a giant, massive cake coming out of the oven.

The end result is truly a fine line between cake and bread, and the gentle hint of cinnamon lined throughout the twisted ropes of King Cake has the base of this recipe teetering more along the lines of a dessert. Of course, the thick coating of icing and colored sugar do their fare shares to sweeten things up. Don’t bother buying decorative sugar at the store, though; just vigorously whisk about ¾ cups of granulated sugar with a few drops of food coloring and you can make your own.

I don’t know what I like most about this recipe: the bread like texture; the cinnamon flavor; or the crunchy, sugary topping. Whatever your Fat Tuesday tradition, give this recipe a try; it’ll get you through 40 days of sacrifice.

Casey Ann is a local foodie and blogger. Check out her recipes and reviews at www.cleanpl8.com