KING CAKE: A SLICE OF CARNIVAL.(Living)

The Cincinnati Post (Cincinnati, OH) February 22, 2006 Byline: Kathie Smith Toledo Blade King cakes have always been popular in the South for Mardi Gras, especially in cities where the entire season leading up to Fat Tuesday (on Feb. 28 this year) is celebrated with masked balls, private societies and parades — as in Mobile and New Orleans.

For a decade or so, king cakes have been attracting attention elsewhere. Boxes of the coffeecakes are currently stacked in Greater Cincinnati’s Busken bakeries.

“King cakes are catching on more each year,” says Andy Haas of Haas Bakery in Oregon, Ohio. “The Retail Bakers of America have been trying to promote the cakes.” This year, Haas and his father, Dennis, now semi-retired, have been baking and selling king cakes since Jan. 6, Epiphany. As is the custom, they will sell the cakes throughout the period of Mardi Gras until the day before Ash Wednesday, when the Lenten season begins.

Epiphany is referred to as the 12th day of Christmas or the King’s Day. Twelfth night is the celebrating of the coming of the wise men bearing gifts to the Christ child. It marks the start of the carnival season that runs through Fat Tuesday, which also is known as Shrove Tuesday.

According to one version of king-cake history, French settlers brought this tradition to New Orleans. The cake dates back to the 12th century, when people feasted on round cakes that resembled the modern version. The cakes were eaten on King’s Day, and soon the Feast of the Epiphany developed into a major holiday, complete with a royal theme celebrated throughout France. Shortly after, a tiny bean was put into the yeast dough before the cake was baked. The bean was eventually replaced by the modern-day plastic baby to symbolize the baby Jesus whom the three kings or wise men were going to see.

In the New Orleans tradition, king cake consists of an egg-rich yeast dough baked and topped with icing and sugar in the traditional Mardi Gras colors — purple (justice), green (faith) and gold (power). The decoration has been called gaudy by some, but it is a much-appreciated tradition by those who love it. go to website king cake recipe

Some commercial bakeries also add the yellow, green and purple beaded necklaces, and plastic coins to the decoration.

Many king cakes are made plain, but can have fillings. Haas Bakery east of Toledo, Ohio, has lemon, raspberry with cream cheese, apricot, blueberry, cinnamon and others.

Today, many bakers are worried about liability and thus will not put the tiny plastic baby in the cake for fear that a consumer will choke on it. Thus, bakers put the plastic toy on top of the cake.

New Orleans bakeries have long shipped the king cakes throughout the country for those longing for a taste of the tradition, writes Linda Stradley in “I’ll Have What They’re Having: Legendary Local Cuisine” (The Globe Pequot Press, $18.95). Originally, objects such as coins, beans, pecans and peas were hidden inside king cakes. Wealthy plantation owners in the late 1800s sometimes put in a precious stone or jewel.

“The recipient of the plastic baby is ‘crowned’ king or queen for the day and are obligated to host the following year’s party,” she writes. She dates the tradition to the French settlers in New Orleans around 1870. Stradley includes a New Orleans king-cake recipe in her cookbook. It’s iced with lemon frosting and sprinkled with colored sugars. She does not use a filling.

When we tested the recipe, it produced a “huge” cake. Although it was best when served warm, leftovers could be used to make great French toast.

Father Dominic Garramone, host of the public television series “Breaking Bread with Father Dominic” and author of the companion cookbooks, developed another version of king cake.

He drew his inspiration for the dough from the orange and spices flavors of Spain. He uses a mixture of cardamom and nutmeg in a sweet, moist sour-cream dough spiked with orange zest.

The sweet surprise inside is 11 chocolate-covered almonds evenly distributed throughout the cake. In the 12th piece is a single coin or trinket carefully wrapped in parchment paper.

“This was my own invention,” he said from his office at the St. Bede Abbey in Peru, Ill. He also uses rapid-rise yeast, which is designed for higher temperatures (120 to 130 degrees) compared to the 110-115-degree temperature and instant active dry yeast used by Stradley in her recipe. He noted that richer doughs like the sour-cream dough in his recipe sometimes take longer to rise.

Another unique feature is the pull-apart “crown” form made from 12 separate pieces of dough. Use a ring mold to hold the pieces together as they rise into a golden crown in the oven. The cake is brushed with melted butter and sprinkled with sugar. Candied cherries or gumdrop “jewels” are affixed to each point of the crown.

New Orleans King Cake For the dough:

1/2 cup lukewarm water (110 to 115 degrees) 1/2 cup lukewarm milk (110 to 115) 1/2 cup sugar 2 teaspoons salt 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg (less if freshly grated) 1 teaspoon lemon zest 5 egg yolks, room temperature 1/2 cup butter, room temperature 4-3/4 cups bread flour or all-purpose flour 3 teaspoons instant active dry yeast 1 teaspoon cinnamon 1 egg, slightly beaten with 1 tablespoon milk 1 (1-inch) plastic doll, optional Lemon Frosting:

3/4 cup powdered sugar 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice Green-, purple- and yellow-colored sugars Yield: 8 to 10 servings To prepare the dough: Using a mixer with a dough hook, place water, milk, sugar, salt, nutmeg, lemon peel, egg yolks, butter, flour and yeast in the bowl. If using a bread machine, add same ingredients, select dough setting and press start.

Check the dough (don’t be afraid to open the lid). It should form a nice elastic ball. If you think the dough is too moist, add additional flour, a tablespoon at a time.

The same is true if the dough is looking dry and gnarly. Add warm water, a tablespoon at a time.

When dough cycle has finished, remove dough from pan and cover with plastic wrap; place in a draft-free place to rise for about 1 hour or until the dough doubles in volume.

Lightly coat a large baking sheet with butter or vegetable spray; set aside. Place dough on a lightly floured surface. Using your fist, punch dough down with a heavy blow. Sprinkle cinnamon over the top, pat and shape dough into a long cylinder. Twist dough to form an oval and place onto the buttered baking sheet. Pinch the ends together to form a circle. Cover dough with a towel and let sit for 45 minutes or until the dough doubles in volume.

Preheat oven to 375. Brush top and sides of cake with egg-and-milk mixture. Bake on middle rack of oven for 35 to 40 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from oven and place on wire rack to cool.

Once the cake is cool, insert a small plastic baby doll into a seam of the cake before frosting or place on top of the frosting.

To prepare the lemon frosting: Mix powdered sugar and lemon juice until smooth and creamy. Spread lemon frosting over the top of cooled cake. Immediately sprinkle with colored sugars, alternating among three colors (a large stripe of each).

– From “I’ll Have What They’re Having” by Linda Stradley Father Dominic’s King Cake For the dough: site king cake recipe

1/2 cup sour cream 1 tablespoon shortening Zest and juice of 1 medium orange 1 egg 2-1/2 cups white flour, divided 1 package quick-rise dry yeast 1/4 cup sugar 1 teaspoon salt 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg 1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom 11 milk-chocolate nuggets with almonds and 1 coin or trinket wrapped in parchment paper Topping:

Butter Granulated sugar 12 candied cherries or gumdrops Yield: 12 servings To prepare the dough: In a medium saucepan over medium heat, combine sour cream, shortening, orange zest and orange juice until shortening melts. Remove from heat and cool to 120 to 130 degrees.

In a medium mixing bowl, sift together 1 cup flour with yeast, sugar, salt, nutmeg, and cardamom; stir with a fork to mix. Stir in sour-cream mixture and beat 3 minutes or until thoroughly mixed. Add egg to mixture. Stir in the remaining 1-1/2 cups of flour and mix until all the flour is incorporated.

Turn out onto a lightly floured board and knead for 3 minutes. Cover the dough with a towel and allow it to rest for 10 minutes (this little nap replaces the first rising).

Lightly grease a 9-inch ring mold or tube pan. Divide the dough into 12 pieces. Flatten each piece into a circle about 3 inches across. Set one piece of dough aside. Place a chocolate nugget in the center of a piece of dough and wrap the dough around it by pulling up the sides and pinch the top to form a teardrop shape (this forms one point of the crown). Repeat with the remaining 10 pieces of dough.

Wrap the coin or trinket in a small piece of parchment paper. Use the last piece of dough that has been set aside to cover the coin or trinket in the same manner as for the chocolate pieces. Evenly space the pieces point-side up around the ring mold, cover with a towel, and allow to rise until doubled in size, about 1 hour or until doubled in size.

Bake in preheated oven at 350 degrees for 25 to 30 minutes or until golden brown. Let cool in pan about 30 minutes, then remove from pan and transfer to a wire rack.

To apply the topping: While the bread is still warm, brush all sides with butter and sprinkle with granulated sugar. Garnish points with candied cherries or gumdrops, using toothpicks or small amount of frosting to attach them.

– From “Breaking Bread with Father Dominic 2″ CAPTION(S):

Photo (2) Scripps Howard News Service Andy Haas prepares a king cake in his bakery east of Toledo, Ohio.

Scripps Howard News Service A king cake is a Mardi Gras-season tradition, gaudy with colored sugars.