14310 Mardi Gras King Cake 4 hrs 1 hr 10 to 12 servings Mon Feb 23 08:17:00 -0800 2009 Wed Aug 26 10:40:49 -0700 2009 Hard American CHOW http://www.chow.com/recipes/14310 Wed, 26 Aug 2009 17:40:49 GMT Brioche dough filled with spiced pecans Flavored with bourbon, orange, and spices, this king cake kicks off the Carnival season right. Mardi Gras season is often accompanied by king cake, a pastry that has an interesting story behind it (yes, there’s usually a plastic baby inside this cake, but don’t let that scare you). There are many version but, no matter how you slice it, it’s pure deliciousness. Our twist on the classic is a nod to the culinary and cocktail culture of the Big Easy: tender, buttery brioche filled with spiced pecans and doused in a bourbon-tinged glaze.

What to buy: Tradition dictates that a toy baby be hidden inside the cake, and the person who gets the slice with the baby is to hold the next king cake party—a practice that happens regularly from Twelfth Night until Fat Tuesday. Whether you follow the tradition or not, you can buy plastic babies online.

This recipe was featured as part of our New Orleans King Cake for Mardi Gras story.

]]> For the brioche:
  1. Place milk in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook and sprinkle yeast on top. Set aside to rest until mixture bubbles, about 5 to 10 minutes. (If the mixture does not bubble, either the milk was not at the correct temperature or the yeast was old.) Coat a large bowl with oil and set aside.
  2. Add sugar, salt, and zest, and mix on low speed to combine. Add egg yolks and mix until evenly incorporated. Add bourbon, orange juice, and almond extract and continue mixing. Add flour and nutmeg little by little until dough is moistened throughout and starts to come together. Knead on medium speed until dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl, forms a ball, and is smooth and elastic, about 5 minutes.
  3. Add butter piece by piece, letting each fully incorporate before adding the next. Place dough in the oiled bowl, turn to coat, cover with a damp cloth, and let sit in a warm area until doubled in size, about 1 hour.
  4. When the dough has doubled in size, punch it down, cover, and let rise until doubled in size again, about 1 hour. (Alternatively, you can place it in the refrigerator overnight to rise, about 12 to 16 hours. Be sure to let it sit at room temperature for 10 to 15 minutes before rolling.)
For the filling:
  1. Place nuts in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a blade attachment and pulse until coarsely chopped, about 5 pulses. Add sugar, nutmeg, cinnamon, salt, and butter and pulse until coarse meal, about 5 more pulses.
To assemble:
  1. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside. Roll dough into a 28-by-8-inch rectangle. Leaving a 1-inch perimeter at the top and bottom, spread the filling out along the whole length of the dough. Place the baby (if using) in the middle of the filling.
  2. Whisk together egg yolk and milk until evenly combined. Brush perimeter of dough with egg wash, fold sides of dough over filling to form a long cylinder, and pinch edge to seal. Place cake seam side down on the baking sheet, form into a ring, and pinch ends of dough together to form a circle with about a 3-inch hole in the middle. As needed, press on the circle so that the filling is evenly distributed within the dough.
  3. Cover cake loosely with a damp towel and set aside to rise until doubled in volume, about 60 minutes. Meanwhile, heat the oven to 350°F and arrange a rack in the middle.
  4. Just before baking, brush remaining egg wash on surface of cake. Place in the oven and bake until cake is puffed up, crust is golden, and underside is golden brown, about 30 minutes. Remove to a wire rack and let cool at least 1 hour.
For the decoration:
  1. Stir together sugar, bourbon, and orange juice until evenly combined. Brush cake with icing and immediately decorate with sanding sugar.
]]> http://www.chow.com/assets/2009/01/kingscake290.jpg Aida Mollenkamp 54 Sweet/Dessert For the brioche::

]]> 1 cup whole milk, heated (about 105°F to 115°F)

]]> 1 (1/4-ounce) packet active dry yeast (2 1/4 teaspoons)

]]> Vegetable oil

]]> 298 1/2 cup granulated sugar

]]> 301 2 teaspoons kosher salt

]]> 48 2 teaspoons orange zest

]]> 4 large egg yolks, beaten

]]> 2 tablespoon bourbon

]]> 48 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed orange juice

]]> 265 2 teaspoons almond extract

]]> 4 cups all-purpose flour

]]> 308 1 1/2 teaspoons ground nutmeg

]]> 8 tablespoons unsalted butter (1 stick), chilled and cut into small pieces

]]> For the filling::

]]> 3 cups pecans, toasted and cooled

]]> 298 2/3 cup granulated sugar

]]> 308 1 1/2 teaspoons ground nutmeg

]]> 279 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

]]> 301 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

]]> 4 tablespoons unsalted butter (1/2 stick), small dice

]]> To assemble::

]]> 1 small plastic baby (optional)

]]> 1 egg yolk

]]> 1 tablespoon milk

]]> For the decoration::

]]> 298 1 1/4 cups powdered sugar

]]> 1 tablespoon bourbon

]]> 48 1 tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons freshly squeezed orange juice

]]> 298 3 tablespoons sanding sugar

]]> 5753 nola 1 chow 2395 aida mollenkamp 435 vegetarian 261 nuts 156 bake 744 indulgent 154 sweet 776 fun 661 celebrate 273 party 578 spice 966 mardi gras 2321 brioche 82 alcohol 4835 booze 320 project 8908 carnival 361 new orleans 25972 king cake 50 dessert 23 cake 2252 pecans 237 bourbon 25973 king's cake