In every office break room in New Orleans from Epiphany (January 6) to Fat Tuesday at the end of February, there’s a half-eaten king cake: a
gaudy-looking coffee-cake-type ring covered in purple, green, and gold sprinkles, the official colors of Mardi Gras. Somewhere inside, there’s a little plastic baby, and whoever gets the slice that contains it has to bring in the next cake or throw the next king cake party.
“People act like it’s an honor to be crowned king for the day and get to throw the next party, but that’s bullshit,” says Poppy Tooker, head of New Orleans’s chapter of Slow Food. “I have met people who own up to swallowing the damn thing so they don’t have to buy the cake!”
And it’s not just at offices. You’ll see king cakes at schools, people’s houses, stacked to the rafters in grocery stores, and in the windows of every bakery. When the Carnival krewes begin to parade, spectators will be noshing on you know what.
“I’ve never heard anybody admit to not liking king cake,” says Tooker. “Our authenticity as a native New Orleanian would be called into question.”
The origins of the ubiquitous seasonal pastry can be traced back to European pagans, who celebrated the god Saturn by baking and eating a cake containing a fava bean. The discoverer of the bean would be treated like a king for a year, but would then be sacrificed to Saturn. That cake evolved into the French gâteau de roi, served during the Catholic Feast of the Epiphany at the start of Carnival season (the ritual sacrifice, by this point, was out of favor), and in turn was adopted by New Orleans’s French-descended Creole founders, as part of the first Carnival. The young woman who received what was at that time a golden bean became the queen of the carnival.
For most of its modern history, the king cake has been a plain braided brioche dough, not terribly sweet, unfilled (except for the bean-turned–plastic baby), with only a dusting of colored sprinkles on top. However like New Orleans itself, the king cake has become anarchic and wildly creative. Innovations in the last 30 years include thick frostings, cream cheese and fruit fillings, “Zulu” versions (named in honor of the historic black Carnival krewe) with chocolate and coconut toppings, and giant doughnuts. One New Orleans bakery even makes a king cake filled with goat cheese and green apple.
Our version of king cake starts with brioche dough formed in a ring, and then has New Orleans flavors added—pecans and bourbon—plus some spice and citrus, because they’re just good. We think it’s a great interpretation, but you tell us. Compare if you like: Most of the popular king cake bakeries offer mail order. So if you’d like to taste what New Orleanians are gorging themselves on at the moment, check out some of the favorite king cake bakeries being discussed on Chowhound.
Kudos to Chowhound to calling attention to this New Orleans classic, but the two pictures bear little resemblance to the king cakes I know. They're usually braided, with filling spread throughout (not piled up in the middle) and, of course, different colored sugar regions on top.
These pictures are just . . . not right. There should always be sugar on top separated into, as HalfShell noted, different color regions. And the filling shouldn't be that thick.
There are tons of different ways to do kingcake, and debating the right kind from which bakery is a great way to pass time. The whole filling vs plain, sugar vs sugar/icing, moist vs flaky . . . it is endless.
Personally, I was a McKenzie's fan. I loved how they did it. I was recently sent one from Gambino's (because I'm stuck out in Austin) and, aside from the fact that all the sugar melted off, I found the cake too dry. I do believe my mother will be sending me a Randazzo's version this coming week.
What's up with that King Cake? Where are the colored sprinkles?? I make King Cakes every year, usually filling them with a cream cheese filling studded with pecans. But no matter which recipe I follow, I always decorate them with the traditional green, gold, and purple stripes of sugar. This version looks a lot less sweet (a good thing in my opinion), but misses the traditional by a mile.
Does not look like any of the King Cakes of my personal history.
Just had a piece of homemade French "galette des roi" and it was really good.
The one I had looks like the one pictured here:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/King_cak...
whoops forgot the "S". "Galette des Rois". Any way it was delicious.
Maybe you guys should try actually reading the article. It states that the Chow take is a bit different...
Yes, the photos are a bit perplexing (and not very attractive) for a N.O. style King Cake, which of course is normally dosed with a good deal of purple and gold geegaws, etc. (and the text of the article is not very attractive or informative, either. for that matter).
We did a lot of on line research about King Cakes/Galettes during the Epiphany season (January 6, when lots of King Cakes are served throughout the Christian world, too), and we much preferred the recipes used by the French, German, and Mexican bakers to the N.O. versions (which we have tasted many times during visits to N.O.). And we baked a few of the European versions then for friends and relatives.
These international versions are quite elegant and tasty renditions of the cake and when done right and are a delicious and joyful way to celebrate the end of one ecclesiastical season and the beginning of another. At least I think so.
Being born and raised in N.O. and baked quite a few myself....yours, especially the photos made me thing "Yuck!"
The dry looking nut mix in the middle looks like meat pie filling! I will say, your brioche looks good. Key to a GOOD king cake, in my opinion, is a good, soft chewy brioche. No hard, crispy outside. From out to in, a soft squishable mass of yummy not too sweet brioche.
Your filling combo makes me sad. Sorry, it does. We fill ours (if they are filled at all! Filling is getting more and more popular, but most I know prefer plain) with heavy, creamy or jelly like things. Nothing dry and crumbly.
I personally can't stand iced king cakes. It always is hard and flavorless when you buy them. I'm a McKenzies purist to the core and nothing says Mardi Gras like mounds of that purple, green and gold superfine sugar. If you can't taste the food dye when you bite into it, you did it wrong.
I have yet to find a king cake in New Orleans I'll stick with after McKenzies. If I had to pick, Randazzo's with the soft, creamy icing and a light sprinkling of purple green and gold sprinkles is fine.
I agree though, if you want to really highlight king cakes, show how they are in other countries. A french style king cake is pretty yummy.
Being born and raised in N.O. and baked quite a few myself....yours, especially the photos made me thing "Yuck!"
The dry looking nut mix in the middle looks like meat pie filling! I will say, your brioche looks good. Key to a GOOD king cake, in my opinion, is a good, soft chewy brioche. No hard, crispy outside. From out to in, a soft squishable mass of yummy not too sweet brioche.
Your filling combo makes me sad. Sorry, it does. We fill ours (if they are filled at all! Filling is getting more and more popular, but most I know prefer plain) with heavy, creamy or jelly like things. Nothing dry and crumbly.
I personally can't stand iced king cakes. It always is hard and flavorless when you buy them. I'm a McKenzies purist to the core and nothing says Mardi Gras like mounds of that purple, green and gold superfine sugar. If you can't taste the food dye when you bite into it, you did it wrong.
I have yet to find a king cake in New Orleans I'll stick with after McKenzies. If I had to pick, Randazzo's with the soft, creamy icing and a light sprinkling of purple green and gold sprinkles is fine.
I agree though, if you want to really highlight king cakes, show how they are in other countries. A french style king cake is pretty yummy.
I was just sent another kingcake by my mother from F.O.M. Bakery in Slidell, LA.
Quite tasty, very moist, with both sugar and icing. The icing isn't too sweet, which is a good thing and it held up really well in the mailing (quite literally put in a box). Much cheaper than ordering from the typical places online and getting an overpriced cake along with beads, doubloons, and the Mardi Gras guidebook.
And yes, this article doesn't claim that this is a New Orleans kingcake, but it keeps mentioning New Orleans. This is not what New Orleanians are eating, guaranteed.
I am from nola (living in wisconsin - don't ask) and I make brioche style kingcakes using a recipe that iI cut out of the Times Picayune in 1994. The column it ran under was called "Pot au Feu" by Myriam Guidroz.
Personally I prefer to make a very light glaze onto which i generously sprinkle my GREEN YELLOW and PURPLE sugars. It's Mardi Gras folks! Without the colored sugar and the baby it's just a coffee cake.
kinnimaples
Fair enough. I'm aware that there are King Cakes in other parts of the world (you needn't remind me that New Orleans was a French colony), but the title of this article is "New Orleans King Cake". As for elegance, one could argue that a New Orleans-style braided cake is more visually interesting and sophisticated looking than an inner-tube of dough. But the elegance debate is irrelevant anyway: a New Orleans king cake HAS to have sugar of different colors on top. That's not up for debate. Otherwise it's a Galette de Rois or or whatever it's called in other parts of the world.
Fair enough. I'm aware that there are King Cakes in other parts of the world (you needn't remind me that New Orleans was a French colony), but the title of this article is "New Orleans King Cake". As for elegance, one could argue that a New Orleans-style braided cake is more visually interesting and sophisticated looking than an inner-tube of dough. But the elegance debate is irrelevant anyway: a New Orleans king cake HAS to have sugar of different colors on top. That's not up for debate. Otherwise it's a Galette de Rois or or whatever it's called in other parts of the world.
King Cake
Serves: 12
This is a Creole cake whose history is the history of the famous New Orleans carnivals celebrated in song and stories. The "King's Cake," or Gateau de Roi, is inseparably connected with the origin of the world-famed carnival balls. In fact, the King Cake owes its origin to the old Creole custom of choosing a king and queen on King's Day, or Twelfth Night..
Ingredients Cake:
• ½ cup warm water (100° to 110° F)
• 2 (.25 ounce) envelopes active dry yeast
• 2 teaspoons white sugar
• 4-5 cups all-purpose flour
• ½ cup sugar
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 1½ teaspoons ground nutmeg
• 1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
• ½ cup warm milk (105° to 115° F)
• ½ cup melted butter – cooled
• 5 egg yolks
• 1 teaspoon anise extract
• - vegetable oil/shortening
• 1 plastic baby toy
Ingredients Glaze:
Yield: 1½ cups
• 2 cups sifted powdered sugar
• 1 teaspoons almond extract
• 2-3 Tablespoons water
Ingredients Decoration:
• - Purple, green and gold sugar sprinkles
Method:
1. Dissolve yeast and 2 teaspoons sugar in ½ cup warm water in a small bowl.
2. Mix well and let stand in a warm place 10 minutes.
3. Combine 4 cups flour, ½ cup sugar, salt, nutmeg and grated lemon zest in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a dough hook.
4. Add warm milk, melted butter, egg yolks, anise and yeast mixture to the mixer bowl. Mix on low speed until it lightly comes together, then increase the speed to medium and beat until the mixture pulls away from the sides of the bowl, forms a ball, and climbs slightly up the dough hook.
5. Turn dough onto a lightly floured surface; knead in remaining flour until dough is no longer sticky. Continue kneading until smooth and elastic, about 10 minutes.
6. Place in a well-greased bowl and turn it to oil all sides.
7. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap, set in a warm (85°), draft-free place, and let rise until doubled in size, about 1½ hours.
Note: A closed unlit gas oven is an excellent draft-free place. The heat from the pilot provides adequate warmth for proper rising. With an electric oven, turn to 150° for about 3 minutes, then turn off the heat and open the door for 3 minutes. Place the bowl of dough in the oven and quickly close the door. This will give you an approximate temperature of 85°, just right for even and fairly quick rising.
8. Punch dough down and turn out onto a lightly floured surface.
9. Shape dough into a cylinder 30 inches long and 6 inches in diameter. Place dough roll on a lightly greased baking sheet.
10. Bring ends together to form an oval ring, moistening and pinching edges together to seal.
11. Place a well-greased 2 pound coffee can in the center of the ring to maintain the shape during baking.
12. Press the plastic baby toy into the ring from the bottom so that it is completely hidden by the dough.
13. Cover the ring with a towel and place in a warm, draft free place. Let the dough rise for about 45 minutes or until the dough doubles in size.
14. Preheat the oven 350° F.
15. Bake at 350° for 30 minutes or until golden brown.
16. After baking remove the coffee can immediately.
17. Allow the cake to cool.
18. Make the icing.
19. Combine the 1 teaspoon almond extract, the water and 2 cups sifted powdered sugar in a medium mixing bowl.
20. Stir to blend well.
21. With a rubber spatula, spread the icing evenly over the top of the cake (or drizzle, as desired.)
22. Immediately sprinkle the colored sugars in 2- to- 3 inch alternating rows of purple, green and gold.
23. Cut and serve.
Note: The cake is traditionally cut into 2-inch-thick slices and served to all guests in attendance. The person whose piece contains the hidden plastic baby is crowned “king for a day” and is considered responsible for holding the next King Cake party.
Twelfth Night or King Cake
The story of the king cake begins, like the story of Mardi Gras itself, with the pagans. They had a celebration where a young man from the village was chosen to be treated like a king for a whole year. He was not denied during his reign, but after the year was over he became a human sacrifice to the gods. To eliminate this pagan custom, the Christian Church encouraged an observance calling for the preparation of a king cake containing a bean; whoever received the slice with the bean became king for a week and was allowed to choose a queen to reign with him. This took the place of the sacrificial pagan rite.
The King Cake tradition is believed to have been brought to New Orleans, Louisiana, from France in the 1870's. It evolved from the Twelfth Night or Epiphany pastry made by those early settlers. They added their own touches with the Spanish custom of choosing Twelfth Night royalty.
In European countries, the coming of the wise men bearing gifts to the Christ Child is celebrated twelve days after Christmas. The celebration, called Epiphany, Little Christmas on the Twelfth Night, is a time of exchanging gifts and feasting. All over the world people gather for festive Twelfth Night celebrations. One of the most popular customs is still the baking of a special cake in honor of the three kings..."A King's Cake" or Gateau de Roi.
A King Cake's ring shape, too, is significant, as some believe it symbolizes the unity of all Christians, and others believe it aptly resembles a king's crown.
A dried bean was originally hidden inside the cake but was replaced by coins, peas, pecans, rubber dolls, porcelain dolls, and in recent years plastic dolls. Starting around the 1930s, a tiny naked baby (Frozen Charlotte) was used instead of the bean or pea. The baby can be pink, brown, or golden. Some people believe that the baby represents the baby Jesus because Twelfth Night was when the three kings found the baby in Bethlehem.
Tradition has it that the person who finds the baby in the king cake is the next queen or king, he or she receives a year of good luck, is treated as royalty for that day and must host the next king cake party.
King Cake season lasts throughout Mardi Gras from the feast of the Epiphany until Mardi Gras Day.
The royal colors of purple, green and gold on the cake honors the three kings, Gaspar, Melchior and Balthasar, who visited the Christ child on the Epiphany. Purple represents Justice. Green stands for Faith. Gold signifies Power.
The three colors appeared in 1872 on a Krewe of Rex carnival flag especially designed for the visiting Grand Duke of Russia. He came to New Orleans just for the carnival, and the universal colors remain his legacy.
Laissez les bons temps rouler.
Grew up down the bayou and we never called it "new orleans king cake", just king cake. Exactly the same thing cake that other commenters described w/ the sugar, the fillings (usually, some w/out) and the hidden bebe. FYI, if you really want to see some Mardi Gras, head down to Mamou early Fat Tuesday for the Courir de Mardi Gras, then go watch the parade swaying from atop your Igloo ice chest.
The filling in the cake dosen't look quite right. It appears to overpower the cake not compliment it. The filling should be "Lagniappe" which is a little something extra.
I’ve never heard anybody admit to not liking king cake
I actually saw a recipe that looks GREAT the other day, can't wait to try it. Braided with cinnamon, no filling, looks like something McKenzie's would have made.
http://sugaredblog.blogspot.com/2009/...
My King cake recipe is closest to speyerer's version - a tender braided brioche ring that is iced and decorated with the colored sugars but has no filling. My understanding of the history behind King cake is that fillings are a more recent addition (within the last 40 years, maybe). To me, they just make assembling the cake messy, and a nut filling makes it look more like a kringle than King cake.
To keep the icing from being completely hard, I add a blend of milk, almond extract, and amaretto to the confectioner's sugar along with a bit of melted unsalted butter. I also make the yeasty dough the day before, braiding it and letting it rise enough on the day I intend to bake it -- and I bake the night before serving or early the morning of the day I'll serve it, so that it gets eaten promptly. BTW, the leftover cake makes great bread pudding when baked with sliced bananas and Foster sauce *and* makes really good cream-cheese-stuffed French toast with fresh strawberries on the side. YUM!