A king cake takes its name from the biblical three kings. Catholic tradition states that their journey to Bethlehem took twelve days and that they arrived to honor the Christ Child. The season for king cake extends from the end of the Twelve Days of Christmas to Mardi Gras day. Some organizations or groups of friends may have "king cake parties" every week through the season.
The king cake of the New Orleans Mardi Gras tradition comes in a number of styles. The most simple, said to be the most traditional, is a ring of twisted bread topped with icing or sugar, usually colored purple, green, and gold (the traditional Mardi Gras colors). New Orleans king cakes are traditionally deep-fat-fried and in more recent years come with a filling.
Most everyone is familiar with the tradition of the hidden trinket - a small baby for the New Orleans style. It is said that whoever finds the baby in the cake is responsible for hosting next year's King Cake party.
For my King Cake, I decided to make a cinnamon roll type cake filled with brown sugar, cinnamon, golden raisins, pecans, and melted butter. I covered the top with a glaze made from confectioner's sugar and topped it off with Mardi Gras colored sprinkles. The recipe for the cake dough came from my friend Rhonda at work.
Here are some pictures:
I will definitely be making this again - it was great for breakfast this morning!
Jessica
It sure looks yummy! Great with my morning coffee.
ReplyDeleteYummy - I bet it was delicious!
ReplyDelete