King Cake

Recipe Courtesy of Emeril Lagasse

Show: Emeril LiveEpisode: Mardi Gras Parade Food

Rated: 4 stars out of 5Rate itRead users' reviews (7)

RECIPE
COMMENTS & REVIEWS(7)

Cook Time:
1 hr 15 min
Level:
--
Yield:
12 servings

Times:

Prep: 2 hr 40 min
Inactive Prep: --
Cook: 1 hr 15 min
Total:: 3 hr 55 min

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Ingredients

2 packages dry active yeast
1/2 cup sugar
8 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
5 egg yolks
1 cup warm milk (110 degrees F)
4 to 5 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
Vegetable oil
8 ounces cream cheese
2 1/2 cups powdered sugar
Juice of one lemon
2 tablespoons milk
Purple, green and gold sugar sprinkles
Plastic baby toy

Directions

Preheat the oven 350 degrees F. Combine the yeast, sugar, butter, and egg yolks in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a dough hook. Add the milk. With the mixer on low speed, beat the mixture for about 4 minutes to dissolve the yeast. If the yeast mixture doesn't begin to foam after a few minutes, it means it's not active and will have to be replaced. In a separate large mixing bowl, combine the flour, salt, nutmeg, and lemon zest. Add this mixture to the yeast mixture. 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. Remove the dough from the bowl. Coat the dough with vegetable oil. Return the dough to the bowl and turn it to oil all sides. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap, set in a warm, draft-free place, and let rise until doubled in size, about 2 hours. Meanwhile, in a small bowl, combine the cream cheese and 1/2 cup powdered sugar. Mix well. In another small bowl, combine the remaining powdered sugar, lemon juice and milk. Mix well and set aside. Turn the dough out onto a floured surface. Roll the dough out 30 inches long and 6 inches in diameter. Spread the cream cheese filling across the center of the dough. Bring the two long edges together and seal all sides completely. Using your hands shape the dough into a long cylinder and place on a greased baking sheet, seam side down. Shape the dough into a ring. Place a well-greased 2 pound coffee can or shortening can in the center of the ring to maintain the shape during baking. Press the plastic baby toy into the ring from the bottom so that it is completely hidden by the dough. 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. With a sharp knife, make several slits around the top of the ring. Place in the oven and bake for 30 minutes, or until golden brown. After baking remove the coffee can immediately. Allow the cake to cool. Drizzle the cake with the sugar glaze. Sprinkle the cake with sprinkles, alternating colors. Cut the cake into individual pieces and serve.

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Comments & Reviews

recipe King Cake
Kathleen Reston, VA 01-25-2008
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Need to tweek it
Rated: 3 stars out of 5

My husband is from the NOLA area and is craving his yearly King Cakes. I made the "cake" part of this recepie and usedthe... filling from another one because it seemed more authentic. The only thing I would change about ths recepie is using cake flour instead of all purpose. The "cake" will be mor authentic of a texture and not as thick of a bread.Read more
recipe King Cake
Donna Los Gatos, CA 02-21-2007
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A new tradition...
Rated: 4 stars out of 5

This is the second year I've made this, and it's delicious and beautiful too. It takes some time,as yeast breads do, but... it's worth the effort. The cream cheese filling is great, kind of like a cheese danish. This has become a requested Mardi Gras tradition in my neighborhood.Read more
recipe King Cake
Lesley New Iberia, LA 01-30-2006
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Authentic flavor
Rated: 4 stars out of 5

This is exactly what a king cake is supposed to taste like (said by one who has tasted the best). this is essentially a... plain king cake with a thin layer of cream cheese filling to help maintain a moist interior. I used some lemon juice in the icing, but not as much because of what others have said. I didn't have colored sugar crystals and didn't want to make them, so I colored the icing purple, green, and gold. The king cake was still a hit! Next time, I would double or triple the amount of cream cheese filling because I like a lot of cream cheese filling in my king cake.Read more
recipe King Cake
mandy funkstown, MD 12-30-2005
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tasty
Rated: 3 stars out of 5

would have been better with a chocolate roll cake, but the filling was dynamite. big success with everyone at work.
recipe King Cake
WANDALENE Castle, CO 05-19-2005
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Ha a unique flavor
Rated: 4 stars out of 5

In the past, I made only vanilla or almond king cakes. This recipe has a really unique flavor that everyone likes.
recipe King Cake
STEPHANIE Lake Oswego, OR 02-09-2005
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Not for diabetics!
Rated: 5 stars out of 5

Now I know why they call it King Cake: It's rich enough to be served to royalty. Loved it!