Today’s Musings:
Happy Fat Tuesday, Mes Chers!
There were a bunch of unforgettable moments during my culinary school days – executing live lobsters, boning an entire leg of lamb, deveining fresh foie gras, and my very first triumph with butter-block puff pastry. One of the desserts we made with that puff was a buttery, flaky Galette des Rois (aka French King Cake) filled with rich almond crème – no frozen puff pastry shortcuts, no tubes of almond paste. The flavor of that galette still haunts my dreams. We crafted each one painstakingly, and you could taste the love in every bite.
But when someone says “King Cake,” my mind jumps to the early 2000s, back when I worked for a New Orleans-based energy company. Around Mardi Gras, my co-worker Mike – who had spent years living in New Orleans – would have New Orleans King Cakes overnighted straight to our office in Irvine, California.
If Galette des Rois is refined Parisian patisserie, this version is pure Bourbon Street. These celebratory rings are garishly decorated in green, purple, and gold, flavored with cinnamon, and more like a yeasted breakfast bread than puff pastry. Their arrival around Fat Tuesday would spark a full-on office celebration, usually accompanied by a Crockpot of Mike’s famous jambalaya.
This year, I decided to try my hand at a New Orleans-style King Cake…with a filling that’s a little nod to my beloved Galette des Rois: Almond.
And the baby?
Don’t be surprised if you bite into a tiny plastic one. It’s all about luck and prosperity – whoever finds the baby is “king” or “queen” for the day. But don’t get too excited: that person also has to bring the cake to the next party. In our cheapskate office, coworkers would carefully strategize their slice cuts to avoid the baby entirely.
And those colors?
Traditional Mardi Gras green, gold, and purple. If you’ve never seen a king cake, you might think it was decorated by a color-blind 4-year-old. Just tell yourself that the wild explosion of color is “festive,” even if it looks like it survived a paintball fight.
Today’s Recipe:
Almond-Filled New Orleans King Cake
This New Orleans–style king cake features a soft, pillowy dough wrapped around a rich almond filling that’s lightly sweet with a hint of orange. Brushed with butter and finished with a simple sugar glaze and festive purple, green, and gold sugar, it’s a flavorful twist on the traditional Mardi Gras treat.
Ingredients
DOUGH- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 1 packet(2 ¼ teaspoons) instant yeast
- 1 stick (½ cup) unsalted butter, room temperature
- ½ cup half & half
- 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
ALMOND FILLING- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
- 2 cups almond flour, lightly toasted in a skillet and cooled
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 1 large egg white
- 2 teaspoon almond extract
- ½ teaspoon orange zest
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
DECORATION- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
- 1 plastic baby or uncooked bean
- 2 cups powdered sugar, sifted
- 2 tablespoons milk
- Purple, green, and gold colored sugar
Directions
- Using paddle attachment, combine all dough ingredients to form a shaggy dough. Switch to dough hook and begin kneading dough on low speed. Increase to medium and continue kneading dough until it comes together in a ball and feels smooth and elastic, 9-11 minutes. Transfer dough to an oiled bowl, cover and let proof in a warm place until doubled in size, about 1 hour.
- Meanwhile, using paddle attachment, stir filling ingredients in bowl until the ingredients come together. Roll almond paste in plastic wrap so it doesn’t dry out. Set aside.
- Transfer dough onto a lightly floured work surface. Pat into a rough rectangular shape, then, with a rolling pin, roll dough into a rectangle 16 inches wide by 12 inches tall. Spread filling in a thin layer over dough, leaving a ½-inch border at the top of rectangle. Using rolling pin, lightly roll filling into dough so that it sticks. Starting at long end closest to you, roll dough into a log. Do not roll too tight, allowing yeast room to expand during the second proof. If dough sticks to the floured surface, use a pastry scraper to help roll dough. Pinch the log of dough closed at the seam. Seam side down, stretch log to 18 inches and shape log into a ring, cut off jagged ends, and pinch the dough together where the ends meet to form a seal. (Tip: roll a piece of jagged end super thin and patch area where the ends meet like a bandage. The patch will be covered with icing). Transfer the ring to a parchment-lined baking sheet and cover. Let ring proof until doubled in size, about 1 hour.
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Bake about 25-35 minutes until golden and internal temperature reaches 190°F. Tent with foil if browning too quickly. Remove from oven, brush with melted butter, let cool for 10-minutes on the baking sheet, and then transfer to a wire rack. After 30 minutes, loosely cover with a clean, dry towel to keep king cake soft. Let cool to room temperature.
- If using a plastic baby or bean, gently push it into the underside of cake so that it’s hidden. Place the powdered sugar and milk in a small bowl and whisk together to create a thick, but pourable, icing. Add a little more milk if needed. Drizzle frosting over the cake and sprinkle colored sugar in patches. Let the icing dry completely before serving.
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