Combine sugar and lemon juice until smooth. Add water, starting with 3 tablespoons, adding more until spreadable. Spread icing over top of cooled cake. Immediately sprinkle colored sugars in individual rows (2 alternating rows of each color) to make wide
Genny Wright-Hailey column
Once a year I get to write a column on the most famous Tuesday of the year: Mardi Gras. French for “Fat Tuesday,” Mardi Gras is the culmination of about two weeks of parties leading up to Ash Wednesday, the first day of Lent, the time of repentance.
The name Fat Tuesday comes from the custom of using all the fats in the house before the lean days of Lent. In New Orleans the parties held during Mardi Gras are big on tradition. From beads and feather masks, to jesters and elaborate costumes, everything reflects the three colors of the season: Green for Faith, Purple for Justice and Gold for Power.
Mardi Gras food is traditional, too. Seafood entrees dominate: Crawfish Etouffee, Shrimp Creole, Jambalaya, Red Beans and Rice. But no Mardi Gras party would be complete without the traditional King Cake. Also called “Gateau de Roi” the cake originated from the Creole custom of choosing a king and queen on Twelfth Night, which became known as King’s Day. This cinnamon-filled dough, shaped in a hollow circle, represents the three kings who brought gifts to the Christ child during the feast of the Epiphany (the twelfth day after Christmas, 12th Night). A little plastic baby doll is hidden in the cake. Whoever gets the baby in his slice of cake must buy next year’s king cake or host the next party. (This seems like a fun way to make sure the partying continues.)
Here is an authentic king cake recipe, just in case you’d like to start a tradition of your own, for Mardi Gras or any time you feel like a party.
Mardi Gras king cake
Make sure this brioche dough is not too stiff or too soft, but perfectly smooth before rising. Makes one king cake.
Cake:
1/2 cup warm water (110 F to 115 F)
2 packages active dry yeast
1/2 cup plus 1 teaspoon sugar
31/2 to 41/2 cups flour, unsifted
1 teaspoon nutmeg
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon lemon zest
1/2 cup warm milk
5 egg yolks
1 stick butter, cut into tablespoon slices and softened, plus 2 tablespoons softened butter
1 egg, slightly beaten with 1 tablespoon milk
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1″ plastic baby doll (wash in warm soapy water and dry thoroughly)
Put the warm water into a small shallow bowl; sprinkle yeast and 2 teaspoons sugar over water. Let rest for 3 minutes, then mix thoroughly. Set in warm place for 10 minutes or until yeast bubbles and mixture almost doubles.
Combine 31/2 cups flour, remaining sugar, nutmeg and salt; sift into a large bowl. Stir in lemon zest. Make a well in the center of dry mixture and pour in the yeast mixture and milk. Add egg yolks. Using a wooden spoon, slowly combine dry ingredients into yeast/milk mixture. When smooth, beat in 8 tablespoons butter, one tablespoon at a time. Beat 2 minutes or until dough forms a soft ball. Place dough on a lightly floured surface; knead like bread. Add more flour as needed until dough is no longer sticky. Knead 10 minutes more until shiny and elastic. Coat the inside of a large bowl with one tablespoon of the soft butter. Place dough in bowl; rotate until surface is buttered. Cover with a towel, place in a draft-free spot for 11/2 hours or until doubled in volume.
Coat a large baking sheet with a tablespoon of butter; set aside. Place dough on a lightly floured surface. Punch dough down with fist. Sprinkle cinnamon over top, pat and shake dough into a cylinder. Twist dough to form a curled cylinder and put on the buttered baking sheet. Pinch dough ends together to make a circle. Cover, place in draft-free spot until doubled in volume. Preheat oven to 375 F. Brush cake with the egg wash. Bake on middle rack of oven for 25-35 minutes or until golden brown. Cool on a wire rack. Hide the plastic baby in the cooled cake.
Icing:
3 cups confectioners’ sugar
1/4 cup lemon juice
3 to 6 tablespoons water
Colored sugars: green, purple and yellow
Combine sugar and lemon juice until smooth. Add water, starting with 3 tablespoons, adding more until spreadable. Spread icing over top of cooled cake. Immediately sprinkle colored sugars in individual rows (2 alternating rows of each color) to make wide wedges of color. Serve in 2-inch or 3-inch pieces.
