King Cakes!

This week brings about Fat Tuesday and the start of lent. What better way to celebrate than by stuffing your face with a seasonal favorite! First of all it's tradition, and second you are likely about to make a half hearted attempt at giving up sugar so you need to get it out of your system.

King cake and I go way back. My mom has had it for us for as long as I can remember. When I couldn't find one in New York, she mailed it to me. One year she couldn't find fresh ones because they were sold out, so she sent me king cake mix to bake one myself. I was pretty lazy in college so I think that box stayed in my pantry until I moved out for the summer, but I'm making up for it now with this delicious version I found from The King Arthur Flour Company's website.

One thing that disappointed me about it was the lack of cinnamon sugar. I love that ribbon that runs through the cakes you find at our grocery store, so I ended up adding 2 TBSP. of cinnamon to this recipe...unfortunately, it did not have the added effect I desired. You can taste it but not much. The lemon definitely outdid it. If you want to add it I would consider adding more.

This is a bit of a rushed blog post this time, but only because I wanted to get this posted in time for you to enjoy this dessert for Fat Tuesday!  So without further ado

Individual King Cakes

Ingredients

• 8 Tbsp. butter, melted
• 1 C. Milk
• 2 Large eggs + 1 egg yolk, white reserved
• 1/4 C. Sugar
• 1 1/4 tsp. Salt
• 2 Tbsp. Cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp. Ground Nutmeg
• 1/8 tsp. Lemon zest
• 3 1/2 C. Flour
• 1 Packet yeast
• 1 C. Powdered sugar
• 1/2 tsp. Vanilla extract
• Milk
• Sprinkles

Directions

Step 1: Combine the first ten ingredients together until a soft and smooth dough is formed.

Step 2: Cover the dough and put it in a warm place so it can rise. About an hour. 

Step 3: You can use these pre made parchment paper cups or a muffin pan. Divid the dough into 12 equal pieces and roll each into a smooth ball. (Grease or flour your hands if the dough is too sticky)

Step 4: Drop the dough balls into the cups or baking tin. Cover the pan with a dishtowel and let the cakes rise for another hour. During this preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Step 5: Whisk the left over egg white w/ 1 TBSP of water. Brush it over your cakes

Step 6: Bake for 20 minutes. Then cover with loosely cover with aluminum foil and bake for another 20 minutes or until the cakes turn a golden brown. When done let them cool on a wire rack.

Step 7: Mix the powdered sugar, vanilla, and milk. You should gradually add the milk one tablespoon at a time until you get a thick icing that can still easily be spread.

Step 8: Pour over the cakes and cover in purple, green, and yellow sprinkles! ENJOY!

As usual I'd love to hear about changes you've made! Feel free to post them in the comments. Hope you enjoy this recipe as much as I did. Happy Eating! 

xoxo, Tanner