Claire Matese, Institutional Research
I grew up in Louisiana, and brought some of that culture with me to Oregon – and by culture I mean food!
Since 2015 we’ve hosted a Mardi Gras dinner at our house each year, complete with gumbo, red beans and rice, and King Cake.
Our 2020 Mardi Gras gathering was one of the last times we saw our friends before the pandemic shut things down, and when the next Mardi Gras rolled around we were unsure what to do. We decided to take the party to all of our friends – meeting them in their driveways to share a bite and some fun.
We used this recipe for that party, as a way to share a little bit of King Cake with everyone. It reminds me of Louisiana, of friends and family, and of the importance of friends and family during the pandemic.
PS An important and fun part of the tradition is that whoever gets the King Cake baby has to make and share the next king cake!
Citation https://blog.memeinge.com/mini-king-cakes/
Ingredients
For the cake:
▢ ⅓ cup milk warm, 110-120*F
▢ 3 tablespoon granulated sugar
▢ ¼ oz yeast
▢ 1 cup plain yogurt Greek or regular, preferably not fat free
▢ 2 tablespoon butter melted
▢ 2 large egg yolks
▢ 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
▢ ½ teaspoon orange zest or lemon zest
▢ 3 cup whole grain flour
▢ ½ teaspoon nutmeg
▢ ½ teaspoon salt
For the filling:
▢ 2 tablespoon butter softened
▢ 3 tablespoon brown sugar
▢ ¾ teaspoon cinnamon
For the glaze:
▢ 1 ½ cups powdered sugar
▢ 1-3 tablespoon milk
▢ 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
▢ 6 tablespoons sugar purple, green and gold colored
Instructions
- In a small bowl, stir together warm milk, sugar, and yeast. Set aside for 5-10 minutes.
- In a medium bowl, stir together yogurt, melted butter, egg yolks, vanilla extract, and orange zest. Add the yeast mixture.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer using the dough hook attachment, add the flour, nutmeg, and salt. Stir.
- Add in the yogurt-yeast mixture. Stir until combined, pushing down sides a few times.
- Knead using the dough hook attachment for about 5 minutes.
- Meanwhile, oil the inside of a mixing bowl.
- Add the dough to the mixing bowl, and cover with a towel. Set aside until it doubles in size, about 90 minutes.
- When ready, punch down the dough and roll into a large 18×12 inch rectangle. Spread with the softened butter, brown sugar, and cinnamon. Roll and cut into 12 pieces.
- Roll each piece into a circle and place on a parchment lined baking sheet. Set aside for 25-45 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 375*F.
- Bake the mini king cakes for 12-16 minutes until lightly golden. Let cool.
- Stir together the powdered sugar, a tablespoon of milk, and vanilla. Add more milk if needed to make the glaze.
- Drizzle the glaze over the cooled king cakes and sprinkle with colored sugar.
