Mardi Gras fun

Yesterday was Fat Tuesday, aka Mardi Gras.  The roads were still slick from the Arkansas Slushie on Monday and after we cleaned the inch of ice and sleet off of my Jeep, Charlie talked me into going to Mugs before breakfast (it was still too slick to drive to work).  While at Mugs we decided to make a King Cake for Mardi Gras AND to have a neighborhood potluck that night.  I'm a sucker for a baking challenge and who doesn't love a party?

We got out the laptop and looked up King Cake recipes.  Of course, the one that we had the stuff for took 4 1/2 hrs!  We put on our aprons and Mardi Gras beads and got to work!

We proofed yeast, mixed in sugar and flour, kneaded for what seemed like forever, and let it rise for two hours.  Then I rolled out the dough and put in the filling (brown sugar, cinnamon, walnuts, raisins, and butter).  It's made kind of like cinnamon but formed in a circle not sliced.  I went in to work since the roads were better and left Charlie to finish the process. 

Another 45 min of rising and then the baking.  After it came out Charlie made his very first powdered sugar icing and iced the two (who knew it made two!) cakes.  He poked the baby in one of them of course because the person who finds the baby has to host the next Mardi Gras party (and no, it wasn't one of us)!  

We had made colored sugar before I left for work so he sprinkled the sugar, colored in the traditional colors of purple, yellow, and green, in stripes over the icing.  Here's our masterpiece.

The biggest compliment came from Don who said it was the best he had had outside of south Louisiana!  I'll take that!

I would encourage you to make your own...but be sure to allow ample time for all of the rising of the dough!

Joyful stamping, or maybe baking,

Elizabeth