King Cake Recipe

It's Epiphany season, the time between Christmas and Easter. If you grew up in Louisiana, you also know this means King Cake season!

There's a ton of history behind king cake. It is available after Epiphany or King's Day, which is a Christian holiday held 12 nights after Christmas. Epiphany celebrates the three wise men or "kings" finding baby Jesus the savior of the world.

The colors of the sprinkles that top the King Cake are significant. Some say they represent the wise men that visited baby Jesus. Others say that the colors represent the three gifts brought, frankincense, gold, and myrrh. Others say that purple represents God's justice, green represents faith in Christ, and gold represents God's power.

The shape of the King Cake is braided or twisted dough shaped into an oval. This shape represents a crown. The braids or twists represent unity of faith. 

There is usually a small, plastic baby in the King Cake. The baby represents baby Jesus. And, finding the baby echoes the wise men finding baby Jesus. Whoever gets the slice of King Cake with the baby is responsible for bringing the next King Cake.

Don't you love when food tells a story?

If you've never had king cake, it's similar to a yeast-based, brioche-style cinnamon roll. All those things translate to delicious! It's topped with a yummy icing and purple, green, and gold sprinkles. So good!

There are a few steps to making a king cake. But, they're all easy steps. This recipe makes a huge king cake that is great for sharing. Throw a party! And, introduce all your friends to king cake.

Ingredients

Dough

1 cup whole milk, warmed to 120-130*F (or per yeast package instructions)

½ cup granulated sugar

3 packets active dry yeast

4 ½ cups all-purpose flour (plus more if dough is overly sticky)

¾ teaspoon salt

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, melted

2 eggs

2 ½ teaspoons ground cinnamon

½ teaspoon ground nutmeg

Filling

½ cup (1 stick butter), softened to room temperature

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1 cup granulated sugar

¼ teaspoon salt

Glaze

2 cups powdered sugar

2 Tablespoons milk

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

½ teaspoon fresh lemon juice

Purple, green, and gold sprinkles

Equipment

Liquid measuring cup

Measuring cups

Measuring spoons

Wisk

Large mixing bowl or stand mixer with dough attachment

Spatula

Large oven-safe bowl

Large cutting board

Kitchen knife

Ruler

Cling film

9x13 sheet tray

Cooking spray

Aluminum foil

Instructions

Microwave milk in a microwave safe container for 30-45 seconds until milk reaches 120-130*F. Add sugar. Whisk until dissolved. Add yeast. Whisk and let sit 5-10 minutes until foamy.

In a stand mixer, add melted butter and eggs. Mix to combine.

Add yeast mixture. Mix until combined.

In a large mixing bowl, combine flour, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients in stand mixer. Mix until combined.

Change mixer to a dough hook. Mix for 5 minutes. My dough was overly sticky, so I added 3 Tablespoons of flour, one at a time.

Oil a large mixing bowl. Place dough in bowl, and cover with cling film. Let rise in a warm place for 2 hours.

Make the filling. Mix butter, sugar, cinnamon, and salt until well combined. Set aside.

Make the glaze. Mix powdered sugar, milk, and vanilla.

Preheat oven to 375*F.

When dough has doubled in size, divide in two. Place ½ of dough onto a large cutting board. Roll out dough to 20 inches long by 4-6 inches high. Spread half off the filling on the dough with an offset spatula. Roll the shorter side of the dough onto itself like you’re making cinnamon rolls.

Repeat the process with the second half of dough.

Place both pieces of dough on a 9 x 13 inch baking sheet side by side. Stretch both rolls to 20-24 inches. 

Twist dough together. Start at the center. 

Shape dough into a circle by bringing the two ends to meet. Pinch ends together to form a complete circle.

Let the dough proof for 45-60 minutes.

Bake for 30 minutes until golden brown and delicious.

Let cake cool. Drizzle glaze on cake and sprinkle sections with sugar. Alternate sprinkling sections with purple, green and gold sprinkles. Cut a wedge and enjoy!

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Reader Favorites: April Edition

Thank you for all of the love this month! April is one of my favorite months; there is usually the beginning of cool, Spring weather in the South. This month, I tested and photographed some recipes for a consultation job. It was so fun! It is a great creative outlet for me to use my nutrition knowledge, help others, and make beautiful food. Stay tuned for some of those pictures and recipes. 

If you missed any of the posts this month, here are the top favorite posts you visited in the month of April. Enjoy!

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Let me know if there are any nutrition-related topics you would like me to cover. You can comment below or tag me on Pinterest, Instagram, and Twitter. 

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Shrimp Poboy Recipe from a Louisiana Registered Dietitian

We have some new readers to the blog, so I thought I'd reintroduce myself and tell you a little about how I became a dietitian. My name is Denon Stacy, MS, RD, CSP, LD. I am a Registered Dietitian (RD) at a pediatric hospital. I’ve enjoyed teaching children and their families about health and nutrition for 8 years. As a pediatric dietitian, my goal is to help children develop healthy eating habits and to fuel strong, healthy kids.

Nutrition is important because it fuels our body. I first learned about nutrition in 4^th grade science class. I had an excellent teacher (Hey Mrs. McLin!) who explained how healthy eating involves eating a variety of foods and food groups. I learned the importance of eating different colors. Eating foods with different colors helps us get the vitamins and minerals our bodies need to growth tall, strong, and be healthy. For example, the orange color in carrots is caused by beta-carotene, which is also known as vitamin A. Vitamin A helps keep our eyes healthy. So, listen to your parents when they say “eat your carrots; they’re good for your eyes.” It’s true. That’s good nutrition!

Since I’m from a coastal state, I had access to plenty of seafood. I developed a love of seafood. We had crawfish boils in the Spring, which were always fun, family gatherings. Since crawfish is not available year-round, the recipe I’m sharing is a take on a shrimp dish that is commonly found in Louisiana. This recipe is a quick dinner. It’s a fancier sandwich that is approachable for most children . . . even children who may not love seafood.

Grilled Shrimp Po’boy

4 whole wheat baguettes
1 pound large shrimp (31-35 count per pound)
1 cup romaine lettuce, shredded
1 tomato
½ cup cucumber, thinly sliced
1 Tablespoon lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
½ onion, sliced into rings

Remoulade sauce

1 cup light mayonnaise
2 Tablespoon whole grain or Dijon mustard
2 Tablespoons ketchup
1 clove garlic, minced
½ teaspoon pepper
½ teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon onion powder
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon hot sauce
1 teaspoon lemon zest
2 Tablespoon lemon juice
1 Tablespoon parsley, finely chopped
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

To make remoulade sauce, combine mayonnaise, mustard, ketchup, garlic, black pepper, paprika, onion powder, cayenne pepper, hot sauce, lemon zest, lemon juice, parsley, and Worcestershire sauce. If you prefer spicy foods, you can adjust the hot sauce and cayenne to taste. Refrigerate sauce until needed.

Peel and devein shrimp. Add 1 Tablespoon lemon juice and ½ teaspoon garlic to marinate shrimp in a large bowl.

Prepare vegetables for sandwich assembly. Wash and dry all vegetables. Shred lettuce. Slice cucumber, tomato, and onion. Now that you have your mis en place (French for put in place), it's time to cook!

Heat grill pan over medium. Add shrimp and cook 4-5 minutes per side until opaque and internal temperature reaches 145*F.

To build the po’boy or sandwich, spread ~1-2 Tablespoons remoulade on bread. Add lettuce, tomato, onion, and cucumber. Top with shrimp.

You can serve this dish with a side salad, coleslaw, or raw vegetables. You can use extra remoulade for dipping or as a salad dressing. Enjoy!

Tips:

• Crawfish are commonly used in Louisiana cuisine, but shrimp is a good substitute as it is more readily available than crawfish.
• Increase your fiber intake by switching grains. Choose whole grains like whole wheat bread, brown rice, or whole grain tortillas. Look for > or = 3 grams of fiber per serving on the Nutrition Facts Label to ensure you're choosing a whole grain. You’ll get more fiber which promotes satiety, the feeling of fullness. Fiber also helps lower cholesterol.
• Many poboys feature fried meats. According to the American Heart Association, you should limit fried foods to three servings per week. This is an easy switch. Instead of frying meats, try grilling, baking, or roasting. This decreases the fat added to foods from the cooking method.

My nutrition philosophy is everything in moderation. There are no “bad foods.” I encourage age-appropriate amounts of fruits and vegetables per day; I’ve never met anyone that eats too many fruits and vegetables.

I encourage nutrition plans that include a variety food groups. Don’t be afraid to try new foods. Be brave! Have an adventurous palate! We need a balance of all of the food groups to provide adequate nutrients to fuel our bodies, maintain our health, and prevent diseases like diabetes, high cholesterol, and elevated blood pressure. I also support the balance of eating well and including physical activity into our everyday lifestyle. We need to fuel our body in a healthy way and be physically activity to maintain good health.

I hope you’ve enjoyed getting a peak into the life of a RD from Louisiana. Try the recipe!

For more recipes, encouragement, and tips for healthy eating, follow me on Pinterest, Instagram, and Twitter. 

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