King Cake, that is! We may not live in New Orleans, but this year we decided to get into the spirit of Mardi Gras and celebrate Fat Tuesday with a King Cake. It is most definitely a king of a cake, big enough to feed quite a few party goers and certainly festive enough with the colorful sprinkles.
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| What do you think of my Polaroid effect? Just trying to keep it interesting, kids! |
I got this recipe from a very cute blog called Baked Bree. The blogger goes on to explain the history behind the King Cake, which I thought was both interesting and educational. 🙂 You can give everyone a little history lesson while they stuff their face with cake {not that they'll really be listening but, hey, you tried.}!
King Cakes are fun because, well, what cake isn't fun? But aside from the regular sugary enjoyment that comes from any cake, you also get a little bit of a treasure hunt in that each King Cake has a hidden baby, nut, or bean inside for someone to find. Since I didn't have a little plastic baby {and honestly was a bit fearful of it becoming a choking hazard!}, I used a large Brazil nut that I inserted after the cake was baked and cooled.
This recipe will not fit into the "I think I'll go in the kitchen and whip something up real fast" category. It takes time. It takes waiting. It takes rolling out. And rolling up. And more waiting. In short... there's nothing short about how long it takes to make this cake. And while we're on the topic of categories, I'm not 100% sure why this is considered a cake and not a bread...but I'm not about to mess with years of tradition.
Regardless of what category you'd put it in, if you are looking for a fun way to celebrate Mardi Gras that doesn't require exposing yourself for beads, this will be a winner. 🙂
Now... show me your mitts! 😉
