Fat Tuesday is just around the corner, and with it comes all the fastnachts you could hope to consume.
But if you’re looking for something a little different to enjoy this pre-Lenten season or if lard-fried doughnuts just aren’t enough when it comes to satisfying your sweet tooth, we suggest the king cake.
This Mardi Gras treat has been around for centuries but is just now starting to make inroads in central Pennsylvania.
What is a king cake?
A king cake is not a cake but a brioche — a sweet, breadlike dough that is rolled and twisted into an oval shape, and then usually covered with icing and topped liberally with three colors of sugar. Sometimes Mardi Gras beads are added for a decorative effect.
What are the three colors?
The three colors are the traditional Mardi Gras colors — green, yellow and purple. Green represents faith, yellow depicts power and the purple is for justice.
What’s the significance of the king cake?
The king cake takes its name from the three kings or Magi who visited baby Jesus on the night of Epiphany, also known as Twelfth Night or King’s Day. The practice of baking a cake to honor the three kings dates to the 12th century. The cakes are oval-shaped to symbolize the circular route the Magi took in the journey.
In Gulf states such as Louisiana, where king cakes are popular, they have long been a part of the traditional Mardi Gras celebration in the same way fastnachts are here in central Pennsylvania.
What’s that inside the king cake?
Traditionally, king cakes come with a hidden surprise — be it a pea or coin or other trinket. In Mexico and other Latino cultures, it’s a bean.
These days, most king cakes come with a tiny plastic baby doll representing the baby Jesus. For sanitary reasons, these little dolls are usually attached to the top or side of the cake so that consumers can slyly insert it inside the filling before serving.
In olden times, the person who got the trinket was declared king for a day and was said to have good luck for the coming year. These days, it’s not that much of a blessing; the person who finds the baby or bean is usually required to perform some sort of obligation, such as hosting the following year’s Mardi Gras party or baking the cake.
Are king cakes popular in the midstate?
They’re not going to surpass the fastnacht anytime soon, but yes, more and more folks in the Harrisburg area are discovering this sweet treat.
“We just started [selling] them last year. We thought we’d test the waters. The reaction was very positive,” said Deborah Murdoch, bakery supervisor at Karn’s Foods. “We tried doing it years ago, and no one knew what they were.”
“We probably starting carrying them six or eight years ago. It has really gained in popularity,” said Gary Wagner, bakery sales manager at Giant Foods Stores.
Why the sudden interest in New Orleans-styled Mardi Gras celebrations? Wagner suggests a growing influx of people from other states as well as an interest in New Orleans after the Katrina disaster has heightened awareness.
“It’s a fun thing to do. If you can’t go to New Orleans, you can celebrate here and have some of that experience,” Wagner said.
“In this day and age, we look for reasons to celebrate,” Murdoch said.
Is there only one flavor of king cake?
Heavens, no. The Pennsylvania Bakery in Camp Hill, for example, makes several varieties, including cherry, cheese, raspberry and cinnamon, owner Ken Schenk said.
Do I only eat it on Fat Tuesday?
Certainly not. In Europe, king cakes are usually eaten around or just after the Christmas holidays. We won’t say anything if you decide to have one on Easter.
KING CAKE RECIPE
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 1 package Active Dry Yeast
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup milk
- 1/2 cup butter
- 2 eggs
- For glaze:
- 1/2 cup confectioners sugar
- 3-4 teaspoons 2 percent milk
- Top glaze with green colored, gold colored, and purple colored sugar (you can dye sugar with food coloring)
- Toy baby
Scald milk, remove from heat, and stir in butter. Allow mixture to cool to room temperature.
In a large bowl, dissolve yeast in the warm water with sugar. Let stand until creamy, about 10 minutes. When yeast mixture is bubbling, add cooled milk mixture. Whisk in eggs. Stir in salt. Beat the flour into the milk/egg mixture 1 cup at a time.
When the dough has pulled together, turn it out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic (8-10 minutes).
Lightly oil a large bowl, place dough in a bowl to coat with oil. Cover with a damp cloth or plastic wrap and let rise in warm place until it doubles in volume, for about 2 hours. When risen, punch down.
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
Grease a cookie sheet or line with parchment paper. Bake around 40 minutes or until golden brown. After king cake has cooled, top with glaze mixture and decorate with colored sugars. Tuck in toy baby in cake from the bottom.
— From The Pennsylvania Bakery in Camp Hill