King Cake
75g mixed dried fruit – raisins, cranberries, cherries etc
2 tablespoons brandy or sherry
250g plain flour
1 and a half teaspoons dried yeast
Pinch salt
75ml milk
50g soft butter
50g castor sugar
2 eggs
Zest of 1 orange
2 heaped teaspoons ground cinnamon
75g soft brown sugar
1 egg yolk
1 tablespoon warmed honey
Icing
75g icing sugar
About 1 tablespoon orange juice
Sugar decorations
Soak the fruit in the liquor for a few hours.
Weigh out 75g of the flour and mix with the yeast in a bowl. Warm the milk to blood temperature and mix into the flour mixture to a smooth dough. Cover with a teatowel and leave for 15 minutes.
Beat the butter and castor sugar until pale and fluffy.
Add the eggs and then mix in the remaining flour and yeast mixture.
Knead on floured surface for 5 minutes then mix in the dried fruit.
Dust your hands with flour while you do this.
Place in a bowl, cover with a teatowel and leave for 2 hours.
Roll the dough into a sausage then roll into a rectangle about 40 cm in length.
Mix the orange zest with the cinnamon and brown sugar and scatter over the surface. Roll up and seal the edges.
Curl onto a buttered baking tray into a ring and seal the edges together.
Tuck a coin or trinket into the dough – whoever gets this is traditionally a king for the day ( but warm them its in there!)
Allow to prove for an hour. Set oven to 170oc and brush with egg yolk. Bake for about 40 minutes or until the bottom sounds hollow when tapped. Place on a wire rack and brush the honey all over. Cool.
Mix the icing sugar and orange juice to a smooth icing and spoon over the cake. Add sugar decorations – the more gaudy the better and serve!
