Mardi Gras King Cake

Because I got the baby in the cake last year, I was in charge of supplying the king cake for Mardi Gras this year at work. I felt like trying to make one rather than drive across town to get one from the bakery, which I thought was nothing special. Normally the king cake stays around all day at my work, but people that normally wouldn't eat king cake tried some because it was homemade, so this one got completely eaten within a couple of hours. They especially loved the rich flavor of the bread, and that it wasn't overly sugary like the ones we got from bakeries.

I made this twice, once as a trial run because my attempts at yeast bread have been hit or miss in the past, and once for the real thing.

• I cut the recipe in half so it would only make one bread/cake (works great if you don't need to feed an army).
• I used a bread machine for most of the initial work, and did the shaping and final rise as normal.
• Since it's cold in the winter where I live and room temperature is not enough to raise the bread, I preheated the oven to its lowest temperature, then turned it off, placed a mug of boiling water on the edge of the cookie sheet the bread dough was on, and let the bread rise inside the warm oven. It worked great!
• I brushed egg wash on top (just beat an egg with a tiny bit of milk or water) before baking to give it a nice golden color.
• I went easy on the icing and did not double the filling as other reviewers of the recipe suggested.
• I did put a plastic baby figurine in it -- I slit the bottom of the cake and pushed it in after the cake was baked and cooled but before decorating so as not to smudge the decoration.
• I colored my own sugar purple for the cake. The color was soft when I first made it but got more intense after I sprinkled it on the icing.

Verdict: This recipe was a great success, and I would even consider making it when it's not Mardi Gras because it's that tasty.

RECIPE: Mardi Gras King Cake

Vanilla Caramels

I have made these several times for fall/winter holidays (mainly in the first half of the 2010s; these photos are from 2011) and liked them a lot. I'm posting the recipe here in case I ever want to make them again. I want to make pecan turtles at some point and I think this would be a good component.

Notes:

• I usually pour mine into an 8x8 inch square pan. It makes around 120-140 pieces. 

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RECIPE:

Vanilla Caramels
from Giverslog

1 cup unsalted butter
1 cup (11.5 oz) light corn syrup
14 oz (1 can) sweetened condensed milk
2 1/4 cups (14.5 oz) brown sugar
1 tsp vanilla
Chopped nuts for mixing in or topping (optional; if using I recommend toasting them first for extra flavor) 

Before beginning, test your candy thermometer for accuracy. Clip the candy thermometer onto a pan full of cold water and bring it to a boil, ensuring the thermometer is not touching the bottom of the pan. Boiling water should read 212°F. Once the water is boiling, make note of any difference in your reading, and adjust your reading accordingly when you make the candy. For example, if thermometer reads 210° in boiling water instead of 212°, then remove the caramel from the heat at 242°F instead of 244°F.

Line your pan with parchment paper, even up the sides. Chop any nuts or other mix-ins/toppings and set aside. Cut butter into smaller, even sized cubes for even melting, then place in a saucepan and melt it over low heat. Carefully add the sugar by pouring it into the center of the pan. If any sugar crystals stick to the side of the pan, push them down with a damp pastry brush so they do not crystallize the entire batch. Stir slowly until the sugar is well combined with the melted butter. Add corn syrup and sweetened condensed milk (or cream) and mix in thoroughly. Cook on medium for 1 minute, stirring the whole time, then increase heat to medium-high and keep stirring until the mixture is boiling. Once boiling, attach the candy thermometer to the side of the pan, ensuring it does not rest against the bottom of the pan. By the time the caramel mixture is boiling, if you have been stirring enough, the butter should be fully blended into the caramel mixture and not separated.

Reduce the heat to medium, adjusting gradually so that you keep a moderate, steady boil. Stir frequently and consistently so as not to let it separate. The temperature of the mixture will not rise at a steady rate, so watch the thermometer closely, especially as it nears the target temperature (it tends to accelerate the hotter it gets). If you are even slightly unsure about the accuracy of your thermometer, periodically test the mixture by dropping a small amount of it into cold water to see how it behaves. When the thermometer reaches 244° (low end of firm ball stage), remove caramel from heat. Stir in vanilla carefully but quickly (it will sizzle and boil when you pour it in) as well as any nuts or other mix-ins, then pour the caramel into the prepared pan, taking care not to burn yourself.

Allow to cool for several hours and use a knife, kitchen shears, or pizza cutter to cut into small bite-size pieces. Wrap each in wax paper.