Fat Tuesday Okie Style

King Cake Guyla Style

It is indeed Fat Tuesday! I got on the scale this morning and thought how serendipitous that I should be at my heaviest on a day named Fat Tuesday. You would think I'd walk away from the King Cake. I did not and will not and shall not deprive myself on this day of indulgence. Maybe I should (I won't, I know I won't)  give up sweets for lent.

King Cake Rising

Every year I tell myself I will make a King Cake and every year I forget about it until Fat Tuesday. But this year my friend Kathy over at Bakeaway With Me put up a post yesterday with her beautiful King Cake and I told myself I might not be able to throw together something that spectacular but I can do something! So I give you King Cake Guyla style.

I had bread dough rising for my take on Peter Reinhart's Anadama Bread from The Bread Baker's Apprentice. Peter Reinhart is a recognized expert in the field of artisan bread and pizza and between him and Richard Bertinet I am a competent and confident home bread baker.

If you've never baked Anadama I highly recommend it for any level of baker. It is a soft dough that is usually baked in some sort of pan which is always less stressful than free forming. I have a mother in the fridge that I always add to dough but it is not necessary as this is an enriched bread.

This enrichment is what makes it a perfect dough for King Cake! I used half for a loaf and half for my cake. I rolled the dough into a rectangle and used a combo of melted butter, pecans, brown sugar and clementine zest for the filling. Its important to seal the seam well. I didn't and some of the buttery goodness oozed out.

Delicious mid-morning treat!

The glaze is a simple confectioners sugar with clementine juice and topped with more zest and chopped toasted pecans. It is delicious if I do say so myself and Gary agrees! I hope the neighbors that I shared with also enjoy. Since it was all very impromptu I had no baby for my cake and used an almond instead. I hope luck comes to the one that got it. It wasn't me!

In researching King Cakes I learned that people can be quite passionate about their cakes and tradition. I've tried to be as true to the tradition as my pantry would allow and since we are snowed in running all over town wasn't an option. But as a friend said, I would probably need to order a baby and the purple and gold sugars. Maybe even that vibrant green one too. For me, it is the fulfillment of a goal and I feel joyful. Isn't that what its really all about? And if you disagree, I can take it!

Can't wait to make it again!

Thanks for stopping by. I would love to hear your opinion.