King Cake

cooking.nytimes.com

This Carnival cake is more like a brioche, with a bitingly sweet frosting and sugared pecans for crunch. Browse the baby shower section of a party supply store for the Mardi Gras king cake baby, where plastic babies are often sold by the dozen. A large dried bean works too. Tradition dictates that whoever finds the baby is king or queen of the party (and also has to bring the king cake to the next Carnival celebration).

subheading: FOR THE CAKE:

2 ¼ teaspoon (1 package) active dry yeast

¼ cup warm milk

1 cup plus 6 tablespoons bread flour

1 tablespoon honey

¾ cup cake flour

2 large eggs plus 1 yolk

2 tablespoons sugar

½ teaspoon ground cinnamon

½ teaspoon vanilla extract

¼ teaspoon almond extract

1 teaspoon kosher salt

4 tablespoons unsalted butter at room temperature, plus more for greasing bowl

subheading: FOR THE FILLING:

¼ cup unsalted butter

1 cup pecans, chopped

½ cup light brown sugar, packed

subheading: FOR THE EGG WASH:

1 large egg

1 tablespoon milk

subheading: FOR THE FROSTING:

¼ cup sweetened condensed milk

1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice

2 cups confectioners’ sugar

Purple, green and gold dusting sugars, for decorating

King cake baby

Directions at cooking.nytimes.com

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