Best 2 Kings Cake Recipes

ROSCA DE REYES - THREE KINGS CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°F.
• In large mixing bowl, cream together butter or margarine and powdered sugar.
• Add eggs and beat again, until light and fluffy.
• Combine dry ingredients, expect chopped nuts.
• Gradually add dry ingredients and vanilla to creamed mixture.
• Sprinkle nuts on bottom of lightly greased 9x5x4-inch loaf pan.
• Pour batter into pan.
• Bake at 350°F for 55 minutes, or until pick comes out clean and cake springs back to the touch.
• Cool 10 minutes; turn cake onto wire rack to cool.
• Insert dry bean or"baby" from the underside of the cake when cool.
• During the last minutes cake is cooking, melt brown sugar in heavy saucepan over low heat.
• Remove from heat and add ground anise and vanilla extract.
• Pour warm syrup over freshly baked, cooled cake.

MARDI GRAS KINGS CAKE (OPTIONAL BREAD MACHINE VERSION)

Steps:

• 1.Scald milk with lemon zest, remove from heat and stir in 1/4 cup of butter. Allow mixture to cool to room temperature. In a large bowl, dissolve yeast in the warm water with 1 tablespoon of the white sugar. Let stand until creamy, about 10 minutes.
• 2.When yeast mixture is bubbling, add the cooled milk mixture. Whisk in the eggs. Stir in the remaining white sugar, salt and nutmeg. 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, about 8 to 10 minutes.
• 3.Lightly oil a large bowl, place the dough in the bowl and turn to coat with oil. Cover with a damp cloth or plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place until doubled in volume, about 2 hours. When risen, punch down and divide dough in half.
• FOR BREAD MACHINE: Add liquid in bread machine. Add dry ingredients. Add yeast. Start dough procedure.
• 4.Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Grease 2 cookie sheets or line with parchment paper.
• 5.To Make Filling: Combine the brown sugar, ground cinnamon, chopped pecans, 1/2 cup flour and 1/2 cup raisins. Pour 1/2 cup melted butter over the cinnamon mixture and mix until crumbly.
• 6.Roll dough halves out into large rectangles (approximately 10x16 inches or so). Sprinkle the filling evenly over the dough and roll up each half tightly like a jelly roll, beginning at the wide side. Bring the ends of each roll together to form 2 oval shaped rings. Place each ring on a prepared cookie sheet. With scissors make cuts 1/3 of the way through the rings at 1 inch intervals. Let rise in a warm spot until doubled in size, about 45 minutes.
• 7.Bake in preheated oven for 30 minutes. Push the doll into the bottom of the cake. Frost while warm with the confectioners' sugar blended with 1 to 2 tablespoons of water.