Vegan King Cake for Mardi Gras
My husband was born in New Orleans. He spent most of his childhood there and consequently, loves eating Cajun dishes. One thing that he especially loves is King Cake. Every Mardi Gras we have red beans and rice, Abita beer& some homemade King Cake.
Here is the recipe I formulated for this year’s King Cake;
Ingredients:
Cake:
1 pkg dry active yeast
1/4 c warm water
1 Tbs maple syrup
2 1/2 c all purpose flour/ or cake flour plus more for kneading. (I used half all purp and half cake flour this time.)
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp nutmeg
3 Tbs sugar
3 Tbs soy butter
3 Tbs coconut butter
3 tsp egg replacer- 5 Tbs hot water
1/4 c (non- light) coconut milk and more for brushing
1/4 c non-dairy cream cheese (such as Tofutti or Go Veggie!)
Filling:
3/4 c dark brown sugar
1/4 c margarine (earth balance)
1/2 c finely chopped pecans
1/2 tsp cinnamon
Icing:
1 1/2 c powder sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1/2-1 tsp vanilla extract
5 Tbs warm water
(Adjust the sugar/ water to make it as thick or drippy as you like. I like to keep mine thick so it’s a nice white color.)
– yellow, green, purple sugar sprinkles
Directions:
1. In medium bowl combine yeast& warm water- mix until yeast dissolves & bubbles form. Mix syrup in after 5-10 mins.
2. In food processor combine flour, salt, nutmeg& sugar. Add butter and process until small crumbs form.
3. In a large bowl mix together egg replacer, coconut milk, vegan cream cheese, and yeast. Then add the “crumbs” from the food processor to the bowl& knead, adding flour as necessary, until a soft dough forms. Place in an oiled bowl& cover with a damp cloth& allow to rise in a warm place for 2 hours or until doubled in size.
4. Mix the filling ingredients in a medium bowl.
5. Preheat oven to 350* & put parchment paper onto a large baking pan.
6. Roll dough out onto a lightly floured surface to a 1/8 thick rectangle. (It will be large).
7. Spread filling evenly across the top of the dough.
8. Roll, jelly roll style, rolling long ways- like a big snake- shape into a ring/oval doughnut looking shape- overlapping the ends together.
9. Cover& allow to rise 20-30 more mins.
10. Brush lightly with coconut milk &bake 25-30 mins until golden. Allow to cool completely then transfer to the serving tray/ platter you are using.
11. At this point, add a plastic baby or a bean by slicing a spot into the cake. Whoever gets this trinket will have to bring the cake to the party next year (but if they don’t have this recipe, you might want to bring the cake again!)
12. Prepare icing by mixing ingredients together for desired thickness then pour the icing over the cake- taking care to conceal the spot you inserted the trinket.
13. Before the frosting dries, add sprinkles alternating colors used.
Let the good times roll!