Hello, Good News! Welcome to another article where we share our passion for baking with you. Today, we’re going to talk about a special treat that you can make for Mardi Gras: sourdough king cake.
King cake is a traditional pastry that is eaten during the Carnival season, which runs from Epiphany (January 6) to Fat Tuesday (the day before Ash Wednesday and the start of Lent). It’s a sweet, circular cake that is decorated with colored sugar or icing in the Mardi Gras colors of purple, green, and gold. These colors symbolize justice, faith, and power, respectively. Inside the cake, there’s a hidden trinket, usually a plastic baby, that represents the baby Jesus. Whoever finds the trinket in their slice of cake gets to be the “king” for a day and is responsible for hosting the next party or buying the next cake.
Why Use Sourdough Starter for King Cake?
Sourdough starter is a mixture of flour and water that has been fermented by wild yeast and bacteria. It’s used to make sourdough bread, which has a distinctive tangy flavor and chewy texture. But sourdough starter can also be used for other baked goods, such as cakes, muffins, pancakes, and waffles.
Using sourdough starter for king cake has several benefits. First, it adds flavor and complexity to the cake, enhancing the sweetness and richness of the ingredients. Second, it makes the cake more tender and moist, as the acidity of the starter helps to break down the gluten in the flour. Third, it extends the shelf life of the cake, as the starter acts as a natural preservative and prevents it from drying out or going stale. And fourth, it helps you use up your discard starter, which is the excess starter that you would otherwise throw away when you feed your starter.
How to Make Sourdough Starter from Scratch
If you don’t have a sourdough starter yet, don’t worry. You can easily make one from scratch with just flour and water. All you need is a glass jar with a lid, a kitchen scale, and some patience.
To make your own sourdough starter, follow these steps:
- Day 1: In a clean glass jar, mix 50g of whole wheat flour and 50g of water. Stir well until there are no dry bits of flour. Cover loosely with the lid and let it sit at room temperature (about 75°F) for 24 hours.
- Day 2: You may see some bubbles or signs of activity in your jar. This is good. Stir the mixture well and discard half of it. Add 50g of all-purpose flour and 50g of water to the remaining half. Stir well until smooth. Cover loosely with the lid and let it sit at room temperature for another 24 hours.
- Day 3-6: Repeat the same process as day 2: stir, discard half, feed with 50g of all-purpose flour and 50g of water, cover loosely, and let sit at room temperature. By day 6, your starter should be bubbly, active, and double in size within 12 hours of feeding. It should also smell pleasantly sour and fruity.
- Day 7: Congratulations! You have made your own sourdough starter. Now you can use it for baking or store it in the refrigerator for later use.
How to Feed and Maintain Your Sourdough Starter
To keep your sourdough starter alive and healthy, you need to feed it regularly with fresh flour and water. Feeding your starter replenishes its food supply and keeps its yeast and bacteria active.
The most common feeding ratio is 1:1:1 by weight. This means that you feed your starter with equal parts of starter, flour, and water. For example, if you have 100g of starter in your jar, you feed it with 100g of flour and 100g of water.
If you bake often, you can keep your starter at room temperature and feed it once or twice a day. If you bake less frequently, you can store your starter in the refrigerator and feed it once a week.
To feed your sourdough starter at room temperature:
- Remove and discard half of your starter from the jar.
- Add equal parts of flour and water by weight to the remaining half. Stir well until smooth.
- Cover loosely with the lid and let it sit at room temperature until bubbly and active (about 4 to 12 hours, depending on the temperature and the strength of your starter).
- Use your starter for baking or store it in the refrigerator until the next feeding.
To feed your sourdough starter in the refrigerator:
- Take your starter out of the refrigerator and let it come to room temperature.
- Remove and discard half of your starter from the jar.
- Add equal parts of flour and water by weight to the remaining half. Stir well until smooth.
- Cover loosely with the lid and let it sit at room temperature until bubbly and active (about 4 to 12 hours, depending on the temperature and the strength of your starter).
- Use your starter for baking or return it to the refrigerator until the next feeding.
How to Make Sourdough King Cake
Now that you have a sourdough starter ready, you can use it to make a delicious sourdough king cake. This recipe is adapted from Turnips 2 Tangerines, with some modifications. It makes one large cake that serves 12 to 16 people.
You will need the following ingredients:
- For the cake:
- 113g (1/2 cup) sourdough starter, active and bubbly
- 113g (1/2 cup) warm water
- 7g (2 1/4 teaspoons) active dry yeast
- 100g (1/2 cup) granulated sugar
- 113g (1/2 cup) unsalted butter, softened
- 3 large eggs, room temperature
- 5g (1 teaspoon) salt
- 5g (1 teaspoon) vanilla extract
- 570g (4 1/2 cups) all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
- For the filling:
- 226g (8 ounces) cream cheese, softened
- 50g (1/4 cup) granulated sugar
- 5g (1 teaspoon) vanilla extract
- A pinch of salt
- A plastic baby, a large dried bean, or a coin
- For the glaze:
- 226g (2 cups) powdered sugar
- 30g (2 tablespoons) milk
- 5g (1 teaspoon) vanilla extract
- For the decoration:
- Purple, green, and gold colored sugar or sprinkles
Step 1: Make the Cake Dough
In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the sourdough starter, warm water, and yeast. Let it sit for 10 minutes until foamy.
Add the sugar, butter, eggs, salt, and vanilla. Mix well with a wooden spoon or an electric mixer.
Add the flour gradually, stirring or kneading until a soft and smooth dough forms. You may need more or less flour depending on the hydration of your starter and the humidity of your environment. The dough should be slightly sticky but not wet.
Place the dough in a lightly greased bowl and cover with plastic wrap or a damp cloth. Let it rise in a warm place until doubled in size, about 2 hours.
Step 2: Make the Filling and Shape the Cake
In a small bowl, beat together the cream cheese, sugar, vanilla, and salt until smooth and creamy. Set aside.
Punch down the dough and transfer it to a lightly floured surface. Roll it into a large rectangle, about 18 by 12 inches.
Spread the cream cheese filling evenly over the dough, leaving a 1-inch border around the edges. Roll up the dough from one long side, pinching the seam to seal. Form the dough into a ring and join the ends together, pinching to seal.
Carefully transfer the ring to a large baking sheet lined with parchment paper or silicone mat. Insert the plastic baby, bean, or coin into the cake from underneath, making sure it’s hidden inside.
Cover the cake loosely with plastic wrap or a damp cloth and let it rise in a warm place until puffy, about 1 hour.
Step 3: Bake and Glaze the Cake
Preheat oven to 350°F. Bake the cake for 25 to 30 minutes or until golden brown. Let it coolon a wire rack for 10 minutes.
In a small bowl, whisk together the powdered sugar, milk, and vanilla until smooth and runny. Drizzle the glaze over the cake, letting it drip down the sides.
Sprinkle the colored sugar or sprinkles over the glaze, alternating the colors in sections. Let the glaze set before slicing and serving.
A Table Breakdown of Sourdough King Cake Nutrition Facts
If you’re wondering how many calories and nutrients are in a slice of sourdough king cake, here’s a table breakdown for you. The values are based on one serving size, which is 1/16 of the cake. Keep in mind that these are only estimates and may vary depending on the ingredients and brands you use.
| Nutrient | Amount | % Daily Value |
|---|---|---|
| Calories | 358 | 18% |
| Fat | 12g | 18% |
| Saturated Fat | 7g | 35% |
| Cholesterol | 64mg | 21% |
| Sodium | 200mg | 8% |
| Carbohydrates | 57g | 19% |
| Fiber | 1g | 4% |
| Sugar | 31g | N/A |
| Protein | 7g | 14% |