P KING CAKE RULES THE DAY 5

MICHIGAN K.I.D.S. | WWW.DNIE.COM
Thursday, March 3, 2011
KING CAKE RULES THE DAY
P
aczkis or King’s Cake? Which treat do
you want to eat next Tuesday? It’s a
tough call.
For years, the traditional Polish doughnuts
(pronounced POONCH-key) ruled on Fat
Tuesday, the day before the Lenten fasting
season begins for Christians. But a few
years ago, a new pre-Lenten treat arrived in
Southeast Michigan: King Cake. The sugary,
cinnamon-laced coffee cake reigns in New
Orleans, Louisiana, home of the country’s
largest Mardi Gras celebration.
Will Paczki Day also come to be known
as King’s Cake Day? Who knows? More and
more bakeries, including Kroger’s, are selling
both treats, which are both delicious. Here’s
the Yak’s recipe for a mock, or imitation, of
King’s Cake.
Easy King’s Cake
What you need
• 1 (8-roll) tube of Pillsbury reduced
fat cinnamon roll dough, available at the
supermarket.
• 1/4 cup each of green, purple and yellow
sugar (the official colors of Mardi Gras). Green
and purple sugars are easy to find in the
baking section of the supermarket. Yellow is
not. Make your own yellow sugar by adding
yellow food coloring to plain sugar and
mixing well.
• Add store bought or your own
handmade Mardi Gras decorations: green,
gold and purple beads, little plastic masks and
crowns and a little plastic baby doll.
What to do
1. Make the cinnamon rolls by following the
instructions on the package.
2. When the “cake” or rolls are done,
remove them from the oven and spread them
with icing. Arrange them close together on a
platter so they look like a cake. Immediately
sprinkle with all the colored sugars. Add the
decorations.
Photo by Eric Seals
The Yak has lots of experience eating paczkis and
even helping to make them!
Photo by William Archie
King Cake is a sweet treat fit for a king or a queen.
By Patricia Chargot
Note:
In New Orleans, the
doll is baked into the
batter. Whoever gets
it in his or her slice
wins a prize. Don’t try
this at home, though.
The plastic might melt,
or someone could
swallow the doll! For
fun, devise a contest
to see who gets the
cinnamon roll with the
doll. Give that person
a small, inexpensive
prize, perhaps the
decorations so he or
she can make a King’s
Cake next year!
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