Every year at the beginning of Carnival Season, Jan 6., I try to find a new spin on the King Cake. Here is a recipe from Genet Hogan, who writes the Raised On A Roux blog. This takes a dish that is found on numerous New Orleans restaurant menus and gives it a Carnival spin.
1 small king cake, cubed, baby removed (8-10 cups)
1 8-ounce package cream cheese, softened
4 tablespoon butter, softened
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 (14-ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
2 cups half-and-half
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
Pinch of salt
3 cups powdered sugar
4 tablespoons milk
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
Purple, green and gold (yellow) sugar sprinkles
Whiskey Sauce (recipe follows)
Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Generously butter a large baking dish. Place cubed king cake in prepared dish.
In the bowl of an electric mixer with paddle attachment, combine cream cheese, butter and sugar. Beat on low until creamy, about 3 minutes. Add eggs one at a time, beating until smooth after each addition.
Add condensed milk, half-and-half, vanilla extract, cinnamon and salt; mix well. Pour mixture over king cake.
Soak at room temperature, stirring occasionally, until cake has absorbed most of the liquid, about 30 minutes. Set baking dish in a roasting pan and fill the pan halfway with hot water. Bake, uncovered, until a knife inserted into the center comes out clean and top begins to brown, 45 minutes to 1 hour.
When bread pudding is done, carefully remove from water bath and let cool for 20 minutes.
Meanwhile, make a glaze. In a large bowl, combine powdered sugar, milk and lemon juice until smooth. Pour over bread pudding and decorate with alternating colors of sugar sprinkles.
Serve warm with Whiskey Sauce.
Whiskey Sauce
Makes about 1 cup
1 stick butter
1 cup sugar
1 large egg
1/2 cup whiskey
Melt butter in the top of a double boiler set over hot, but not boiling, water (or in a Pyrex bowl set over a saucepan of simmering water).
In a separate bowl, beat sugar and egg together; add to melted butter, whisking vigorously to prevent egg from curdling. Cook, whisking constantly, until sugar is dissolved and egg is cooked, 3-4 minutes. Remove sauce from heat and stir in whiskey.
Enjoy!!!
Now available on IBooks, You Can’t Keep New Orleans Out Of The Cook.
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