Happy Valentines Day!

My poor hubby had to get up early for a flight out of town this morning. 

I decided to leave him a little present next to the coffee maker :) 

Add a little (or a lot!) maple syrup and it's heaven!

HAPPY VALENTINES DAY!

King Cake

Well, after more than a few trips to New Orleans, I decided it was time to take a try at baking this NOLA classic- the King Cake! I made a few changes to the original recipe- and would make a few more if I made it again. For starters, this one was way too dense to be a King Cake- but it still tasted heavenly! And two- I didn't have any plastic babies on hand- but I did have a mini PBR can!

Dough rolled out; filling being added.

 

Dough rolled up and then shaped into a ring.

Vents cut about 1/3 of the way down and about every inch.

I made the icing by sight, not recipe. I also made it with milk rather than water and of course, Nielsen Massey Vanilla Paste. If you don't own it, you should. I NEVER bake w/o it. I am also obsessed with this awesome whisk- it's from IKEA.

The finished product- and the hidden prize- a PBR Can! Ha!

While this recipe was very dense (and not very King Cake-like), I didn't get one complaint. They all loved it!