King's cake crown

Discover the history of King's cake crown.

1. Candied orange

   • 500 g water
   • 110 g vanilla sugar
   • 110 g white sugar
   • 1 orange

   • It is recomendable to make this step some days in advance since we need our candied orange fully cristalized.
   • In a saucepan, mix water, the two sugars and bring up to a gentle simmer, just below boiling point.
   • Meanwhile, wash and clean well the orange and slice it in 5 mm thick discs.
   • When the syrup has reached the right temperature, add in the orange slices and cook them at medium heat for 1.5 hours.
   • Once cooked, turn the heat off, drain and place them on a cooling rack to cool down and dry. This step might take between 2 - 3 days.

2. Poolish

   • 100 g whole milk
   • 60 g strong or bread flour
   • 25 g white sugar
   • 12 g fresh yeast or 4 g dry yeast

   • In a tall container, mix the lukewarm milk, the flour, sugar and yeast and integrate all together with a whisk.
   • Let it proof in a warm place until it triples in size.
   • Then, deflate the mixture with the whisk and let it proof again.
   • Repeat the previous step so it proofs for three times in total.
   • Once done, we can start preparing our king's cake crown dough.

3. Crown dough

   • Poolish
   • 190 g strong or bread flour
   • 75 g butter
   • 35 g white sugar
   • 50 g egg (1)
   • 15 g honey
   • 10 g orange blossom water
   • 5 g orange zest
   • 3 g lemon zest
   • 2 g salt

   • In a stand mixer bowl, combine the poolish with the flour, sugar, egg, honey, orange blossom water, orange and lemon zest and salt.
   • Right after, knead the dough at low - medium speed with the hook attachment for 15 minutes until it turns elastic and shinny.
   • Then, add the butter cut in small dices and knead for another 10 minutes until it is completely incorporated into the dough.
   • Later, cover with plastic wrap, and place in the refrigerator until the following day.

4. Diplomat cream

   • 250 g whole milk
   • 150 g heavy cream (35% fat)
   • 60 g white sugar
   • 50 g egg yolk (3)
   • 25 g butter
   • 25 g cornstarch
   • 10 g orange blossom water
   • 5 g vanilla
   • 4 g gelatine

   • First of all, soak gelatine in cold water for at least 10 minutes.
   • Meanwhile, in a saucepan bring milk and vanilla to a boil.
   • In a bowl, combine sugar, egg yolks and cornstach. Stir thouroughly with a whisk until it forms a paste without lumps and lightly whiten.
   • Right after, pour in the hot milk and incorporate it whisking constantly.
   • Then, put it back into the saucepan and cook at low heat for some minutes whisking constantly until it thickens.
   • In that moment, turn off the heat, add the gelatine, the butter and the orange blossom water and integrate with the whisk.
   • Transfer the cream into a container and cover in contact with plastic wrap. Keep refrigerated for at least 4 hours.
   • The same day we plan to bake the cake, whip the heavy cream to firm peaks and gently fold it in the pastry cream. Keep refrigerated until ready to use.

5. Assembly

   • Laminated almonds
   • Pearl sugar
   • Cherries
   • One egg yolk
   • A dash of heavy cream

   • First, take the dough out of the fridge and deflate it.
   • Then, with the help of a scale, divide the dough into 10 equal portions.
   • Right after, shape each portion into a round ball.
   • Now, place a small dish, arround 10 cm diameter, in the center of a baking tray lined with parchment and place the balls arround it equally distant from each other.
   • Remove the dish and let the dough proof until tripled in size for arround 1 - 1.5 hours. This time will depend on the temperature where the dough rests, ideally between 23º and 28º C.
   • Once proofed, brush it with a mixture of egg yolk and a dash of heavy cream and decorate it to taste with the laminated almonds, pearl sugar, cherries and candied orange.
   • Bake for 15 minutes at 180º C.
   • Let it cool down completely to room temperature.
   • Meanwhile, take the diplomat cream out of the fridge and trasnfer it into a piping bag with a 1.5 cm. diameter star nozzle.
   • Last but not least, cut the dough lengthwise and fill it with the diplomat cream.
   • Keep refrigerated and leave it to room temperate for 20 minutes before serving.

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