Laissez Les Bons Temps Rouler!!!

So begins the life and times of Buffonskivitch! :) Happy Mardi Gras everyone! So I am now becoming a blogger. WOW! This could be a very interesting new phase. :) So for my first post I will share with you my most interesting baking experience of last night. Every year on Mardi Gras I have established the tradition of making a King Cake for my coworkers. As I am the only Louisiana representative in my University of Utah office, I felt it my duty to educate my office on the traditions of my home state. It is fun to do, but a lot of work goes into it and let's just say there are some years when I am kicking myself for starting this in the first place!

Well last night was one of those times. I have just recently moved into a new apartment and am still surrounded by boxes. Not to mention my sister, Kathy, was in town from Arizona and we had plans to spend some time together and go out to dinner before she flew home later that evening. Well, King Cake takes some time to make as it is a yeast cake and needs time to raise. So the plan was to mix the dough and let it raise the first time while we went out to dinner and then go home and finish making the cake. Well this went smoothly enough...Kathy and her friend Melanie came over and had the tour of my new place and while I put the cake dough together Kathy and Mel were nice enough to shelf paper one of my kitchen cabinets that I had not gotten to yet. Actually it was a HUGE help as it decluttered my kitchen quite a bit! ...Thanks Kathy and Mel! :) Then we went out for sushi! (yummy!)

When I got home, the dough had risen ok...not as well as I would have liked, but well enough. My kitchen is a little drafty and it is very, very cold here right now, and I think that it affected the rising process. Anyway, I finished the prep work...filled the dough and rolled it up to rise again. Again, it didn't raise all that well, but well enough. Then I baked it. Well, during this process is when the explosion occurred...the filling was oozing out of the top...it was like it was turning itself inside out! When I took it out of the oven this is what it looked like!

Well, I was a little worried that glaze and colored sugar would not disguise the mess I was seeing before me or assist in keeping the cake together enough for people to eat it as it appeared to be simply falling apart. Well, luckily it calmed down a bit as it cooled and held together. And here is my finished product.

Not too bad, eh?

Well Happy Mardi Gras, y'all!!! :) Let The Good Times Roll !!!!!!!!!