Epiphany Cake.

[Matthew.Taylor]

EPIPHANY CAKE

First, a story. There are many stories about the creation of the yeasted cake called Kugelhopf. My favorite is this one: It says that after giving the three gifts to Jesus Christ, the three Magi returned to their homelands (some say Persia) by a different route in order to avoid King Herod. In this story, they eventually found themselves in what is now Alsace, France. Overjoyed to meet them, the locals baked for them a cake that  was made to look like their turbans. This would eventually be called the Kugelhopf. Whether or not this is accurate (there are many stories as to how this cake came to be), it’s one of the inspirations for this recipe.

 

While sitting in church one Epiphany Sunday, the Pastor (my mother) was talking about the Magi, and while this was going on, I was struck with inspiration. I genuinely believe it came from God. A cake made to celebrate Epiphany, using the Kugelhopf and its legend as a base. I decided right then and there to make. I saw it in my head, a round Kugelhopf with four cherries on top, three red cherries to represent the Magi, and one Gold Cherry to represent Christ.

 

I decided that the mix-ins would all symbolize the three gifts the Magi brought to Jesus.

 

For the Gift of Gold, I used Gold Raisins (raisins being a common Kugelhopf mix-in).

 

For the Gift of Frankincense, I used some leftover Gingerbread seasoning I had.

 

The Gift of Myrrh was the difficult one. It was used for burial in ancent Israel, so I needed something that symbolized death. I later chose apple, as it often symbolized life and death (and Christ both died and rose from the grave).

With everything set. I had my recipe.

INGREDIENTS.

 

GINGERBREAD SPICE MIX

 

1.       5 TBSPs Ground Cinnamon

2.       1 Tsp Ground Ginger.

3.       2 Tsp Ground Cloves.

4.       1 Tsp Ground Cardamon

5.       1 Tsp Ground Coriander

6.       1 Tsp Ground Anise.

7.       ½ Tsp Ground Mace.

STEPS.

1.       Mix all together and store in an airtight container. Will last up to a year.

 

EPIPHANY CAKE.

 

INGREDIENTS. (Sponge)

1.       ½ a cup of Whole, or Lowfat milk.

2.       3 TBSPs of Sugar

3.       2 ¼ teaspoons of Active Dry Yeast.

4.       2/3s of a cup Flour.

INGREDIENTS (Dough)

1.       ½ of a cup Golden Raisins

2.       1/3 of a cup Diced Apple.

3.       1 and ½ Teaspoons Gingerbread spice (heaping, do not level off).

4.       10 Tbsp of Unsalted Butter at room temperature, and cut into cubes.

5.       ½ teaspoon Salt.

6.       Zest of one Navel Orange.

7.       1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract.

8.       1 Large Egg at room temp.

9.       1 largeEgg Yolk.

10.  1 and 1/3 cup Flour.

INGREDIENTS (TOP)

1.       1 cup of Heavy Whipping Cream.

2.       2 Heaping Tbsps of Sugar.

3.       Juice of one orange.

4.       I/2 cup of water.

5.       ½ cup of sugar

6.       3 Red Cherries.

7.       1 Gold Cherry.

STEPS.

1.       Make the sponge by heating the milk over a low heat in a small saucepan until it is tepid.

2.       Pour into the bowl of a stand mixer (or the bowl you intend to mix everything in.)

3.       Add the Sugar, and sprinkle in the yeast.

4.       Stir in the 2/3 of a cup of flour, scraping down the sides to make sure it is all mixed in.

5.       Cover with a kitchen towel, or plastic wrap, and let sit until it becomes bubbly, about 20 minutes.

6.       Lube your intended pan, whether it be a Kugelhopt pan, or a bundt pan. Use non-stick spray or butter and flour. Make sure it is lubed well, as the dough will be sticky.

7.       Add the cubed butter, zest, Gingerbread Spice and Vanilla to the sponge. Use a paddle attachment (or an egg beater) to mix them well.

8.       Beat in the Egg and Egg Yolk until smooth. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed.

9.       On Low speed, mix in the Flour until fully combined, scraping down the sides as needed.

10.  Once flour is fully incorporated, turn mixer to high and beat until elastic and smooth, around 3 minutes.

11.  Beat in raisins, and apples.

12.  Cover the bowl with a kitchen towel, or plastic wrap, and let rise in a warm place until the dough starts to puff. About 30  minutes.

13.  Wet down your hands and transfer dough to the intended pan, making sure that it is equally spread around the pan.

14.  Cover with a kitchen towel, and let sit in a warm place until it is double in size. 1 to 1 and ½ hours. (using a larger pan will probably require the full time.)

15.  15 minutes before baking, turn oven to 375 degrees F.

16.  Bake until it is a deep golden brown across the top. (base recipe called for 40-45 minutes. I checked and found it done at 35 minutes.

17.  While the cake is baking, start on the toppings. Take the sugar and water, heat them in a small saucepan until the sugar is completely dissolved, add orange juice and mix well. Take off the heat.

18.  When cake is done, let cool for ten minutes. Pierce the top with a fork in a few places, and brush some of the orange syrup over it. Make a few rounds of brushing.

19.  Remove the cake onto a cooling dish, and let cool completely.

20.  Once cool, mix Tbsps of sugar with whipping cream, until stiff peaks form.

Place dollops of cream on each of the four “points of the cake” and stick one cherry to each one. Serve as you desire.