At  St. Matthias, we have a collaborative approach to Faith Formation. So, last night I was asked by our Deacons - George and Rich to come to RCIA and talk about Epiphany. I can't tell you how much fun I had researching this feast! For instance, did you know that King Cakes are not just for Mardi Gras? They are actually "in season" from Epiphany (Jan 6th - celebrated on the 8th this year) through Mardi Gras (the day before Ash Wednesday). Traditionally King Cakes are decorated with purple, yellow and green icing or colored sugar and there's a tiny plastic baby baked inside. Whoever gets the piece with the baby in it is said to be blessed throughout the year, but is also responsible for providing the cake next year.  The purple denotes justice, the green faith and yellow power.

For my presentation, I thought it would be cool to bake and share a King Cake with the group. I found a super easy recipe online that I'd like to share (recipe comes from www.homecooking.about.com)

Filling Ingredients:

4 oz cream cheese

1/2 cup brown sugar, packed

1/2 teas cinnamon (I like a lot of cinnamon so used more)

1/4 cup raisins, soaked in hot water for 15 mins, then drained and patted dry on a paper towel

1/2 cup chopped pecans

Cake Ingredients:

2 rolls (total of 12 individual crescent rolls) refrigerated crescent rolls in the can

Icing:

1 1/2 cups of powered sugar

3-4 Tbsp milk or cream

1 teas vanilla extract

purple, green and yellow colored sugar or food coloring

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 350 F. Spray a pizza pan or baking sheet with non-stick cooking spray or line with parchment.

Place all the filling ingredients into a food processor and pulse until well mixed. Set aside.

Unroll crescent roll dough and separate into triangles. Position triangles next to each other with the points toward the center, overlapping the long sides about 1/4 inch, forming a large round. Where the pieces overlap, press the seams together only in the center of each seams, leaving either ends of the seams unsealed so you can fold them up over the filling.

Spread the filling around in a ring covering the center sealed seam of each triangle.

Place a small plastic baby someone in the filling.

Fold the wide edge of each triangle toward the center just to the edge of the filling to cover. Continue all the way around, until the wide ends are all folded over. Begin folding the points of the triangles over until they are all folded. Lightly press the seams to seal.

Bake 20-25 mins until golden brown. Let cool to room temperature.

While baking, whisk together the powered sugar, milk or cream and vanilla until smooth. The consistency should be fairly thick, but still thin enough to slowly drip down the sides. Add more milk if necessary. If using food coloring, divide the icing into three smaller bowls and add colorant. Allow icing to dry and serve!

Does your family have any Epiphany traditions or customs? Do you celebrate the Feast of the Three Kings? What epiphanies have you had in your life? What is the significance of the three kings coming from the East to you?