King Cake-Inspired Easy Bostock

This Bostock toast is a delightful marriage of toast and almond croissant. Toast turns pastry.  We’re topping these toasts with orange marmalade and sliced almonds inspired by my favorite almond-filled french King Cake.

It’s Mardi Gras, friends!  The big BIG weekend and Fat Tuesday are just days away and who would I be if I didn’t have a fresh King Cake offering for you?  Mardi Gras from Houston (where I’ve been spending a majority of my time) is… well, it’s not Mardi Gras save for the King Cake sold at HEB (which – delicious).  Luckily, I’m headed back to New Orleans this weekend where my drawer full of sparkly pants, wigs, and face glitter await.

Now we’ve had years and years of King Cakes around here, from fancy puff pastry galette des rois cookies to the very easy one-dish king cake.  This rendition takes the cake er… toast.  I’ve taken inspiration from traditional almond filled galette des rois and smeared the filling atop thick slices of brioche instead of tucking it away inside pastry.  We’ll top the elegant toasts with powdered sugar, which has ‘beignet’ written all over it. All of this is to say, King Cake is now, more than ever, a breakfast food.  Not that we ever needed permission to have cake for breakfast but now that cake is toast and it’s a delight.

This recipe is inspired by Jake Cohen and all of his beautiful challah.

Here are the ingredients needed for this King Cake-inspired Bostock pastry:

•  brioche bread, challah sliced, or a thick sliced buttery sandwich bread – any leftover bread is great for this French pastry

•  almond flour

•  granulated sugar

•  unsalted butter

•  a large egg

•  almond extract and vanilla bean paste or vanilla extract

•  orange zest and orange flower water (if you have some on hand)

•  sea salt

•  sliced almonds

•  powdered sugar

•  orange marmalade

•  gold flakes or sprinkles to be extra festive

First, slice brioche. We’ll start by making a quick simple syrup to brush each slice of bread.  Because we’re adding moisture and topping the bread with loads of flavor, this is a perfect recipe to make with a stale loaf of bread.

Simply dissolve granulated sugar into water in a small saucepan. BOOM. Syrup. BUT, this easy bread wash is also an easy place to add flavor.  I add a splash of rum and a few dashes of orange flower water. Gorgeous. Brush syrup on both sides of the bread and set aside on a baking sheet.

Next we’ll make the topping for the toast.  Whisk together almond flour, sugar, melted butter, and egg. Luxury, right?  Finish with orange zest, almond extract, vanilla bean paste, and a sprinkle of sea salt to the bostock batter.

Now, let’s assemble.  Traditional bostock recipes don’t call for jam or marmalade but since there are Mardi Gras inspired – MORE IS MORE.  I chose orange marmalade because of all the lovely citrus grown in Louisiana but truly, whatever jam you have in the fridge is perfect.

Spread each slice of bread lightly with jam and then spread generously with the almond batter.  I like to top each soon-to-be toast with an extra smear of jam. Option but, why not live?

You can leave the marmalade off the toast all together – it’s delicious topped with fresh berries in lieu of jam.  Make the toast you like! 

Make the Sprinkle each toast with sliced almonds and bake in the oven until the toasts are golden brown around the edges and smell divine.  The baking time is the perfect moment to make a pot of coffee and gather powdered sugar and sprinkles.

These toasts are the perfect blend of French toast and bakery almond croissant, all from our very own ovens in just a few minutes. Is it a perfect weekend brunch food? Absolutely yes.

Happy Mardi Gras, friends! Let me know how you love this recipe with rating and commenting below. xo

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