King Cake

King Cake originally was a rather plain bread. These days King Cakes are made with rich, brioche-like dough and filled, most often with cream cheese filling.

The sugars decorating the top of King Cake have special meaning

Gold (yellow) stands for power, green for faith, and purple for justice.

 Ingredients

Cake

• 8 tablespoons (113g) unsalted butter, melted
• 3/4 cup (170g) milk, lukewarm
• 2 large eggs plus 1 large egg yolk, white reserved; at room temperature
• 3 1/2 cups (420g) all-purpose unbleached flour
• 1/4 cup (50g) granulated sugar
• 1/4 cup (28g) nonfat dry milk
• 1 1/4 teaspoons (8g) table salt
• 2 1/2 teaspoons instant yeast
• 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1 teaspoon grated lemon rind

Filling

• one 8-ounce package (227g) cream cheese, softened
• 1/2 cup (99g) granulated sugar
• 3 tablespoons (21g)  Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
• 1 large egg, at room temperature, lightly beaten
• 2 teaspoons Pure Vanilla Extract

Icing

• 2 cups (227g) confectioners' sugar
• pinch of table salt
• 1 teaspoon  Pure Vanilla Extract
• 2 to 3 tablespoons milk, enough to make a thick but pourable glaze

Garnish with yellow, purple, and green fine sparkling sugars

1. Lightly grease a baking sheet, or line it with parchment. (To make this cake in a Bundt pan, see "tips," below.)
2. To prepare the dough: Using a stand mixer, electric hand mixer, or bread machine, mix and knead all of the dough ingredients together to form a smooth, very silky dough. You may try kneading this dough with your hands, if desired; but be advised it's very sticky and soft.
3. Allow the dough to rise, covered, for 1 hour. It'll become puffy, though it probably won't double in size.
4. Transfer the soft dough to a lightly greased work surface. Pat and stretch it into a 24" x 6" rectangle. This won't be hard at all; it's very stretchy. Let the dough rest while you prepare the filling.
5. To prepare the filling: Beat together the cream cheese, sugar, and flour until smooth, scraping the bowl once. Add the egg and flavor, again beating until smooth.
6. Dollop the filling down the center of the long strip of dough. Then fold each edge up and over the filling until they meet at the top; roll and pinch the edges together, to seal the filling inside as much as possible. 
7. Place the log of dough onto the baking sheet seam-side down. The dough will stretch as you handle it so pick it up and position it on the pan quickly and gently. Pinch the ends together.
8. Cover and let rise for about an hour, until it's puffy. Preheat the oven to 350°F while the dough rises.
9. Whisk the reserved egg white with 1 tablespoon water (egg wash) and brush it over the risen cake.
10. Bake the cake for 20 minutes, then tent it lightly with aluminum foil. Bake it for an additional 30 minutes, until it's a rich golden brown.
11. Remove the cake from the oven. After about 15 minutes, transfer it from the baking sheet to a rack to cool.
12. To make the icing: Beat together all of the icing ingredients, dribbling in the final 2 teaspoons milk until the icing is thick yet pourable.
13. Pour the icing over the completely cooled cake. While it's still sticky, sprinkle with alternating bands of yellow, purple, and green sugars.

To give your King Cake more of a defined shape, bake it in a Bundt pan. Assemble the cake as written through shaping (step 6). Lightly grease a 10- or 12-cup Bundt pan. Gently pick up the shaped log of dough and place it in the Bundt pan seam side-up so you can see it (the bottom becomes the top of the cake in the pan). Pinch the ends together where they meet in the pan to seal. You may need to adjust the placement of the dough slightly so that it fits evenly in the pan. Once the dough is in place, cover and let it rise for about an hour before baking at 350°F for 50 to 55 minutes. (Skip the egg wash.) Tent with aluminum foil as needed to prevent it from getting too dark. Cool in the pan for about 5 minutes before turning upside down onto a rack to cool completely. Top with the icing and decorate as desired.

King cakes are traditionally baked with a plastic baby inside. I place the baby in after baking by cutting a small hole then placing the baby inside. Use the bread you cut out to hide the baby!