King Cake

Submitted by gailanng

"Can't make it to Mardi Gras? Create your own cinnamon-sugar filled cake. Bread flour produces a lighter and airy cake, but can use all-purpose. Every King Cake I've ever eaten has white frosting sprinkled with colored sugar...and at my age, plenty I've eaten. Instruction #8 includes the addition of a small token. The person who gets the token is to provide the next King Cake or host the next King Cake party."

 

• Ready In: 2hrs
• Ingredients: 21
• Yields: 2 cakes

ingredients

• Dough

• 1⁄4 cup butter
• 16 ounces sour cream
• 1⁄3 cup granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 (1/4 ounce) envelopes active dry yeast
• 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
• 1⁄2 cup warm water
• 2 large eggs
• 6 1⁄4 - 6 1⁄2 cups bread flour or 6 1/4-6 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

• Cinnamon Sugar Filling

• 1⁄2 cup granulated sugar
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1⁄4 cup butter, softened

• Creamy Frosting

• 3 cups powdered sugar
• 3 tablespoons butter, melted
• 3 tablespoons milk
• 1⁄2 teaspoon vanilla extract

• Colored Sugars

• 1 1⁄2 cups granulated sugar, divided
• 2 drops green food coloring
• 2 drops yellow food coloring
• 1 drop red food coloring
• 1 drop blue food coloring

directions

1. In a saucepan heat butter, sour cream, sugar and salt over low heat just until butter melts, stirring often. Check temperature to be between 100 and 110 degrees.
2. Dissolve both packets of yeast into 1/2 cup warm water and 1 tablespoon sugar. Let stand 5 minutes or until the yeast starts to bubble.
3. Into a large mixing bowl, add the butter mixture, eggs and 2 cups of flour and beat for two minutes or until it becomes smooth. Gradually add enough of the remaining flour to form a soft dough.
4. Place dough on a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth. This will take approximately 10 minutes. Place dough in a greased bowl. Turn the dough so that the grease covers all sides of it. Cover with plastic wrap and let rest in a warm place for approximately one hour or until it doubles in size.
5. In the meantime stir together 1/2 cup of sugar and cinnamon; set aside.
6. After the dough has risen, punch it down and divide it in half. Place one portion on a slightly floured surface and roll it with a rolling pin into a rectangle approximately 10x22.
7. Spread half of the softened butter over the surface of the dough with a spatula leaving a 1" border and sprinkle half of the cinnamon and sugar mixture over.
8. If you are adding a coin, fava bean or figurine as a token in the King Cake, place it on the rolled out dough just before rolling it up so the token is contained in the rolled up dough.
9. Start on the long side of the dough and roll it like a jelly roll. Place roll seam side down on a lightly greased baking sheet and bring the ends together to form an oval ring. Pinch ends together to seal.
10. Repeat with remaining dough. Cover and let rise for 20 minutes or until it doubles in size again.
11. Bake at 375º for 15-20 minutes or until golden brown.
12. When cake has completely cooled, spread top with Creamy Frosting letting it drip along the sides and sprinkle with bands of colored sugars in purple, yellow and green.
13. FROSTING: Stir together powdered sugar and melted butter. Add milk to reach desired consistency for drizzling; stir in vanilla.
14. COLORED SUGARS: Place 1/2 cup sugar and 2 drops of green food coloring in a jar with a tight fitting lid; seal. Shake vigorously for about 1 minute to evenly mix color with sugar. (Adjust color as needed.) Repeat procedure with 1/2 cup sugar and yellow food coloring. For purple, combine 1 drop red and 1 drop blue food coloring before adding to remaining 1/2 cup sugar. (I prefer to make the sugar the day or days before and letting them dry in open air so as to prevent bleeding.).