Mardi Gras King Cake!

You will need 1 - small baby doll trinket. The King Cake tradition is thought to have been brought to New Orleans from France in 1870. A King Cake is an oval-shaped bakery delicacy, crossed between a coffee cake and a French pastry that is as rich in history as it is in flavor. It's decorated in royal colors of PURPLE which signifies "Justice," GREEN for "Faith," and GOLD for "Power." These colors were chosen to resemble a jeweled crown honoring the Wise Men who visited the Christ Child on Epiphany. In the past such things as coins, beans, pecans, or peas were also hidden in each King Cake. A tiny plastic baby is the common prize. At a party, the King Cake is sliced and served. Each person looks to see if their piece contains the "baby." If so, then that person is named "King" or “Queen” for a day and bound by custom to provide the next King Cake. Mardi Gras Day has a moveable date and may occur on any Tuesday from February 3rd to March 9th. It is always the day before Ash Wednesday, and always falls 46 days before Easter. (https://www.randazzokingcake.com/pages/History-of-King-Cakes.html)

• Ready In: 2 hrs 20 mins
• Serves: 12
• Yields: 1 king cake

Ingredients

• Dough

• 1⁄4 cup water
• 3⁄4 cup milk
• 1  egg
• 1  teaspoon salt
• 5  tablespoons butter
• 1⁄3 cup sugar
• 3  cups flour
• 1 (3/4ounce) package active dry yeast

• Filling

• 1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
• 1  cup powdered sugar
• 1  teaspoon  lemon extract

• Icing

• 1 1⁄2 cups powdered sugar
• 3 -5  tablespoons milk
• 1  teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions

1. Using a bread maker, add all liquid ingredients first: water, milk, and egg. Next add the butter, salt, sugar, and flour. Make a well in the flour and add the yeast. Mix on the dough cycle.
2. Mix the filling ingredients together and set aside.
3. Once the dough cycle is complete, on a floured surface using a floured roller, roll to a rectangle of about 10 x 18 inches (give or take).
4. Place the filling in the middle into a log shape. Roll up long ways (to make a long log) and brush the final edge with water before pressing it into the log to seal. This method ensures that the filling is in the middle when sliced into it.
5. Take log and form into a circle, pressing the ends into each other and brushing with water if needed to seal together. I used a medium saucepan and wrapped the dough around it to make a nice large circle. Cover and place in warm place for the dough to rise for about 45 minutes.
6. Cook in oven at 350 degrees for about 20 – 30 minutes, the roll should be a nice golden brown color. Lift the cake from below and insert the toy baby where you want it. Allow to cool before applying the icing.
7. Prepare the icing by mixing all ingredients together. You can add more milk or powdered sugar to your liking. You want it to be a pourable consistency.
8. Drizzle over top of cake with a spoon. I used a clean squeezable condiment bottle. Then add the green, yellow, and purple sprinkles. Allow the icing to harden before serving.