King Cake Recipe

King Cake is a tradition Mardi Gras treat. I made this for my family Monday night and we enjoyed it on Fat Tuesday with our Dirty Rice!

Check out Wikipedia for the history of the King Cake http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/King_cake

INGREDIENTS
2 envelopes active dry yeast or 4-1/2 teaspoons of dry active yeast
1/2 cup sugar
1-1/2 sticks melted butter
1 cup warm milk for dough
3 tablespoons of milk for icing
5 large egg yolks
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon nutmeg
1 cup of brown sugar
4 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon 7up
1 teaspoon vegetable oil
4 packages of soft Cream Cheese
3 cups powdered sugar
3 tablespoons vanilla extract
Colored Sugars Purple, green, and gold are traditional King Cake colors (but I subbed pink for purple because my daughters love pink)

PROCESS
I used my stand up Kitchen-aid mixer
Combine the yeast and sugar in the bowl mix with well with paddle attachment. Add the melted butter and warm milk. Beat at low for about a minute. With the mixer running, add the egg yolks, then beat for on low for about a minute. Then I changed to the dough hook then add the flour, salt, nutmeg, and 7up mix well. Increase the speed and mix until dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl, forms a ball.
Place dough in a larger oiled bowl and cover with saran wrap and let rise for 2 hours in a warm dry place.

For the filling combine the cream cheese and brown sugar. Whip with a mixer until mixture is nice and creamy

After your dough rises roll your dough out into a long, narrow piece about 8” x 24”

Spread your filling onto your dough – evenly all across the dough. Then roll you dough up like a jelly roll. The take you ring and form a circle and neatly attached the ends to for a circle

Cover the ring with saran wrap and rise again for about 30-45 minutes.

Set oven for 350 and bake for 30 minutes

Let cool completely!!! - no seriously if you don’t let it cool completely you icing will melt off.

ICING. Combine 3 cups powdered sugar, 3 tablespoons milk, and the vanilla in a mixing bowl. Mix well with a whisk or electric mixer. Spread icing over you cooled cake. Sprinkle colored sugars – alternating the colors in 3 inch strips around the cake.

Cut and enjoy