MARDIS GRAS KING CAKE (WITH A CREAM CHEESE FILLING) RECIPE - (4.4/5)

Steps:

• NOTE: This makes enough dough for two King Cakes. Because I use a ceramic round pan, with a hole in the middle, I will reduce the ingredients by half. Scald milk, remove from heat and stir in 1/4 cup of butter. Allow mixture to cool to room temperature. In a large bowl, dissolve yeast in the warm water with 1 tablespoon of the white sugar. Let stand until creamy, about 10 minutes. When yeast mixture is bubbling, add the cooled milk mixture. Whisk in the eggs. Stir in the remaining white sugar, salt and nutmeg. NOTE: I mixed the dough with my Kitchen Aid Stand Mixer. A hand mixer won't work, though. Beat the flour into the milk/egg mixture 1 cup at a time. When the dough has pulled together, turn it out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic, about 8 to 10 minutes. Lightly oil a large bowl, place the dough in the bowl and turn to coat with oil. Cover with a damp cloth or plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place until doubled in volume, about 2 hours. When risen, punch down and divide dough in half. NOTE: I turn my oven on WARM for 2 minutes, then shut it off. This creates a warm "incubator" and helps the dough to rise even faster. Make the egg wash, and brush on the cakes, before baking. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Grease 2 cookie sheets or line with parchment paper. NOTE: I ordered a ceramic baking dish, from King Arthur Flour online, which makes baking this cake a breeze. FOR THE FILLING: Stir cream cheese, 1 cup confectioners' sugar, 2 tablespoons flour, lemon zest, juice, and vanilla extract, in a bowl until filling is smooth. ASSEMBLE THE CAKE: Roll dough halves out into large rectangles (approximately 10x16 inches or so). Spread the filling over the dough, leaving a 1-inch border, and roll up each half tightly like a jelly roll, beginning at the wide side. Pinch seams closed to seal in filling. Bring the ends of each roll together to form 2 oval shaped rings. Or, place into ceramic round baking dish, as noted above. Place each ring on a prepared cookie sheet. With scissors make cuts 1/3 of the way through the rings at 1 inch intervals. Let rise in a warm spot until doubled in size, about 45 minutes. NOTE: I didn't cut the dough, and my bread turned out great. Bake in preheated 375F oven for 30 minutes. NOTE: My bread took closer to 45 minutes. DECORATE: You will need purple, green and gold coarse sugar and a plastic "doll" or use a "bean". Do NOT bake the plastic doll with the bread! Push the doll into the bottom of the cake.