Reagan’s King Cake Recipe
I made my very first king cake— and it did not disappoint!! A very brief history on king cake: king cake is eaten from epiphany to Mardi Gras Tuesday. It is typically a brioche style cake with a sweet cinnamon swirl and a sweet royal icing topped with purple, green, and gold sugar. Popular fillings are cream cheese, Bavarian cream, strawberry, and blueberry, but the variations are plentiful! The name comes from the Three Wise Men who brought gifts to Baby Jesus on Twelfth Night (King’s Day). A plastic baby is typically hidden inside, but I haven’t had a chance to pick any up, so there’s no baby in this cake! Tradition says if you get the slice with the baby, you either host the next party or buy the next cake. Scroll down for my recipe.
King Cake with Cream Cheese Filling
Ingredients:
¾ cup milk, divided
1 package (2 ½ teaspoons) active dry yeast
⅓ cup plus 1 teaspoon sugar, divided
2 eggs, plus ½ beaten egg (use the remaining half egg leftover from the cream cheese filling), divided
10 tablespoons (1 stick plus 2 tablespoons) butter, at room temperature
3 ½ cups (15.75 ounces) bread flour, plus more for dusting
½ teaspoon salt
Cream cheese filling (Recipe at end)
Brown Sugar and Cinnamon filling (Recipe at end)
Icing (Recipe at end)
Purple, green and yellow colored sugars for decorating
DIRECTIONS:
In a small pan, heat one-half cup plus 2 tablespoons of milk over medium heat just until warmed. Remove from heat and pour the milk into a small bowl or measuring cup. Stir in the yeast and 1 teaspoon of sugar, then set aside until the milk is foamy and the yeast is activated, about 10 minutes.
Whisk the 2 eggs in the bowl of a stand mixer using the whisk attachment (or in a large bowl with a hand mixer) until light and fluffy, about 1 minute. Stir in the yeast mixture and remaining one-third cup of sugar until fully incorporated.
If using a stand mixer, switch to the paddle attachment. With the mixer running, add the butter, 1 tablespoon at a time, until incorporated.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour and salt. With the mixer running, add the flour mixture, one spoonful at a time, until fully incorporated.
Remove the dough to a lightly floured surface and knead until it is soft (it won’t be entirely smooth), 5 to 7 minutes. Place the dough in a large, oiled bowl and lightly cover with plastic wrap. Set aside in a warm place until doubled in size, 1 to 1 1/2 hours.
Meanwhile, make an egg wash: Combine the remaining beaten half egg with the remaining 2 tablespoons of milk.
When the dough is doubled, punch it down (it will be very smooth and elastic) and roll it out onto a lightly floured surface into a large rectangle.
Spoon the cream cheese filling down the length of one side, leaving a 1 1/2-inch border on the top, bottom and sides. Coat the rest of the dough with a layer of cinnamon filling, leaving a border around the edges.
Lightly brush the edges and center of the dough (along the score) with the egg wash to moisten. Gently and carefully pull the dough over the cream cheese filling, sealing the edge of the dough on the other side of the dough. Pinch the edges so that the filling will not leak out.
Gently roll the length of the dough into a tube shape. Wrap the dough so it forms an oval wreath and gently press the edges together. Carefully transfer the wreath to a parchment-lined baking sheet.
Brush the top of the wreath lightly with egg wash and cover loosely with plastic wrap. Let the dough rise until almost doubled in volume. Around one hour. Alternatively, you can loosely cover and refrigerate the dough overnight. Remove it from the refrigerator about one hour before baking.
Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Lightly brush the cake with any remaining egg wash and place the sheet in the oven.
Bake the cake until golden brown on top and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean (the toothpick will remain moist if it hits the cream cheese filling, but there should be no crumbs sticking to it), about 30 minutes. Rotate the pan halfway through baking for even color.
Allow the cake to cool before it is frosted. Drizzle the glaze evenly over the cake, then lightly sprinkle over the colored sugars. If using the plastic baby, hide it somewhere in the cake (press the baby in through the bottom of the cake so as not to disturb the top or sides of the cake).
Cream Cheese Filling:
1 block cream cheese
¾ teaspoon vanilla extract
¼ teaspoon salt
5 tablespoons sugar
1 beaten egg
Directions: In stand mixer or with hand mixer, beat together cream cheese, vanilla, sugar, and salt. Add egg and mix until fully incorporated.
Cinnamon Brown Sugar Filling:
3 tablespoons melted butter
1/2 cup brown sugar
3 tablespoons cinnamon
directions: melt butter, mix in dry ingredients.
Icing:
3 cups powdered sugar
3 tablespoons milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
directions: mix ingredients until smooth.
