King of all Cakes

I've been craving king cake. Not unlike most people who grew up in good ole Louisiana, at the end of January we get restless. Restless for the king of all cakes. Well, the king from the end of January until mid February. It's almost time for Mardi Gras. Do ya'll know what that means? It means po-boys, gumbo, crawfish and king cakes. Oh my!

Maybe that's why everything ends on Fat Tuesday. Forget the religious aspect of it all! I think it's because literally everyone's officially fat. All the wimps(like me) who wanted to give up their unhealthy ways are done repenting. Done with beating themselves up over craving foods that make us smile and help us fill out of jeans a little better. Foods that give us a little jiggle with every bite.

So if you aren't fortunate enough to live in an area with a bakery or grocery store who makes these, I feel for you. Central Market here makes a pretty mean king cake. But, if you can't find a place that makes king cakes like they mean it, then give this recipe a shot! You won't regret it.


CAKE:
1 cup whole milk
1/4 cup butter
2 (.25 ounce) packages active dry yeast
2/3 cup warm water (110 degrees)
1/2 cup white sugar
2 eggs
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
5 1/2 cups all-purpose flour


FROSTING:
1 cup powdered sugar
1 tablespoon water
(Yellow, Green and Purple food dye for coloring!)
**Sprinkles are optional

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.

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.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F .

Grease 2 cookie sheets or line with parchment paper.

Roll dough halves out into large rectangles (approximately 10x16 inches or so). Sprinkle the filling evenly over the dough and roll up each half tightly like a jelly roll, beginning at the wide side. Bring the ends of each roll together to form 2 oval shaped rings. 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 1 hour.

Bake in the preheated oven for 35 minutes. Push the doll into the bottom of the cake. Frost while warm with the powdered sugar blended with 1 to 2 tablespoons of water. Make a yellow, green and purple color for that authentic Mardi Gras flare!