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Party Time King Cake

Party Time King Cake

By finding a baby in your slice of cake, you are sure to be prosperous in the upcoming year. You are also likely to be responsible for purchasing next year's cake or planning the next Mardi Gras party. King cakes are a great way to bring a community together, even if only once a year. It's said that if there is no baby in the cake, then it's not a true king cake. So if you're lucky enough to celebrate Mardi Gras in NewOrleans or France, don't forget the baby!
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Prep Time 1 hour
Cook Time 40 minutes
Servings 4 people

Ingredients
  

Dough

  • 4 tbsp butter
  • 1 cup whole milk
  • ¼ cup water
  • 2 packets active dry yeast
  • 3 cups Bisquick (plus more for preparing the dough)
  • ¼ tsp ground cinnamon
  • tsp freshly grated nutmeg
  • ½ cup packed light brown sugar
  • 1 tsp grated orange zest
  • 2 egg yolks
  • 2 tsp canola oil

Filling

  • 8 ounce cream cheese (room temperature)
  • ¾ cup confectioners' sugar
  • 2 tsp freshly squeezed orange juice
  • ¼ tsp ground cinnamon
  • ¼ tsp kosher salt
  • tsp freshly grated nutmeg
  • 1 small plastic baby (for hiding in the cake)

Icing

  • 3 cups confectioners' sugar
  • 3 tbsp whole milk
  • 1 tbsp freshly squeezed orange juice
  • ¼ cup yellow/gold sanding sugar
  • ¼ cup green sanding sugar
  • ¼ cup purple sanding sugar

Instructions
 

Batter

  • Melt four tablespoons of butter in a small saucepan over low heat. Remove the saucepan from the heat and pour in one cup of whole milk and one-quarter cup of water.
  • Stir in two packets of active dry yeast and let stand for five minutes or until bubbles come to the surface.
  • In a large bowl, whisk together three cups of Bisquick, one-quarter teaspoon of ground cinnamon, and one-eighth of a teaspoon of nutmeg.
  • In a small bowl, stir together one-half of a cup of brown sugar, one teaspoon of orange zest, and two egg yolks. Whisk in the yeast mixture. Fold in the liquid mixture with the dry ingredients until the Bisquick is incorporated and a slightly sticky dough forms.
  • Turn the dough out onto a floured work surface and sprinkle the top with Bisquick. Knead for three minutes, or until the dough becomes smooth and no longer sticks to the work surface. Lightly grease a medium bowl with two teaspoons of canola oil and add the dough, turning to coat. Cover the bowl and place in a warm area until doubled in size.

Filling

  • Add eight ounces of cream cheese, three-quarters of a cup of confectioners’ sugar, two teaspoons of orange juice, one-quarter teaspoon each of cinnamon and salt, and one-eighth of a teaspoon of nutmeg to a medium bowl. Mix with a hand-held mixer until smooth. Set aside.
  • Preheat the oven to 350 ºF. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment.
  • Remove the dough from the bowl and place it on a lightly floured work surface. Roll into an 8x28-inch rectangle, approximately 1/4-inch thick. Spread evenly with the cream cheese filling, leaving a 2-inch border. Add a plastic baby to the filling, and then roll the dough into a 28-inch log. Bring the ends together to form a circle. Lightly brush the inside of one end with water and insert the other end inside to close the circle. Brush the seam lightly with water and pinch to seal. Place the dough onto the prepared baking sheet and make six diagonal slits on the top for venting. Let the dough rise an additional thirty minutes before baking.
  • Bake the cake for forty minutes, or until the top becomes golden brown. Remove the cake from the oven and let cool for thirty minutes on the baking sheet.

Icing

  • Whisk together three cups of confectioners’ sugar, three tablespoons of whole milk, and one tablespoon of orange juice in a mixing bowl until smooth.
  • Spoon the icing over the top of the cooled cake. If some icing pools in the center or on the sides, just scoop it up and drizzle it over the cake again.
  • Sprinkle the yellow sanding sugar over a 2-inch section of the cake. Next to that, sprinkle the green sanding sugar, followed by the purple, until the entire cake is covered (Work quickly before the icing sets or the sugar will not stick).
  • Transfer the cake to a cake stand. Serve at room temperature until ready to serve.
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