Praline Cream Cheese King Cake
My husband is from the Southern part of the United States and is used to the traditional king cake celebrated for Mardi Gras. He enjoys this recipe and doesn’t mind me not burying a plastic baby or candy inside of it, but you can add one if you prefer. The praline cream cheese filling is so delicious that I use it in other cake recipes as well. Don’t be too concerned if you can’t form a perfect ring with the dough. The glaze will cover up any oddities, plus it tastes so good that no one will care about how it looks.
Ingredients
Cake
- 16 ounce soure cream
- ⅓ cup white sugar
- ¼ cup butter
- ½ cup warm water
- 2 packets active dry yeast
- 1 tbsp white sugar
- 2 large eggs (lightly beaten)
- 6¾ cups Bisquick (divided)
Praline Cream Cheese Filling
- 2 8-ounce container cream cheese (softened)
- ½ cup white sugar
- ¼ cup packed dark brown sugar
- 2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 large egg
- 1 cup finely chopped pecans (toasted, divided)
Creamy Vanilla Glaze
- 3 cups confectioners' sugar
- 3 tbsp butter (melted)
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 3 tbsp whole milk
- purple, green and yellow/gold sanding sugar
Instructions
Cake
- Combine one container of sour cream, one-third cup of sugar, and one-quarter cup of butter in a saucepan over medium-low heat. Stir for five minutes, or until the butter melts. Remove from heat and let cool for about fifteen minutes.
- In a small glass bowl, stir together one-half cup of warm water, two packets of yeast, and one tablespoon of sugar. Let sit for five minutes.
- Combine the sour cream mixture, yeast mixture, two large beaten eggs, and two cups of Bisquick in the bowl of an electric stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Beat on medium speed until smooth. Reduce speed to low and gradually add four cups of Bisquick. Beat until the dough comes together.
- Turn dough out onto a surface dusted with one-quarter cup of Bisquick. Knead and gradually add the remaining one-half cup of Bisquick until smooth and elastic. The dough should be tacky but release easily from the surface. Place dough in a well-greased bowl. Cover, and let rise in a warm place until doubled in size. This process usually takes one hour.
Filling
- Beat two packages of softened cream cheese, one-half cup of white sugar, one-quarter cup of brown sugar, two teaspoons of ground cinnamon, and two teaspoons of vanilla extract with an electric mixer until smooth. Beat in one large egg.
- Gently punch down the dough and divide it into two equal portions. Roll one portion out into a 22x12-inch rectangle on a lightly floured surface while keeping the other portion covered. Spread half of the filling over the rectangle, leaving a 1-inch border. Sprinkle with one-half cup of pecans. Roll up the dough, starting from the long edge.
- Place the roll,seam-side down, on a large parchment paper-lined baking sheet. Bring the endsof the roll together to form a ring. Moisten the ends with water and pinchtogether to seal. Repeat with the remaining dough, filling, and pecans. Coverand let rise in a warm place until doubled in size.
- Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Bake the cake in preheated oven until golden brown. Cool on wire racks for two hours
Glaze
- Stir three cups of confectioners' sugar, three tablespoons of melted butter, and two teaspoons of vanilla extract together to make the glaze. Stir in three tablespoons of milk. Add additional milk if needed until the glaze is thin enough to pour.
- Pour evenly over the cooled cakes. Sprinkle with the sanding sugars, alternating the colors to form bands.
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!
