Recipe: King Cake, for sure!

Mary, I think King Cake is a must for Mardi Gras! Here is King Cake information and recipe previously posted on TKL by LoriD/Florida.
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Recipe: History of King Cake and Recipe
Posted By: Lori D./FL
Date: February 17th 2001
Board: A Board for Bakers - Baking and Breadmaking

With Mardi Gras coming up, I thought I'd post the
history of the King Cake and a recipe in case you'd like
try something new. This one sounded pretty good, it's
for a filled King Cake with a bean (or you can put in a
baby after baking!)

History of King Cakes

The king cake traditionally was served on "Little
Christmas" or "Kings' Day" other names for the Feast
of the Epiphany, celebrated Jan. 6. Since Epiphany
comes on the twelfth day of the Christmas celebration,
it also became known as Twelfth Night.

Traditionally the cake was baked on Epiphany Eve and
served the following afternoon to family and friends.
Today, the cake is served throughout the "Epiphany
season," or until Mardi Gras.

By the Middle Ages, veneration of the three wise men
had spread throughout Europe and Epiphany became
known as The Feast of the Three Holy Kings. The cake
was baked in honor of the Magi.
Latin Americans, like New Orleanians, place a figure
representing the Christ child inside the cake. In other
cultures, the king cake might contain a coin, bean,
pecan or pea.

In medieval France, the coin finder was expected to
make a contribution to a worthy cause, usually the
education of a deserving youngster. In some parts of
Europe, those who find the bean and pea are king and
queen for the day.

In New Orleans, the person who receives the piece of
cake containing a "baby" must provide the king cake
for the next gathering of the season. (In some offices,
king cake has become a daily treat for the full length of
Carnival.)

Local bakeries report selling 4,000-5,000 king cakes
each day during the Carnival season, and cakes are
shipped to destinations worldwide.

Traditional king cake is similar to brioche, a sweetened
yeast bread, its only adornment a sprinkling of colored
sugar. Today king cakes with an unprecedented array
of fillings and flavorings have outdistanced the sugared
one in popularity.

King Cake with cream cheese and fruit filling

There are many recipes for this Carnival staple, but we
like this one from the late Myriam Guidroz, a longtime
food columnist for The Times-Picayune. It's based on a
brioche dough, and can be made with or without the
filling. Those using a bread-making machine should
follow a recipe for brioche or sweet roll dough

Basic King Cake Dough

1 envelope dry yeast
1/4 cup warm water
1/2 cup milk
1 cup (2 sticks) butter
1/2 cup sugar
2 egg yolks
2 whole eggs
4 cups, approximately, unbleached flour

Mix the yeast with the warm water. Stir 1 teaspoon of
the sugar and 1 teaspoon of the flour into the yeast
and set aside. By the time you have measured the
other ingredients, the yeast should be beginning to
bubble and show signs of life.

Bring the milk to a boil and stir in the butter and the
sugar. Pour into a large bowl; the mixture should be
lukewarm. Beat in the egg yolks, whole eggs and the
yeast.
Beat in approximately 2 cups of flour, until the dough is
fairly smooth, then gradually add enough additional
flour to make a soft dough that you can form into a
ball. Knead it, by hand or machine, until smooth and
elastic. Lightly oil a bowl, turn the dough once or twice
in it to grease it lightly all over, cover with a cloth and
leave to rise in a warm spot until doubled in size, about
1 1/2 to 2 hours.

Pat the dough down and cover the bowl with a damp
towel, plastic film over that and refrigerate until the next
day. This recipe makes enough dough for two king
cakes. Extra dough may be frozen, or make two king
cakes and freeze one. Thaw frozen cake and reheat 10
minutes in a 375-degree oven.

FILLING

1/2 recipe king cake (above)
1 (16-ounce) can cherry, apple or apricot pie filling
8 ounces cream cheese
1/4 cup sugar
2 tablespoons flour
2 egg yolks
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 dried bean (to bake in the cake as per tradition)
Colored sugars or confectioner's sugar and food
coloring
Remove dough from refrigerator and with well-floured
hands, while it's firm and cold, shape it into a long
sausage shape. Using a floured roller on a floured
surface, roll out the dough into a 30-by-9-inch rectangle
as thin as pie crust. Let dough rest.

If necessary, drain extra juice from pie filling. Mix the
cream cheese with the sugar, flour, egg yolks and
vanilla. Spoon an inch-wide strip of fruit filling the length
of the dough, about 3 inches from one edge. Spoon the
cream cheese mixture alongside the fruit, about 3
inches from the other edge. Brush both sides of dough
with egg wash. Insert the bean.

Fold one edge of dough over the cream cheese and
fruit, then fold the other edge over. Gently place one
end of the filled roll onto a greased pizza pan or large
cookie sheet. Ease the rest of the roll onto the pan,
joining the ends to form a circle or oval. Cover and let
rest for 30 minutes. Brush again with egg wash and cut
deep vents into the cake. Sprinkle with colored sugars
if desired.

Bake 45 minutes to 1 hour, or until cake is well risen
and golden. Cool before icing with confectioner's sugar
mixed with enough water to make a spreadable paste
and tinted purple, green and gold. Make one cake that
serves 10 to 12 people. If using a plastic baby instead
of the bean, insert it into the bottom of the cake after it
is cooked.