Pastry Chef Maggie Scales of Cochon Butcher and La Boulangerie bakes a buttery brioche cake with a cinnamon filling that is drizzled with a vanilla sugar icing and sprinkled with decorative sanding sugars in purple, green and gold.
recipe 
yields
2 individual King Cakes
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups bread flour
¼ cup sugar
Pinch salt
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon yeast
½ cup water
6 each eggs
2½ sticks unsalted butter, room temperature
King Cake Icing (recipe follows)
Cinnamon Filling
1 cup light brown sugar, packed
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
1 tablespoon unsalted butter, room temperature
2½ cups powdered sugar
¼ cup milk
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Butter Brioche
Cinnamon filling (recipe follows)
King Cake Icing
steps
Butter Brioche
- Place all ingredients except butter in stand mixer with paddle attachment, and mix on low speed for 5 minutes.
- With mixer running, slowly add small amounts of butter until completely incorporated into dough.
- Continue to mix in stand mixer using paddle attachment on low speed for 5 minutes. After 5 minutes, scrape sides of bowl with rubber spatula.
- Increase mixer speed to medium speed and mix additional 5 minutes. After 5 minutes, scrape sides of bowl with rubber spatula. Increase mixer to high speed and mix until dough is strong, shiny and clings to paddle, approximately 5 minutes.
- Place dough in bowl sprayed with non-stick spray and wrap well with plastic wrap. Refrigerate for at least 6 hours.
- To prepare King Cakes, preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Divide chilled dough into 2 equal pieces. Roll each piece into rectangle about ¼-inch thick. Liberally apply filling.
- Roll up each strip into a rope, pinching dough gently to keep it rolled up. Bring dough together into ring-shape, tucking one end into the other and pinching edges together.
- Place each ring onto parchment lined sheet pan lined, and cover with a tea towel. Let rise in a warm spot, around 80 degrees, until doubled in size, around 2 to 3 hours.
- Place in oven and bake until light golden in color, approximately 20 to 25 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool at room temperature.
- Drizzle with icing, and decorate with festive sanding sugars. Serve.
Cinnamon Filling
Combine all ingredients in stand mixer with the paddle attachment and mix until butter has disappeared.
King Cake Icing
Place all ingredients in bowl of stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment. Mix until smooth.
Date Published: 01.29.16
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- from David Guas, Bayou Bakery, Coffee Bar & Eatery in Arlington, VA, Author of DamGoodSweet: Desserts to Satisfy your Sweet Tooth, New Orleans Style
