Blackberry Cream Cheese KING CAKE

Blackberry Cream Cheese King Cake

Cake:
1 c. milk
½ c. butter (1 stick, cut into large pieces)
½ c. white granulated sugar, plus 1 Tbsp sugar
1 tsp salt
4 eggs (beaten)
1 teaspoon (approx.) grated orange rind
¼ c. warm water
2 pkgs dry yeast (Not ‘Rapid Rise’)
4 ½ c. bread flour
non-stick cooking spray

Filling:
8 oz. cream cheese, softened
¼ c. flour
3 Tbsp lemon juice
1 c. powdered sugar
¼ tsp. vanilla extract
Softened butter
Cinnamon sugar mixture (1/2 c granulated sugar, ½ c. brown sugar, 2 Tbsp cinnamon)

Icing:
½ lb (approx. 2 c.) confectioners sugar
1 Tbsp fresh squeezed orange juice
½ stk butter, softened
2 Tbsp milk
½ tsp vanilla
Yellow, purple, & green colored sugar
Plastic baby

Cake Directions: Scald the milk. Lower heat, add the butter and ½ c. sugar. Stir until the sugar is dissolved and the butter is melted. Remove from heat. Add salt, beaten eggs and rind.

To the ¼ c. warm water, add the extra tablespoon of sugar and the yeast. Stir, If the yeast is good, the mixture will foam. Add the yeast mixture to the milk mixture and stir well. Add the flour, one cup at a time. The dough will be very sticky. Drizzle the oil around the sides of a large mixing bowl. Turn the dough into the bowl and spray lightly with non-stick cooking spray. Cover with a damp towel or plastic wrap and let rise until doubled in a warm place (usually takes 1 ½-2 hours). After rising, punch dough down. Divide dough into half if making two cakes. Turn the dough onto a floured surface and knead, working in extra flour as needed. Roll the dough into a rectangle about 1/8 inch thick.

Filling and Baking Directions: Mix all ingredients of the cream cheese filling together until smooth, then spread the filling on the lower portion of the rolled dough. Spread softened butter on the top portion of the dough. Sprinkle cinnamon sugar mixture. Fold the rectangle in half lengthwise and press edges together. Cut into two strips using a pizza cutter and pinch the edges to seal. Twist the two dough strips together. Form into an oval, sealing the ends. Let rise 1 ½ to 2 hours in a warm place. Bake at 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes or until light brown or a toothpick inserted comes out clean. (Note: oven temperatures vary, so your baking temperature and time may need to be adjusted; watch it closely.)

Icing and Finish: Let cake(s) cool almost completely. Hide plastic baby in through the bottom of the cake(s). Whisk the icing ingredients together. The icing should be the consistency of pancake batter. Drizzle icing over the cake. Decorate with alternating patterns of purple, green, and gold sugar. (To make King Colors: place ¼ c. sugar with food coloring paste into 3 separate baggies. Mix until color is even. **Note: Food coloring paste creates more vivid colors than liquid food coloring.)