This moist, tender, buttery yeast bread, lightly sweetened then drizzled with vanilla glaze, sprinkled with colored sugars, and sometimes crowned with candied cherries, is a traditional New Orleans Mardi Gras favorite.
Lightly grease a baking sheet, or line it with parchment. (To make this cake in a Bundt pan, see "tips," below.)
To prepare the dough: Using a stand mixer, electric hand mixer, or bread machine, mix and knead all of the dough ingredients together to form a smooth, very silky dough. You may try kneading this dough with your hands, if desired; but be advised it's very sticky and soft.
Allow the dough to rise, covered, for 1 hour. It'll become puffy, though it probably won't double in size.
Transfer the soft dough to a lightly greased work surface. Pat and stretch it into a 24" x 6" rectangle. This won't be hard at all; it's very stretchy. Let the dough rest while you prepare the filling.
To prepare the filling: Beat together the cream cheese, sugar, and flour until smooth, scraping the bowl once. Add the egg and flavor, again beating until smooth.
Dollop the filling down the center of the long strip of dough. Then fold each edge up and over the filling until they meet at the top; roll and pinch the edges together, to seal the filling inside as much as possible.
Place the log of dough onto the baking sheet seam-side down. The dough will be very extensible, i.e., it'll stretch as you handle it. So pick it up and position it on the pan quickly and gently. Pinch the ends together.
Cover and let rise for about an hour, until it's puffy. Preheat the oven to 350°F while the dough rises.
Whisk the reserved egg white with 1 tablespoon water (egg wash), and brush it over the risen cake.
Bake the cake for 20 minutes, then tent it lightly with aluminum foil. Bake it for an additional 30 minutes, until it's a rich golden brown.
Remove the cake from the oven. After about 15 minutes, transfer it from the baking sheet to a rack to cool.
To make the icing: Beat together all of the icing ingredients, dribbling in the final 2 teaspoons milk until the icing is thick yet pourable.
Pour the icing over the completely cooled cake. While it's still sticky, sprinkle with alternating bands of yellow, purple, and green sugars. Space candied cherries in a ring around the top.
Though King Cake originally was a rather plain bread, these days King Cakes are made with rich, brioche-like dough and filled, most often with cream cheese filling. While we give that version here, feel free to dream up your own filling: other New Orleans favorites include butter/cinnamon/sugar; almond; various kinds of fruit; chocolate, and praline.
Did you know the sugars decorating the top of King Cake have special meaning? Gold (yellow) stands for power, green for faith, and purple for justice.
Feeding a crowd for Mardi Gras? To make a larger cake, double the recipe. Form a long, narrow, 48" x 6" rectangle, and dollop the filling down the center of the dough. Fold each edge up and over the filling until they meet at the top; roll and pinch the edges together to seal the filling inside as much as possible. Shape the log into an oval, seam side down, on a large, lightly greased or parchment-lined baking sheet, pinching the ends together. Proceed with the recipe as written.
To give your King Cake more of a defined shape, bake it in a Bundt pan. Assemble the cake as written through shaping (step 6). Lightly grease a 10- or 12-cup Bundt pan. Gently pick up the shaped log of dough and place it in the Bundt pan seam side-up so you can see it (the bottom becomes the top of the cake in the pan). Pinch the ends together where they meet in the pan to seal. You may need to adjust the placement of the dough slightly so that it fits evenly in the pan. Once the dough is in place, cover and let it rise for about an hour before baking at 350°F for 50 to 55 minutes. (Skip the egg wash.) Tent with aluminum foil as needed to prevent it from getting too dark. Cool in the pan for about 5 minutes before turning upside down onto a rack to cool completely. Top with the icing and decorate as desired.
