Blackberry King Cake
 
Makes 8-10 Servings
Ingredients
  • ⅓ cup blackberry preserves
  • ¼ cup firmly packed dark brown sugar
  • 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
  • King Cake Dough (recipe follows)
  • 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
  • Cinnamon Cream Cheese Icing (recipe follows)
  • Purple, green, and yellow sanding sugars
King Cake Dough
  • ⅓ cup warm water (105° to 110°)
  • 1½ teaspoons active dry yeast
  • ⅓ cup plus ½ teaspoon sugar, divided
  • ½ cup sour cream
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1 egg yolk
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 3¾ cups all-purpose flour
  • ½ teaspoon kosher salt
  • 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, cubed and softened
Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting
  • 4 ounces cream cheese, softened
  • ¼ cup confectioners’ sugar
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • ½ cup heavy whipping cream
Instructions
  1. Line a large rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.
  2. In a medium bowl, stir together preserves, brown sugar, and cinnamon.
  3. Punch down King Cake Dough. On a lightly floured surface, roll dough into a 16×15-inch rectangle. Spread butter in a thin layer over dough. Spread a thin layer of preserves mixture over butter layer, leaving a ¼-inch border around all sides. Starting with one long side, roll up dough, jelly roll style, pressing edges to seal. (See note.) Place log seam side down. Refrigerate for 20 to 30 minutes.
  4. Cut dough in half lengthwise. Place cut side up, and gently twist halves around each other. Carefully place on prepared pan, and shape into a circle, pinching ends to seal. Cover and let rise in a warm, draft-free place (75°) until doubled in size, 30 to 45 minutes.
  5. Preheat oven to 325°.
  6. Bake until an instant-read thermometer inserted in thickest portion registers 190°, 30 to 40 minutes, covering with foil during final 10 minutes of baking to prevent excess browning. Remove from pan, and let cool completely on a wire rack.
  7. Spoon Cinnamon Cream Cheese Icing onto cooled king cake, and sprinkle with sanding sugar.
King Cake Dough
  1. In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine ⅓ cup warm water, yeast, and ½ teaspoon sugar. Let stand until foamy, about 7 minutes.
  2. In a small bowl, whisk together sour cream, eggs, egg yolk, and vanilla; add to yeast mixture. Using the dough hook attachment, beat at low speed until combined, about 1 minute. Add flour, salt, and remaining ⅓ cup sugar, and beat until most of dry ingredients are combined, about 2 minutes. Add butter; beat for 8 to 10 minutes. Turn out dough onto a lightly floured surface. (Dough will be sticky.)
  3. Spray a large bowl with cooking spray. Place dough in bowl, turning to grease top. Cover and refrigerate for 4 hours or up to overnight.
Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting
  1. In a medium bowl, whisk cream cheese until smooth. Add confectioners’ sugar and cinnamon, and whisk until combined. Whisk in cream until smooth. Use immediately.
Notes
Note: Rolling and shaping with the filling may be a bit of messy process, and that’s OK! Just keep a damp towel handy. For a less sticky filling, heat blackberry filling in a small saucepan over medium heat. In a small bowl, combine ½ teaspoon cornstarch and ½ teaspoon water, and whisk into blackberry filling. Bring to a boil, and cook until thickened, about 1 minute. Let cool completely.
Recipe by Louisiana Cookin' at https://louisianacookin.com/blackberry-king-cake/