A raspberry-almond filling makes this king cake extra special.
Raspberry Frangipane King Cake
Makes 10 to 12 Servings
Ingredients
- 2 (16-ounce) bags deli pizza dough
- Raspberry Frangipane Filling (recipe follows)
- 1 large egg
- 1 tablespoon water
- Cream Cheese Frosting (recipe follows)
- Raspberry Sugar (recipe follows)
- Garnish: fresh raspberries, sliced almonds
Raspberry Frangipane
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
- 2½ tablespoons sugar
- ⅔ cup blanched almond flour
- 1 egg white, room temperature
- 3 tablespoons raspberry preserves
- ⅛ teaspoon almond extract
- ¼ cup all-purpose flour
- ⅛ teaspoon kosher salt
Cream Cheese Frosting
- 4 ounces cream cheese, softened
- 2 teaspoons whole milk
- ⅛ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1½ cups confectioners’ sugar
Raspberry Sugar
- 1 (1-ounce) bag freeze-dried raspberries (about ¼ cup)
- 1 cup sugar
Instructions
- Let refrigerated doughs stand at room temperature for 30 minutes.
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Punch down doughs, and let stand for 5 minutes. Turn out doughs onto a lightly floured surface, and press each into a rectangle (about 9×5 inches). Stack rectangles; roll into a 20×12-inch rectangle. (If at any point dough is too elastic and hard to roll out, let stand for 5 minutes and then try again.) Using a pastry wheel or sharp knife, cut into 3 (20×4-inch) rectangles. Spoon Raspberry Frangipane Filling onto each rectangle (about ¼ cup each). Using a small offset spatula, spread filling onto dough, leaving a 1-inch border on both short sides and a ½-inch border on one long side. Starting with long side opposite border, roll up each dough rectangle, jelly roll style, and pinch seam to seal. Gently lift logs at each end, and stretch to 22 inches long and even thickness. Place logs, seam side down, side by side. Carefully braid logs together, and transfer to prepared pan. Form into a circle, twisting and pinching ends to seal. Cover and let rise in a warm, draft-free place (75°) until puffed, about 30 minutes.
- Preheat oven to 350°.
- In a small bowl, whisk together egg and 1 tablespoon water. Brush dough with egg wash.
- Bake until lightly golden and an instant-read thermometer inserted in center registers 200°, 40 to 45 minutes, loosely covering with foil to prevent excess browning, if necessary. Let cool on pan for 10 minutes. Remove from pan, and let cool completely on a wire rack.
- Spread Cream Cheese Frosting on top of cooled king cake, and sprinkle with Raspberry Sugar. Garnish with fresh raspberries and almonds, if desired.
Raspberry Frangipane
- In a medium bowl, beat butter and sugar with a mixer at medium speed until well combined, 1 to 2 minutes. Beat in almond flour until combined. Beat in egg white. Add preserves and almond extract, and beat at low speed until combined. Beat in all-purpose flour and salt. Refrigerate until ready to use.
Cream Cheese Frosting
- In a medium bowl, beat cream cheese, milk, and salt with a mixer at medium speed until smooth. With mixer on low speed, gradually add confectioners’ sugar, beating until smooth.
Raspberry Sugar
- Leave freeze-dried raspberries in bag (or place in resealable plastic bag); using a rolling pin, crush into a powder. Using a fine-mesh sieve, sift raspberry powder into a medium bowl to remove any large pieces. Add sugar, and whisk until well combined. Store in an airtight container.
Notes
NOTE: We used refrigerated pizza dough from the bakery section of the grocery store. You may substitute frozen options, like frozen white bread or sweet dough, which also come in 1-pound packages. The important thing is that 2 pounds of dough is used. Baking time will vary depending on the dough you use. If you use a sweet dough, bake until an instant-read thermometer inserted in center registers 190°. If using a frozen dough, let thaw in the refrigerator overnight before using.
