In a standing mixer or large bowl, Add 3 cups of all-purpose flour, 2¼ teaspoon dry active yeast and ½ teaspoon of salt. Mix.
In a separate bowl, add 1 cup of warm whole milk, a ¼ cup of melted butter and a ¼ cup of honey. Pour the milk mixture into the flour and mix with a dough hook or knead with your hands until smooth. Cover the bowl with a towel and the dough aside.
Next, make the cream cheese filling. In a bowl, whisk together the softened cream cheese, egg yolk, vanilla, granulated sugar, ground cinnamon and flour until smooth, then set aside.
In a separate bowl, mix together 4 tablespoons of granulated sugar and 1½ tablespoons of ground cinnamon. Set aside.
Roll out the dough into a 30-inch long by 15-inch-wide rectangle.
Cut the dough into 3 long strips that are 5 inches wide. Melt ¼ cup of butter, then brush each strip with the butter. Set aside the unused butter…you’ll use it for the glaze.
Sprinkle each strip with the reserved cinnamon and sugar, leaving the edges bare (so that you can seal the dough later). Next, pipe or spoon the cream cheese mixture evenly onto the center of each long strip. I like to use a piping bag to do this, it’s cleaner and more efficient this way.
Roll each trip lengthwise like a jelly roll pinching the seams together to form three long tubes of sugar-filled dough. Braid the dough into one long braid, then arrange the braid to form a circle, braiding the ends of the dough strips together as best as possible.
Gently transfer the unbaked King Cake onto a large baking sheet that’s been lined with parchment. Cover the unbaked cake with a towel and let rise for 1-1½ hours until almost doubled in size.
Preheat the oven to 350° F and when ready, bake the King Cake for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown and hollow sounding when you flick it with your finger. Let the cake cool for one hour on a wire rack.
When the King Cake has cooled, make the glaze. Stir together any remaining melted butter (reheat it if necessary), 2 ½ cups of powdered sugar and 3 ½ tablespoons of milk until smooth. Spoon glaze evenly over the top of the cooled King Cake, then sprinkle green, yellow and purple colored sugar on top of the cake, alternating the colors as you go.
If you would like, hide a plastic baby or dried bean under the cake for one of your guests to find. Whoever winds up with the baby is king or queen of the day and host of next year’s Mardi Gras party. Enjoy and let the good times roll!
