King Cake for Mardi Gras

In a bowl of a stand mixer, combine ¼ cup water and 2 teaspoons of dry-active yeast and set aside to dissolve and activate.

Add 8 tablespoons of butter, ¼ cup milk, 2 large, lightly beaten eggs, 2 tablespoons of sugar, ½ teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon nutmeg and stir to combine.

Add 3 cups of flour and gently mix to form a loose dough. Set remaining ½ cup flour aside for later.

Using your hands or the hook attachment, knead for about 5-7 minutes until the dough begins to come together and is smooth and elastic, resembling play dough. Using your hands may take a few more minutes. If the dough sticks, add some of the reserved flour.

Lightly coat a clean bowl with a little vegetable oil or cooking spray. Shape dough into a ball and place inside, cover with plastic wrap and set aside in a warm place for about 1 hour to rise until doubled in volume.

Once risen, roll dough out onto a lightly floured surface and shape into a rectangle about 24x10-inches.

Spread a thin layer of butter all over the dough leaving about ½-inch border at the top end of the rectangle.

In a small bowl, stir ⅔ cup packed brown sugar and 1½ teaspoons of ground cinnamon until mixed. Sprinkle evenly over the layer of butter and gently press so that it sticks to the butter.

Place dry bean or half of a pecan in the center of the rectangle.

Starting at the longest end, roll the dough upwards and then pinch the log closed and roll over to create a seam. Curl into a spiral shape and overlap the ends. Lightly pinch to form a seal.

Transfer dough to a baking sheet lined with baking parchment paper. Cover with plastic wrap and set aside for another 45-60 minutes to rise again until puffy and larger.

Halfway through rising, preheat oven to 350 °F. Bake in the preheated oven for about 35-45 minutes until lightly browned and golden-brown. A little syrup from the filling may ooze out.

Allow cake to cool on the baking sheet before removing to cool on a wire rack to room temperature.

In a small bowl, whisk 1 cup of powdered sugar, 2 tablespoons of milk and ¼ teaspoon of almond extract until thick but pourable. Add some more milk as needed. Use white icing if decorating with colorful sprinkles or divide into 3 portions and add food coloring according to the Mardi Gras theme.

Once cooled, drizzle prepared icing over the cake in different patches, stripes or designs of your choice. If using sprinkles, cover cake in white icing and decorate with colorful sprinkles.

Slice, serve and enjoy!