Ingredients
Equipment
Method
Preparing the Dough Base
- Brown the butter in a saucepan over medium heat until nutty and fragrant. Add milk and heat until it foams at the edges and a skin forms. Do not boil.
- Pour the warm milk and butter into a large bowl. Stir in the sugar, potato flakes, and salt until combined.
- Cool the mixture to exactly 115 degrees F. Use an instant-read thermometer to ensure accuracy.
- In a separate bowl, beat the eggs with the lemon, orange, vanilla, and butter extracts.
- Sprinkle yeast over the lukewarm milk mixture, then stir in the egg and extract blend.
- Combine 6 cups of flour and cinnamon in a stand mixer with a dough hook. Gradually pour in the liquid mixture.
- Mix on medium speed, adding the final cup of flour as needed until a soft, slightly sticky dough forms.
First Rise and Filling Prep
- Transfer dough to a greased bowl, cover tightly, and let rise in a warm spot for 1 hour until puffy.
- Prepare the cinnamon sugar by mixing sugar and cinnamon. For the cream cheese filling, beat cream cheese and powdered sugar until smooth, then place in a piping bag.
Shaping and Baking the Cake
- Punch down the risen dough. Divide into two equal portions for two cakes. Divide each portion into three smaller parts for braiding.
- Roll each strip to 1/2-inch thickness. Spread with softened butter and sprinkle with cinnamon sugar. Roll tightly into a rope and seal the seams.
- Braid three ropes together and shape into an oval ring on a parchment-lined sheet. Pinch ends together.
- Pipe cream cheese filling into the grooves of the braid if desired.
- Cover and let rise for another hour until doubled in size.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Bake for 15-20 minutes until golden brown or an internal temperature of 190 degrees F is reached.
The Grand Finale: Icing and Decorating
- Cool cakes completely on a wire rack. Insert the plastic baby into the bottom of one cake once cooled.
- Melt butter for the icing and whisk in powdered sugar, milk, salt, extract, and corn syrup until smooth.
- Spread icing over the cooled cake and immediately decorate with purple, green, and yellow sugars.
Nutrition
Notes
Temperature Tip: The milk mixture must be precisely between 110F and 115F when adding yeast. If it is too hot, the yeast will die. If too cold, it will not rise properly. Texture Tip: Resist the urge to add too much flour. The dough should remain soft and slightly tacky to ensure a pillowy, brioche-like crumb. Internal Temperature Tip: Use an instant-read thermometer to ensure the cake reaches 190F internally. This prevents a gummy center. Storage Tip: Restore the softness of day-old cake by microwaving a slice for 10 seconds. Nutrition information is estimated based on common ingredients and serving sizes and may vary.