King Cake Cinnamon Babka Loaf (Printable version)

A sweet babka loaf with cinnamon, cream cheese layers, and vibrant Mardi Gras-inspired toppings.

# What You Need:

→ Dough

01 - 3 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
02 - 1/4 cup granulated sugar
03 - 2 1/4 tsp instant yeast
04 - 1/2 tsp salt
05 - 2/3 cup whole milk, lukewarm
06 - 2 large eggs, room temperature
07 - 1 tsp vanilla extract
08 - 1/3 cup unsalted butter, softened

→ Cinnamon Filling

09 - 1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
10 - 2 tsp ground cinnamon
11 - 1/4 cup unsalted butter, softened

→ Cream Cheese Filling

12 - 4 oz cream cheese, softened
13 - 2 tbsp granulated sugar
14 - 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

→ Glaze and Decoration

15 - 1 cup powdered sugar
16 - 2 to 3 tbsp milk
17 - Purple, green, and gold sanding sugars for decoration
18 - Plastic King Cake baby or almond, optional

# How to Make It:

01 - In a large bowl or stand mixer, combine flour, granulated sugar, instant yeast, and salt.
02 - Whisk together lukewarm milk, eggs, and vanilla extract. Add to dry ingredients and mix until just combined.
03 - Beat in softened butter until dough is smooth and elastic, approximately 8 to 10 minutes.
04 - Place dough in a greased bowl, cover, and let rise in a warm spot until doubled in volume, approximately 1 to 1.5 hours.
05 - Mix packed light brown sugar and ground cinnamon. Stir in softened butter until fully combined.
06 - Beat softened cream cheese with granulated sugar and vanilla extract until smooth.
07 - Punch down risen dough. Roll out on a floured surface into a 16 by 12 inch rectangle.
08 - Spread cream cheese filling over dough, leaving a 1/2 inch border. Spread cinnamon filling evenly on top.
09 - Starting from the long side, roll dough tightly into a log.
10 - Slice the log lengthwise in half. Twist the two strands together, keeping cut sides up, and form into a loaf shape.
11 - Place twisted loaf into a greased 9 by 5 inch loaf pan. Cover and let rise until puffy, approximately 45 minutes.
12 - Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
13 - Bake for 35 to 40 minutes or until golden brown and cooked through. If browning too quickly, tent with foil.
14 - Cool loaf in pan for 15 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack.
15 - Whisk powdered sugar with milk to make a thick glaze. Drizzle over cooled loaf.
16 - Sprinkle with purple, green, and gold sanding sugars. Insert King Cake baby or almond if desired before serving.

# Expert Advice:

01 -
  • It looks dramatically impressive but the technique is more forgiving than you'd expect, especially once you understand the twist.
  • The cream cheese and cinnamon filling combination creates unexpected flavor depth that makes people ask for the recipe before they even finish their slice.
  • This is the kind of bread that transforms a regular Tuesday into something worth remembering.
02 -
  • The twist is the most important step and completely changes your finished loaf's appearance, but don't panic if it's not perfectly even because any slight asymmetry actually adds homemade charm.
  • Letting the cream cheese filling come to room temperature before spreading prevents you from tearing the dough and disrupting those precious layers you just created.
03 -
  • Proof your yeast in the warm milk mixture before mixing if you ever doubt its freshness, watching for immediate bubbling as confirmation it's alive and ready to work.
  • The glaze thickness is everything, so whisk it for a full minute to ensure smoothness and add milk one teaspoon at a time until you achieve that perfect drizzle consistency.
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