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King Cake
by Melanie Foster
serves: 12
  THE cake of Mardi Gras. There is a baby, bean or coin hidden in this, and the recipient wins one year of good luck, and has to make the cake or host the party the following year.
Ingredients:
  3/4 cup   warm milk
  1 pkg   active dry yeast
  6 tbsp   sugar
  1/2 tsp   salt
  1/2 tsp   ground mace
  3/4 cup   butter, softened
  4   eggs
  4 cups   flour
  5 tbsp   sugar
  1 1/2 tsp   cinnamon
  2 cups   powdered sugar
  1/2 tsp   vanilla extract
  4 tbsp   milk, or less
  3 tbsp   colored sugars, each- yellow, green and purple
  1   plastic baby, or large dried bean
Directions:
  Pour the warm milk into a large bowl, or the bowl of an electic mixer. Sprinkle the yeast and (6 tbsp)sugar over the milk and stir until dissolved. Let sit 5 minutes until foamy. Add the salt, mace, butter and eggs. Add 3 cups of the flour and mix on medium speed 4 minutes. Add the remaining flour and beat on low until smooth or until the flour is incorporated, about 2 minutes. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap that has been sprayed with cooking spray. Let rise in a warm place until doubled in bulk, about 1 hour. Refrigerate, covered, overnight.

In a small bowl, combine the 5 tbsp sugar with the cinnamon. Punch down the dough and dump it onto your work surface. Divide into 3 equal pieces and one at a time, roll each piece into a rectangle, approx. 24x6 inches. Sprinkle with 1/3 of the cinnamon mixture. Starting on a long side roll up, pinching the edge to seal. Place the 3 rolls side by side and loosely braid. Gently transfer to a parchment lined baking sheet and shape into an oval, pinch the ends to seal. Cover with a clean towel and let rise in a warm place about 45 minutes.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Bake 25-30 minuntes until golden brown. Cool on a wire rack. Insert the baby into the cake from the bottom. Make the glaze by mixing the powdered sugar, vanilla extract and milk until smooth. Spread on top of the cooled cake. Spoon the colored sugars over the glaze in wide bands, alternating purple, green and yellow.

**Warn your guests about the baby and supervise small kids while eating this cake!