King Cake With Cream Cheese Dough

• For the dough:
• 1 1/2 teaspoons (5 grams) active dry yeast
• 1/2 cup (100 grams) sugar plus 1/4 teaspoon, divided
• 1/2 cup (8 tablespoons) unsalted butter (1 stick), room temperature
• 1/2 cup (4 ounces) cream cheese, room temperature
• 1 cup whole milk
• 2 egg yolks (save the whites for egg wash)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 4 1/2 cups (500 grams) all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• For the filling, glaze, and assembly:
• For the filling:
• 7 ounces almond paste (1 tube)
• 1/4 cup (4 tablespoons) butter, room temperature
• 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup (57 grams) confectioners' sugar
• 2 teaspoons cocoa powder
• 1 egg
• For the glaze:
• 1/2 cup 4 ounces) cream cheese, room temperature
• 1/4 cup (4 tablespoons) butter, room temperature
• 1/4 cup milk
• 1 cup (114 grams) confectioners' sugar
• Purple, green, and gold colored sugars
• Plastic baby

1. In a small bowl, mix the yeast and 1/4 teaspoon sugar with 1/4 cup of warm (100u0b0 to 110u0b0 F) water.
2. In a small saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter and cream cheese (the cream cheese won't fully melt, but that's okay). Remove from heat and add milk, egg yolks, vanilla, and yeast mixture.
3. In the bowl of stand mixer fitted with the dough hook, combine flour, sugar, and salt. Add wet ingredients all at once and mix for 5 minutes, until it forms a smooth, elastic ball.
4. Cover bowl with plastic wrap or a damp towel and set aside to rise for 1 1/2 hours.
5. While the dough rises, make the filling: Combine almond paste, butter, flour, confectioners' sugar, cocoa powder, and egg and mix until smoothly combined.
6. Once dough has risen, punch it down and divide into 2 equal pieces. Roll one piece of dough to into a rectangle about 18t to 20 inches long and 6 to 8 inches wide.
7. Spread with half of the filling mixture and roll (cinnamon roll style) starting from the long end of the dough.
8. Repeat with the second piece of dough and the rest of the filling. You'll have two rolled ropes of dough. Press and roll each dough out another 2-inches or so to even the thickness of the strands and close the seams.
9. Line the ropes of dough up and, starting from the center, make a basic twist. Then bring the beginning and end of the twist together to seal into a circle.
10. Place a rack in the center of the oven and heat oven to 375u0b0 F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and place the circular cake on top. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and allow to rest for 30 minutes while the oven preheats.
11. Brush cake lightly with egg wash made from beating the two remaining egg whites .Then bake for 30 to 35 minutes, until cake is golden brown (and the internal temperature is 190u0b0 F).
12. Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely before glazing. To make the glaze, beat together cream cheese, butter, confectioners' sugar, milk, and vanilla extract. in a medium bowl.
13. Spread glaze over the cooled cake. Sprinkle with purple, yellow, and green colored sugar. Hide baby.

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Taken from food52.com/recipes/68388-king-cake-with-cream-cheese-dough (may not work)