It may be time....

....for you to begin working on this.

King Cake!

For this recipe, I have combined one from the Weight Watchers 2006 cookbook and one from allrecipes.com that was submitted by Jo.

KING CAKE
1/4 cup warm water (105-115 degrees F)
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 envelope active dry yeast
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 Tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly
1 egg
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
-In a small bowl or measuring cup, combine the warm water and 1 teaspoon of the granulated sugar.   Sprinkle in the yeast and let stand until foamy, 5 minutes.
- In a large bowl, combine the flour, the remaining granulated sugar, nutmeg, and the salt.  Make a well in the center and add the egg and butter.  Stir until the dough starts to gather around the spoon. 
- Turn out the dough onto a lightly floured counter; knead until the dough is smooth and elastic, about 8 minutes, adding a little more flour if the dough becomes too sticky.
- Spray a large bowl with nonstick spray; put the dough in the bowl.  Cover lightly with plastic wrap and let the dough rise in a warm spot  until it doubles in size, about 1 1/2 hours.
- Punch down the dough, roll it into a rectangle (about 10x16 inches).  Sprinkle the filling evenly over the dough; roll up like a jelly roll, beginning at the wide side.  Bring the ends together to form an oval shape.
- Spray a baking sheet with nonstick spray (I used a Silpat on my baking sheet), and place the oval ring on it.  Cover lightly with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm spot until puffy, 30-45 minutes longer.
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.  Bake until golden, about 30 minutes; transfer to a rack to cool.
FILLING
1/2 cup brown sugar, packed (I used coconut palm sugar)
1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
2 Tablespoons melted butter
- Mix filling ingredients together.  Sprinkle over dough rectangle as instructed above.
GLAZE
3/4 cup confectioners' sugar
1 (or less) Tablespoon water
- Blend together, adding water slowly to the sugar to reach desired consistency.  Spread over cooled cake.  Sprinkle with purple, green, and gold-colored sugars while glaze is still wet.

The plastic baby that is customarily placed in this cake is not included in the batter as the cake bakes, but put in place underneath the cake after it is baked.  The person who receives the serving of cake with the baby in it is to be host at the next Mardi Gras party.  A store like Hobby Lobby or a cake decorating supply store will probably have the necessary "extras" for the cake - sugars, plastic baby, etc.  I happened to find the colored sugars at a local grocery store.

We have come to a Friday this week, and it is the last day of the month.  The big question is:  Will March come in like a lion, or will it come in like a lamb?

Thank you for reading.  I really appreciate your comments.