Tested at high altitude. From Sheryl Butterfield, makes 2 cakes. No matter how big the cake is, it is to be cut into pieces to fit the size of the crowd. That said, each of these cakes can feed between 12 and 14 because it’s so rich.
Ingredients
For cake:
- 1 package active dry yeast
- 1/4 cup lukewarm water
- 1/3 cup plus 1 teaspoon sugar
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup butter, divided
- 1 cup milk, scalded
- 3 eggs
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon or ground mace
- 4 to 4 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, divided
For topping:
- 3/4 cup sugar, divided into 1/4 cups
- Green, yellow and purple food coloring
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Water
Directions
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Dissolve yeast and 1 teaspoon sugar in lukewarm water. Set aside.
In a large mixing bowl, combine remaining sugar, salt, 1/4 cup butter (in chunks), and scalded milk. Mix with electric mixer on low speed until well-blended. Cool to lukewarm. Beat in 2 eggs. Add yeast mixture, vanilla extract, cinnamon and 3 cups flour. Mix until smooth. Stir in remaining flour (1 cup) by hand. Add up to a half- cup more if sticky. Cover with a damp towel and allow to rise in a warm place until doubled in size, about 1 1/2 hours.
On a lightly floured surface, roll dough into a square 1/3-inch thick. Dot with half the remaining butter and fold in half. Repeat. Roll again into a rectangle 1/3-inch thick and repeat folding process. Place in greased bowl, cover with towel and let stand 25 minutes. Refrigerate for 2 hours.
Remove from refrigerator and roll onto lightly floured surface into a rectangle 1/3-inch thick. Cut rectangle into 12 1-inch strips.
Braid strips in sets of 3; pinch together 2 braids to form an oval, then the other 2 braids to form another oval, making 2 cakes.
Place ovals on heavy baking sheets lined with parchment paper. Cover with a towel and allow to rise until slightly less than doubled in bulk, about 45 minutes.
Beat remaining egg and brush on cakes. Bake 20-25 minutes, or until golden; let cool.
While cake is baking, make topping: Color each 1/4 cup sugar with a couple of drops of food coloring and set aside. Combine powdered sugar, vanilla and enough water to form a paste. Spread icing on cake tops using a butter knife. Before the icing dries, sprinkle three colors of sugar in bands alternately around cake tops.
