King Cake with Chai Spice Streusel

      It's Mardi Gras season 2022, and the world is still dealing with the coronavirus in all it's various incarnations. Staffing shortages and supply chain challenges are affecting every facet of life. We could all use some cake!!

     January 6th is the day we take down our Christmas decorations. Many families in the area take this time to exchange the red and green of Christmas for purple, green, and gold!

     I baked a king cake to bring to work on January 6th. I was on call so I started the dough a day early. I have a bread recipe that calls for a long, slow, cold rise in the refrigerator over 2 days, so I used this process for the brioche that is the basis of the king cake. The cold dough was easy to handle and shape. Once braided, I let the dough come to room temperature before baking. 

     July 4th, 2021, I posted a banana coffee cake recipe that had a chai spice streusel. I used this streusel blend as the filling for the king cake instead of plain cinnamon sugar. It was fabulous, and was a flavorful compliment to the rich brioche.

So, to summarize:

*Make the brioche dough (https://marymommeme.blogspot.com/2018/02/seems-as-though-i-blinked-and-there.html?m=1) a day or two before you need it and allow it to rise 1 hour at room temperature.

*Cover the bowl with a damp towel, and cover the whole assembly with plastic wrap. Refrigerate 1-2 days.

*When ready to assemble, make the streusel from the chai spice cake (https://marymommeme.blogspot.com/2021/07/banana-cake-with-chai-spice-streusel.html?m=1).

*Follow the directions for shaping the king cake, using the streusel as filling. Braid, rise, bake, and decorate in the usual king cake fashion.