Slim Fit King Cake

I wanted to make a Mardi Gras King Cake for my friends because we are expatriates in Malaysia with no bakeries that can make them, and some people we know have never even tried one! However, I wanted to make it lighter too, so I made some substitutions and created my own cake that appears and tastes decadent, but is actually quite light. Bakeries in Louisiana do standard cinnamon-sugar fillings, but they do all kinds of other fruit/pudding fillings, too, so I decided to go fruity. Laissez les bon temps rouler! Add some edible beads for further decoration if you can find them!

Original recipe makes 12 servings

Ingredients

3/4 cup skim milk
1/4 cup reduced-fat margarine, softened
1 1/2 cups self-rising flour
1 tablespoon instant yeast
1/4 cup sugar and sucralose blend for baking (such as SPLENDA® Sugar Blend)
1/4 cup water
1 egg, beaten
1 3/4 cups whole wheat flour

3/4 (8 ounce) package fat-free cream cheese, softened
2 very ripe bananas, mashed
1/4 cup finely chopped pineapple
1/8 teaspoon pineapple extract
3 packets granular no-calorie sucralose sweetener (such as Splenda®)

1 tablespoon reduced-fat margarine, softened
1 cup confectioners’ sugar
2 1/2 tablespoons skim milk
1/8 teaspoon green food coloring
1/8 teaspoon yellow food coloring
1/8 teaspoon purple food coloring

PREP

45 mins
COOK

30 mins
READY IN

2 hrs 30 mins

Directions

Heat 3/4 cup milk in a small saucepan over medium heat until simmering, stirring constantly.
Remove saucepan from heat and stir in 1/4 cup margarine. Allow mixture to cool until lukewarm.
Using the bread hook with an electric mixer, mix together the self-rising flour, yeast, and sugar and sucralose blend in a large mixing bowl.
Stir the water, egg, and warm milk into the yeast mixture using the electric mixer; stir well to combine.
Gradually stir in half of the whole wheat flour until no dry spots remain.
Stir in the remaining flour, a 1/2 cup at a time, mixing well after each addition.
When the dough has pulled together, turn it out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic, about 8 minutes.
Cover dough with a damp cloth and allow to rest for 10 minutes.
Mix the cream cheese, bananas, and pineapple together in a bowl.
Stir in the pineapple extract and 3 packets of sweetener; mixture will be lumpy.
Roll the dough out to about 9×12-inches.
Spread the banana filling about 2-inches away from one of the longer edges.
Roll the dough into a cylinder shape, beginning with the edge without filling.
Pinch the seam to seal.
Shape the dough into a ring by bringing the two open edges together; pinch to seal.
Wipe any filling from the outside of the ring.
Cover with a damp cloth and allow to rise for 30 minutes more.
Preheat an oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
Transfer the dough ring to a greased and floured baking sheet.
Bake in the preheated oven until browned, about 20 minutes.
Cool in the pans for 10 minutes before removing to cool completely on a wire rack.
Mix 1 tablespoon margarine with confectioners’ sugar in a small bowl.
Stir in the remaining milk 1 tablespoon at a time until the mixture is easily drizzled.
Drizzle about 1/4 of the icing over the cooled cake.
Divide the remaining icing into 3 small bowls.
Stir in the green food coloring into one bowl; stir the yellow food coloring into the next bowl; and stir the purple food coloring into the last bowl.
Drizzle each of the colored icings over the cake.