Southern Living Magazine's King Cake

¼ cup butter or margarine
1 16oz container of sour cream
1/3 cup sugar
1 tsp salt
2 (.25oz) envelopes active dry yeast
1 Tbsp white sugar
½ cup warm water
2 eggs
6 ½ cups all-purpose flour, divided
½ cup white sugar
1 ½ tsp ground cinnamon
1/3 cup butter or margarine, softened


Cook butter, sour cream, sugar and salt in saucepan over low heat, stirring often, until butter melts. Cool mixture to 100º to 110º.
Dissolve yeast and 1 Tbsp sugar in ½ cup warm water in a large bowl; let stand 5 minutes. Add butter mixture, eggs, and 2 cups flour; beat at medium speed with an electric mixer 2 minutes or until smooth. Gradually stir in enough remaining flour to make a soft dough.
Turn dough onto a lightly floured surface; knead until smooth and elastic, about 10 minutes. Place in a well-greased bowl, turning to grease top. Cover and let rise in a warm place (85º), free from drafts, 1 hour or until doubled in bulk.
Stir together ½ cup sugar and cinnamon; set aside.
Punch dough down; divide in half. Turn 1 portion out onto a lightly floured surface; roll to a 28x10 inch rectangle. Spread half each of cinnamon mixture and softened butter on dough. Roll dough, jellyroll fashion, starting at long side. Place dough roll, seam side down, on a lightly greased baking sheet. Bring ends together to form an oval ring, moistening and pinching edges together to seal. Repeat with remaining dough, cinnamon mixture, and butter.
Bake at 375º for 15 minutes or until golden. Decorate with bands of Colored Frostings, and sprinkle with Colored Sugars.

Colored Frosting:

3 cups powdered sugar
3 Tbsp butter, melted
3 Tbsp milk
¼ tsp vanilla
2 drops green food color
2 drops yellow food color
2 drops blue food color
2 drops red food color


Stir together powdered sugar and melted butter. Ad milk to reach desired consistency for drizzling; stir in vanilla. Divide frosting into 3 batches, tinting 1 green, 1 yellow, and combining red and blue food coloring for purple frosting.

Colored Sugars:

1 ½ cups white sugar
2 drops green food color
2 drops yellow food color
2 drops blue food color
2 drops red food color

Place ½ cup sugar and drop of green food color in a jar or zip top bag; seal. Shake vigorously to evenly mix color with sugar. Repeat procedure with ½ cup sugar and yellow food coloring. For purple, combine 1 drop red and 1 drop blue food coloring before adding to remaining ½ cup sugar.