"Chris" Kringle Cakes

5 from 5 votes

What better way to celebrate Christmas than with these incredible "Chris" Kringle Cakes? They are reminiscent of the Mardi Gras King Cake, but in mini form and decorated for Christmas - thus the "Chris". As such, each one is a ring of twisted cinnamon roll dough topped with an amazing cream cheese icing.

Prep Time1

Cook Time20

Total Time1 20

Course: Cakes, Christmas

Cuisine: American

Servings: servings

Calories: 471kcal

Ingredients

Dough

¼ cup plus 1 Tablespoon filtered water (See Note 1)
½ teaspoon salt
2 Tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
1 large egg, slightly beaten
1 cup (8 ounces) sour cream (See Note 2)
3 ½ Tablespoons (1.75 ounces) granulated sugar
3 ½ cups (17.5 ounces) all-purpose flour
2 ½ teaspoons bread machine or instant yeast

Filling

8 ounces cream cheese, room temperature (See Note 3)
½ cup (2 ounces) confectioners' sugar
½ cup (3.5 ounces) granulated sugar
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
4 Tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

Icing

8 ounces cream cheese, room temperature (See Note 3)
8 Tablespoons (4 ounces, 1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
5 cups (20 ounces) confectioners' sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Decorations

Instructions

Dough

Add the dough ingredients to the bread machine in the order listed. Select the dough cycle, and start the machine. Check the dough after five minutes of mixing, and add 1 to 2 more Tablespoons of water or flour if the dough is too dry or wet. If making the night before, remove dough to large oiled bowl as soon as the kneading finishes. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate. If using the same day, allow the machine to complete the dough cycle. Makes approximately 32 ounces of dough.

Fillings

Beat 8 ounces of cream cheese with ½ cup confectioners' sugar until smooth. Set aside. Mix ½ cup granulated sugar, 2 teaspoons cinnamon and 4 tablespoons melted butter until combined. Set aside.

Making "Chris" Kringle Cakes

Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper. Set aside.
Place dough on a floured surface. Divide into 4 pieces, 8 ounces each. Form each piece into a 12-inch log. Roll each piece into a 15-inch x 6-inch rectangle. Trim the edges as needed. Spread the cream cheese mixture on the dough to within 1-inch of the edges. Spread cinnamon/sugar mixture on the cream cheese to within 1-inch of the edges of the dough.
Starting at one of the long edges, roll the dough tightly into a 15-inch log; pinch seam to seal log. Place the rolled dough onto the prepared baking sheet, seam side down, and form the dough into a ring. Carefully place one end into other end; pinch to seal. Moisten the ends of the dough with a little water; pinch the two ends together to seal. Place small greased round container into center of ring. Repeat with remaining dough.
Cover with a cloth, and let rise in a warm place until doubled in size, about 1 hour to 1 hour and 30 minutes.
Preheat oven to 350°F. Bake in preheated oven until the tops are golden brown, about 20 minutes.
Mix the ingredients for the icing to make a smooth, but not thin icing.
Remove the cakes from the oven, and cool for about 10 minutes on a wire rack. While the cake is still warm, spread the icing on cake, allowing drips of icing to dribble down the sides and center of the cake. If using sprinkles, decorate while cake is still warm. Otherwise, decorate as desired. Yield: 4 "Chris" Kringle Cakes

Notes

Always use filtered water when making yeast dough. The reason is that the fluorine in tap water can impede the growth of yeast, or kill it.
I used light sour cream.
I used Neufchatel cheese or light cream cheese, but you could use full-fat cream cheese as well.

Nutrition