King Cake

In a saucepan, melt 1 stick butter, milk, 1/3 cup sugar, and salt. Cool to lukewarm. In a large mixing bowl, combine 2 tablespoons sugar, yeast, and water. Let stand until foaming, about 5-10 minutes. Beat eggs into yeast; then milk mixture and rinds. Stir in flour, ½ cup at a time, reserving that last 1 cup to flour kneading surface. Knead dough until smooth, about 5-10 minutes. Place in large mixing bowl greased with 1 tablespoon butter; turning dough once to grease top; cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 1 ½ to 2 hours. For filling, mix sugars and cinnamon. Set aside. For topping, tint sugar by mixing food coloring until desired color is reached (for purple use equal amounts of blue and red food coloring). A food processor aids in mixing and keeps the sugar from being too moist. When dough has doubled, punch down and divide in half. On a floured surface, roll half into a rectangle 30 X 15. Brush with half of melted butter and cut into 3 lengthwise strips. Sprinkle half of sugar mixture on strips, leaving a 1 inch lengthwise strip free for sealing. Fold each strip lengthwise toward the center, sealing the seam. You will now have 3-30 inch strips with sugar mixture enclosed in each. Braid the 3 strips and make a circle by joining the ends. Repeat with other half of dough. Place each cake on a 10 X 15 baking sheet, cover with a damp cloth and let rise until doubled, about 1 hr. Brush each with egg and sprinkle the top with colored sugars, alternating colors. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Bake 20 minutes. Remove from pan immediately so sugar will not harden. While still warm, place 1 plastic baby in each from underneath. *To freeze: Wrap cooled cake tightly in plastic. Before serving, remove plastic and thaw.