Combine all of the dough ingredients except the butter in the bowl of a stand mixer. With a dough hook, mix on medium speed until the ingredients come together and start to form a ball, about 3 to 5 minutes.

Turn the mixer to medium-high speed and knead the dough, adding the butter in 4 increments, allowing the previous addition to incorporate before adding the next. Continue kneading until all the butter is incorporated and the dough is homogenous.

Remove the dough from the bowl onto a floured work surface and form into a rectangle about 8x6 inches. Wrap the dough well in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 2 hours or up to overnight.

Meanwhile, make the butter packet for laminating. Cube the cold butter and mix it in a stand mixer with a paddle attachment until smooth but still cold and firm. Scrape out onto one side of a piece of parchment paper and press down into a rough rectangle. Fold the top half of the parchment back over like a book and use a rolling pin to evenly spread the butter into a 6x6-inch rectangle. Set aside in a cool spot.

Remove the dough from the fridge and unwrap onto a floured surface. Roll the dough into a 7x12-inch rectangle. Remove the butter packet from the parchment and place in the center of the rectangle. Fold the two long edges of dough tightly over the butter so that the ends meet in the middle, completely enclosing the butter.

With the heel of your hand, press down along the seam, and then repeat along the rest of the dough to adhere the butter and dough together. Roll the dough to approximately 10x18 inches, with the seam parallel to the longer edge. Complete a book fold by folding the two ends to meet anywhere in the middle of the dough, then fold the dough in half like a book. Rotate 90 degrees.

Repeat this step, rolling the dough out in the opposite direction parallel to the folds from the previous step. After two book folds, wrap the dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 4 hours or up to overnight (or freeze for up to a week).

Combine the cane sugar and cinnamon in a bowl and set aside.

In a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the cream cheese, sugar, and salt until smooth. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add the egg yolk and vanilla, and mix until combined. Transfer to a piping bag (no tip) and refrigerate until you’re ready to fill the dough.

Unwrap the dough onto a floured surface and roll out to a 18x18-inch square. Lightly brush the surface of the dough with water to make it slightly sticky, then spread the cinnamon sugar all over the dough.

With a knife or pizza cutter, divide the dough into four even strips, 4.5x18 inches. Pipe a finger-thick line of cream cheese filling down the center of each strip, using up all the filling.

Gently roll up each strip over the filling to create four even tubes. Put the seam sides down.

Form the bottom two pieces into an X with the seams down. Starting at the intersection and working left, criss-cross the pieces over each other 3 to 4 times, ensuring the seam side always faces down. Leave 1 to 2 inches uncrossed at the end. Repeat with the right side. Bring one end around to meet the other and form a circle. Connect the end pieces by criss-crossing them over each other and pressing firmly to seal.

Repeat this step with the top two pieces. Set on parchment-lined sheet pans with at least 3 inches of space on all sides.

At this point, the king cakes can either be proofed and baked or wrapped and frozen for up to one week. (If you’re freezing them, let the cakes sit out at room temperature for 2 to 3 hours before freezing to give them a head start on proofing.)

Preheat your oven to 350F. Place your king cakes in a warm spot and cover loosely with a plastic bag or wrap. Allow to rise approximately 3 to 4 hours or until almost doubled in size.

Meanwhile, make the syrup: bring the sugar and water to a boil for two minutes, then let cool. This can be held in the refrigerator for up to a month.

Bake the king cakes for 40 to 50 minutes or until deeply dark brown all over. Remove from the oven and brush generously with the syrup. Top with colored sugar as desired! Let cool before serving.