Sadie Dodson's Vegan Gingerbread Babka Snowflake

INSTRUCTIONS

• 1 For the Dough, melt butter in medium saucepan. Add sugar, stirring to dissolve. Add milk. Heat just until warmed through. Remove from heat. Sprinkle yeast over mixture and let stand 2 to 3 minutes until foamy.
• 2 Mix flour and salt in large bowl. Add milk mixture, stirring just until combined. Mixture will still be lumpy. Cover loosely with towel or plastic wrapand let rise until doubled in size.
• 3 Meanwhile, for the Gingerbread Spiced Filling, mash butter in small bowl with a fork. Stir in brown sugar, spices and molasses until smooth. Let stand at room temperature until ready to use.
• 4 To assemble the Snowflake, divide dough into 4 pieces. Knead dough on lightly floured surface and roll each into a 10-inch circle. Transfer 1 circle to a large sheet of parchment paper. Spread 1/3 of the Flling evenly over dough circle. Top with another dough circle and spread with another 1/3 of the filling. Repeat with another layer of dough and filling, then top with last dough circle.
• 5 Place a small glass in the center of your stacked dough circles to use as a cutting guide. Using a sharp knife or kitchen scissors cut slits in dough at 12-o'clock, 3-o'clock, 6-o'clock, and 9-o'clock postitions, cutting only to the edge of the glass, leaving center of circle intact. Cut each of the 4 sections in half (making 8 sections) and then cut each section in half again (you will end up with 16 sections). Remove glass. Take 2 neighboring sections and twist them 2 times away from each other, then pinch the ends of those twisted sections together to form a snowflake point. Continue around the circle to form 8 twisted points. Cover with parchment paper and let rise 1 hour or overnight in the refrigerator. Remove cover.
• 6 Bake in preheated 350°F oven 30 minutes or until golden brown. Cool slightly.
• 7 Meanwhile, for the Glaze, melt butter and cream cheese in small saucepan, whisking to combine. Remove from heat. Whisk in cinnamon and vanilla. Allow to cool. Sprinkle warm snowflake with powdered sugar and drizzle glaze over top, or serve with glaze on the side.