Mardi Gras King Cake

A King Cake is much like a pastry, particularly a cinnamon bun.  One main difference is the King Cake does not have raisins.   The cake itself is often round, although square or oval with a hole in the center is fine.  The dough is often covered with cinnamon which is then twisted into the cake as layers.  The amount of cinnamon one finds in a King Cake varies by the bakery from which it came.

The name has to do with the Feast of the Epiphany, which celebrates the arrival of the Magi, often called the three kings, to visit Jesus.  They had to find Jesus, so a small doll representing Jesus as a baby is hidden into the cake.  Some bakers add the doll, others allow the customer to do so.  If the baker hides the doll it is well concealed.

The cake is decorated with granulated sugar in the three Mardi Gras colors of purple, green, and gold.  These symbolize justice, faith, and power, respectively.  The sugar is not mixed, but the colors are applied in swaths of about four-inch widths.  So, there is a purple section, then a green section, then a gold section, then repeat as many times as needed.  Another decoration, which is optional, is white icing that often is drizzled on without fully covering the cake.  But there is no real requirement.  Some bakers add so much icing it practically closes the center hold and merges with icing from the other side of the cake.

The King Cake described above is what is called a traditional King Cake, and this type is the most popular.  But some people preferred more, so filled cakes are also available.  A large variety of fillings can be baked into a King Cake.  The one pictured is close to a traditional King Cake, but it is called “The Parish” for Saint Bernard Parish where this version originated.  It has purple, green, and gold sprinkles as a final topping.

Louisiana has parishes instead of counties, due to its Catholic origin.  Saint Bernard is the eastern neighbor to New Orleans, and named for Saint Bernard, in honor of Bernardo Galvez, a Spanish governor of Louisiana.

King Cakes are often consumed during the Mardi Gras season at parties, in offices, and in homes.  One tradition is the person who finds the hidden doll hosts the next party.  In an office setting the person buys a King Cake for the break room a few days later.

Some bakeries extend the season by selling red and green cakes before Christmas, or red heart shaped cakes foe Saint Valentine’s Day.  Extending the season is aggressive when the Mardi Gras season is short.  But there is such a high demand during the season, bakers are less likely to sell outside the season when Mardi Gras is later. 

One bakery includes a porcelain doll as a collectible with the King Cake. This collectible doll is not inserted into the cake, a small rubber doll is used for that purpose.  The 2019 doll pictured is called Ladies of the Mardi Gras Ball.  A different collectible doll has appeared each year since 1990. 

A bakery will have its own version.  There is no set formula.  Some are better than others, but it is a matter of taste which version any person will prefer.  Some supermarkets offer simple versions which are less desirable than others to many locals. 

Ask five people where the best King Cakes are to be found and you might get five different answers.

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The introduction image is our own.