KING’S CAKE (2024)

FAQs

What is king cake and why is it eaten? ›

King cake is first served on King's Day (January 6) and can continue to be served through the eve of Mardi Gras to celebrate the coming of the three kings, as well as to honor them with a sweet homage to their jeweled crowns.

When a king cake is served at a Mardi Gras celebration, everyone wants to know who was served the slice with the king cake baby—but what does it mean if you find one? Tradition dictates that finding the baby in your cake symbolizes luck and prosperity. As such, the finder becomes the “king” or “queen” of the evening.

Something like king cake is available year round, but those faithful to New Orleans tradition know it only has its cultural significance during Carnival season. That season will fly by this year, between the kick off on Jan. 6 and Fat Tuesday bringing down the curtain on Feb. 13.

The history of the king cake came from European and Roman Catholic roots, which made its way into the New Orleans area in the 1870s. In contrast to the French king cakes, which are a flaky puff pastry, the New Orleans style is similar to the Spanish tradition, which is oval-shaped and topped with icing.

The Rosca holds plastic baby Jesus toys inside and whomever gets a baby Jesus in their slice, is responsible to host a dinner and/or serve tamales on February 2nd, Candlemas day. It is a really fun time for the family to endure the suspense of possibly getting a Jesus toy in your slice.

This is also why king cakes are colored green, purple, and gold: to symbolize the colors of Mardi Gras. However, king cakes in New Orleans tend to start disappearing around Fat Tuesday. For those who follow the convention, January 6th is when you can have your first slice of king cake.

And it helps keep the king cake fresh. It has also been proven to help with portion control, because when the knife is in the box, people can go back and cut off little slabs like this. If you have to pull out a fresh knife from the drawer.

The king cakes of New Orleans more closely resemble those of Spanish-speaking countries rather than the king cake that originated in France. Rosca de reyes, served in Spain and Latin America, is a ring-shaped sweet bread that can also be topped with candied fruit, in addition to a light layer of icing.

What does a king cake taste like? King cake is a rich, sweet pastry flavored with cinnamon and sometimes contains cream cheese or pecans. It's called a cake, but it tastes more like a danish or cinnamon roll!

“Nope, nope, nope-ity, nope!” says Jessie Wightkin Gelini, chef instructor at the New Orleans Center for Creative Arts, which makes and sells hundreds of king cakes each year, although never before January 6. “If you eat king cake early,” she says, “it will rain on Mardi Gras Day and the Saints will lose.”

How long will a king cake last? ›

Q: How long will the King Cake last? A: The king cake will maintain its freshness 2-3 days after receiving it. If you're planning on serving the cake 2-3 days later, don't open it up. Keep it out of direct sunlight, in a cool place.

Although King Cakes were originally served as dessert, it is also delicious for breakfast or a sweet treat anytime.

Traditionally, a small porcelain baby, symbolizing Jesus, is hidden in the king cake and is a way for residents of Louisiana to celebrate their Christian faith. The baby symbolizes luck and prosperity to whoever finds it.

A two-tier Godfather themed cake featuring all hand-modeled and edible elements from the classic movie. The cake is lemon chiffon with a delicious raspberry butter-cream filling, covered in dark chocolate ganache and LMM fondant.

Voodoo King Cake

Filled with Bavarian cream and topped with chocolate ganache, coconut, and pecans.

What does a king cake taste like? King cake is a rich, sweet pastry flavored with cinnamon and sometimes contains cream cheese or pecans. It's called a cake, but it tastes more like a danish or cinnamon roll!

King cakes come in various flavors, but traditionally, the king cake is a cinnamon-flavored dough covered in sweet green, gold, and purple sugar or icing. Over time, other flavors became just as popular. Two of the most popular flavors are the cream-cheese and our Praline king cake.

A cross section of Rosca de Reyes from Mercado Little Spain. Be it Spain, France or New Orleans, there are plenty of sweet iterations of king cake baked all over the world to celebrate the Feast of the Epiphany, when, according to western Christianity, the three kings visited and brought gifts to baby Jesus.