The pinnacle of centerpiece desserts, king cake has to be one of our favorite
Mardi Gras traditions. The bright and colorful decorations sit atop a fairly simple dessert: a sweet cake with a cinnamon filling covered by a lemon and vanilla glaze. Easy to create, this is an absolute must to kick off the Carnival season. Present this festive cake at your celebration, and let the hunt for the hidden baby begin! Never made a king cake before? Confused about what a “hidden baby” means? Read on to learn all about this delicious tradition:
How the king cake became a Mardi Gras tradition:
The custom of making king cakes first started in the Middle Ages as a celebration of the birth of Christ. It was served at the Catholic Feast of the Epiphany, a dinner commemorating the coming of the three wise men (the “kings”) on the “Twelfth Night,” or January 6th. It was brought to Louisiana from France in the late 1800s, where it evolved into the Mardi Gras tradition we know today.
What is a king cake?
All that history aside, modern day king cakes are one of the best parts of Mardi gras. They’re a traditionally sweet pastry shaped into a ring (like a king’s crown) and covered with icing. They’re most often cinnamon or cream cheese-filled, but every bakery has their own specialty, and you can find everything from pecan praline to coconut.
What’s the deal with the hidden baby?
Our favorite part of this celebratory cake? The hidden baby (sounds weird, but hear us out on this one). There’s some disagreement over whether the baby hidden in most king cakes is meant to represent baby Jesus; some New Orleans bakeries swear it’s just the most popular of the many trinkets used. We say, if you’ve got a baby figurine, go for it. (Though you’ll want to hide it in there after the cake is baked, just in case.) If not, you could use a pecan, dried bean, or other small edible item, and add it in before baking. Whatever you hide, whoever finds it in their slice of cake must be crowned king for the day (and has to bring the king cake to next year’s celebration). Let the hunt begin!
How to decorate a king cake:
While the filling and flavors of a king cake can vary, what’s non-negotiable is the way they are decorated: sprinkles or icing colored gold for power, green for faith, and purple for justice. We decorate our cake with a thin glaze (drizzled on top while it is still warm), then add purple, green, and gold sprinkles (or sanding sugar) to complete our cake.
Storage:
In the unlikely event of leftovers, this cake will keep well covered in plastic wrap for up to one week.
Made this recipe? Let us know how it went in the comments below.