The King of Cakes
During carnival season in New Orleans, if you are lucky enough, you can have your cake and eat it too. There’s a distinct joie-de-vivre in the air in this US city. It’s impossible not to get swept up in the revelry. Marked by street parades, you’ll be surrounded by people dressed in over-the-top costumes: from men sporting blingy bras, to women dressed in voluminous gowns embellished with colourful sequins, and head-gear with faux feathers. The only criteria is to sport the tri-colours, usually in the form of beads. The three colours that make up the beaded necklaces are purple to symbolise justice, green for faith, and gold which stands for power.
During this time, bakery store-fronts, across the city, lure you in with the King Cake. “It’s a ring-shaped cake that’s sort of a blend of coffee cake and cinnamon roll,” says Chef Mark Falgoust of The Mardi Gras School of Cooking. It contains icing and sugar, dyed in the colours of Mardi Gras—purple, green and gold. Beyond these basics, the bakers often get creative and add a variety of fillings. Slice into a King Cake and you’ll find sweet cream cheese, pecan praline or fruits. Some cakes come decorated with paper crowns while others wear edible beads. But every King Cake must bear a figurine of Baby Jesus hidden within. In days gone by, the figurine of Baby Jesus was made of porcelain and was baked right into the cake. Today however, the figurines are generally made of clear plastic. They are less than an inch in length and are often placed discreetly at the bottom of the cake, post baking. At a gathering of family and friends, whoever gets the slice with the Baby Jesus is considered to be blessed.
Local lore has it that eating the cake out of season brings bad luck. Most bakeries in New Orleans stick to tradition and begin to serve the cake only on January 6 or Three Kings Day. The day marks the first time that the three wise men laid eyes on Baby Jesus. King Cake season ends with Mardi Gras or Fat Tuesday, the day just before the beginning of Lent.
Some historians trace the concept of baking fortuitous treats into a dessert, to the ancient Roman festival of Saturnalia. As an ode to the Earth’s natural bounty, a fava bean was hidden into a baked treat. The person who received the slice with the lucky bean was designated the King of the festival, irrespective of his class or status. While the King Cake in New Orleans may not anoint anyone a king, it nonetheless is much sought-after. Care for a bite?