King Cake From Willa Jean In New Orleans Louisiana
Executive pastry chef Kelly Fields has invented some creative takes on a king cake. In the past, shes combined ingredients as unique as mascarpone, bananas and caramel sauce in the filling, but this year, Fields is offering a caramel crunch king cake with a cream cheese glaze. The icing on her cake? Spectacular decorations.
Why Is There A Plastic Baby In A King Cake
Why Is There a Baby in the King Cake? A miniature plastic baby, which symbolizes baby Jesus, is placed inside of each cake to signify the Epiphany. The person who gets the slice that contains the baby is known as the king. They are charged with the responsibility of bringing a king cake to the next event.
Kings Of King Cake: 9 Of Louisianas Best King Cakes
King cakes are a Carnival Season phenomenon that may be seen from New Orleans to Lake Charles.These traditional Mardi Gras pastries will be available in nearly every grocery store, gas station, and convenience store in the state beginning on January 6.Weve looked for the finest of the best in everything from traditional glazed and sugared cakes to a handful with unusual ingredients.An extremely simple Louisiana king cake is made up of a Danish yeast pastry dough that is coated with glaze and colorful sweets, with a miniature plastic baby buried inside.Traditionally, whomever gets the baby in their slice is crowned king for the day and is required to host the next king cake celebration.
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What Is King Cake
The king cake is a cross between a French pastry and a coffee cake in texture and flavor.Due to its distinctive oval form and lively colors, it has a distinct appeal.Originally, the royal hues of gold, purple, and green were used in the design of the piece.Gold symbolizes authority, purple represents justice, and green represents faith, according to the symbolism.The cakes form represents the coming together of many religions.
Feast Your Eyes On These 26 Fabulous Mardi Gras King Cakes From Across The South
A celebration is not complete without a sugary, sweet and colorful king cake. Originally used as part of a Christian tradition to celebrate the arrival of the Three Wise Men in Bethlehem, king cakes are now just as much a part of the party as Hurricanes, parades and beads.
Over time, the king cake has taken many forms. The classic French version of a king cake, the galette des rois, is a puff pastry cake that is usually filled with frangipane . Today, the modern, New Orleans-style king cakes are shaped like rings and covered in purple, yellow and green sugar. In both versions, small charms, usually plastic baby figurines that represent Jesus, are hidden somewhere in the cake and the person who finds the charm will have both good luck and the task of bringing a king cake to the next party.
With growing influence from Latin American cultures in the South, the Roscón de Reyes is becoming more and more popular. The Roscón de Reyes is a crown-shaped cake made of yeast-based bread that is very fluffy and airy once baked. The rosca is typically topped with candied fruits and bands of colorful, sugary paste, according to National Public Radio.
While many bakers love making these three classic types of cake, others across the South are taking creative liberty and putting their own spin on the traditional treat. To get you ready for the party, weve rounded up the very best of these cakes.
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Tastee Donuts New Orleans
For decades, when New Orleans locals talked about king cakes they were talking about the ones from McKenzies Bakery. The simple cake had bright purple-, green-, and gold-colored sugar and won the hearts of many before the shop closed for good in 2001. All is not lost, though. Tastee Donuts, a onetime rival, purchased McKenzies king cake recipe and now sells the classic cakes in shops around the New Orleans area, including a version made with McKenzies famous buttermilk drops. The bad news? You can only buy them in person. The good news? Another reason to visit New Orleans.
Location: Multiple locations in New Orleans
What Is The Story Behind The King Cake
What is the story behind the King Cake? It is believed that the king cake tradition originated in France and was brought to New Orleans in 1870. The French version of this local delicacy is made of an almond-filled puff pastry that gives off a flaky texture. It also features a decorative pattern and is sometimes topped with a paper crown.
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The Most Popular King Cake Filling
Parades, parties, and king cakes are all part of the festivities!Many people in South Louisiana are familiar with Mardi Gras in New Orleans, and Manny Randazzos king cakes are often considered to be the greatest part of any Mardi Gras celebration.With so many different flavors to pick from, it might be difficult to determine which filling is the most delicious.Although Manny Randazzos famous Pecan Praline King Cake was declared the greatest king cake in 2012 by The Times-Picayune, this legendary filling continues to be one of the most popular filling options at Randazzos today.Picture yourself biting into a typical New Orleans praline that has been blended with a sweet caramel sauce and then wrapped in the customary sweet cinnamon king cake dough.Its enough to make your mouth wet just thinking about praline filling.
The classic cream cheese filling at Randazzo is another customer favorite, in addition to the highly recognized Pecan Praline King Cake.Our unique cream cheese filling is pumped into the soft and sweet braiding of our classic cinnamon dough, which results in a deliciously decadent result.The cream cheese filling is thick and creamy, and it gives our already-perfect king cakes an extra burst of deliciousness.
Randazzo’s Camellia City Bakery
In 1965, the Randazzo family turned their former Camellia City dancehall into Hi-Lan bakery. Generations later, there are more Randazzo bakeries than this but this isn’t a story of a successful chain. It’s more like a House of Gucci-type tale . The Randazzo name has been split among several different bakeries, each serving up a unique style of cake. There’s “Manny Randazzo’s,” “Nonna Randazzo’s,” and the shop named after the original family’s original dancehall, Randazzo’s Camellia City Bakery.
Randazzo’s Camellia City Bakery ships two varieties of King Cakes nationwide. Both King Cakes are made with fresh dough, cinnamon, and sugar braided into the traditional shape, then topped with sweet white icing and Mardi Gras colored sprinkles. One cake offers the option to have cream cheese infused within the pastry and each measures 12 by 16 inches. The cream cheese-filled goes for $65.95 and the traditional goes for $5 less. Best of all? These prices include shipping costs.
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King Cake Hot Spots: Bywater Bakerys Chantilly King Cake Pays Homage To Local Favorite
Fans of Whole Foods Berry Chantilly Cake may praise New Orleans baker Chaya Conrad for the classic confection, which has become a local institution.Conrads Chantilly king cake, which is now available at Bywater Bakery, pays respect to the local favorite while adding a touch of Carnival enchantment to the mix.The Chantilly king cake takes the berry-filled, mascarpone whipped cream from the original and stuffs it within a brioche king cake, creating a delicious variation on the classic.The Chantilly king cake created by Bywater Bakery pays homage to the original Chantilly.Featured image courtesy of Bywater Bakery Over a decade ago, Conrad created her first Berry Chantilly Cake recipe for the Arabella Station Whole Foods Market on Magazine Street in New York City.
Get Your King Cakes Here
One stop shops for multiple king cakes
King Cake Connection Serving as a hub for Black-owned bakeries, King Cake Connection premiered this year and features cakes from 11 different businesses. The King Cake Connection is at Seven Three Distilling. It is open Wednesday/Thursday 12-6 p.m. and Friday/Saturday 12-7 p.m.
King Cake Hub Returning for another year, King Cake Hub features over 16 bakery partners with king cakes in a variety of flavors, plus king cake ice cream, Mardi Gras apparel, and king cake books. The hub is located at Zony Mash Beer Project and is open daily from 8:30 a.m. to 6 p.m.
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The 14 Best Places Online To Order Your King Cake For Mardi Gras
On January 6, a yearly event known as Twelfth Night, or the eve of the Epiphany, serves as the opening of the Carnival season . There are many rituals, parades, and events that come along with this unique time, especially when it comes to food. One such custom is the arrival of King Cake, which got its name from the Three Kings who were believed to have arrived to Bethlehem to see Jesus on this very day . No matter what celebration you attend around the Gulf South, this distinctive French pastry is never far from reach during Mardi Gras season. Thanks to the advances of modern food delivery, local bakeries these days facilitate online ordering so that King Cakes can be enjoyed by people across the U.S.
The bakeries below have been included for their wide selection of options. Some serve the more time-honored and original styles of King Cake, while others present a special twist on the famed dessert. Traditionally, King Cakes are made from sweet dough that has been topped with a white vanilla icing and cinnamon sugar. The last component typically comes in Mardi Gras colors. Purple represents justice, green for faith, and gold for power . So, one should do justice to their fresh King Cake by having faith that they can eat it all, and the power to get it done. This is Fat Tuesday after all.
Flavors Of King Cakes At Cannatas In Houma Louisiana
With 60 flavors to choose from, it might be hard to choose just one king cake at Cannatas. The cakes are made from scratch and come with a few Mardi Gras trinkets to help you decorate. Its fine if you want to stick with a classic flavor like cinnamon pecan, but customers who want to branch out can try more adventurous fillings like gooey butter snickerdoodle, Creole praline or coconut chocolate cherry.
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The Carnival King At Seven Three Distilling
For Mardi Gras season, Seven Three Distilling’s bar has combined booze and kombucha in a king cake-inspired cocktail. The Carnival King includes the distillerys Black Pearl rum , Big Easy Bucha’s Parade Punch kombucha and fresh lime juice.
Its garnished with a purple, green and gold sugar rim and a plastic baby.
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How Is King Cake Made
The cinnamon dough used to make the king cakes base is braided together to form the cakes base.The dough is topped with sugar that has been put on top and with colorful sugar sprinkles.Fillings like cream cheese, strawberry, lemon, and other tastes may even be included in some of the more elaborate variants.Caludas makes all of its own dough braids and color sugars, which are all made by hand.Its crucial to remember that there are many different king cake variations available, each with a different combination of ingredients.
Bittersweet Confections New Orleans
Photo: Bittersweet Confections
Cheryl Scripter opened Bittersweet Confections in 2002 as a chocolate shop focused on using as many local ingredients as possible. As the years went by, Scripter added more things to the menu, including the king cake. Try the original styles like the bourbon, satsuma, and pecan king cake. Whatever you do, dont miss the chocolate king cake , which has won numerous awards as best king cake in New Orleans.
Location: 725 Magazine Street, New Orleans, Louisiana
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Costco Sheet Cakes Do Have A Few Drawbacks Though
But there are a few of small issues with these cakes that are worth mentioning.One drawback is that they are only available in two flavors: white and chocolate.Those tastes, on the other hand, are not quite as simple as they appear.According to Costcos sheet cake purchase form, the white cake is filled with a vanilla cheesecake mousse filling , while the chocolate cake is filled with chocolate mousse .Furthermore, the decorations are quite restricted, consisting only of a few flower arrangements, a few sports-themed motifs, and some standard childrens party supplies such as a clown, a princess crown, and dinosaurs.
The Costco bakery, on the other hand, should be able to run to a simple script such as Congratulations! with a name, so you should be OK.There you have it: the party is saved.Just hope that whomever is in charge of planning your birthday party has the foresight to get a Costco cake as well.
That Costco bakery knows their sheet from their ear to their toe!