What’s the first thing you think of when someone says “Mardi Gras”? Is it beads? Parties? Bourbon Street? Parades? If you asked me, the first thing I think of when someone mentions Mardi Gras is King Cake!!! Seriously though, it wouldn’t be a real Mardi Gras without king cakes.
If you are a New Orleanian, you know the tradition of king cakes. But, do you really know the real meaning of king cakes and where they came from? Sure, people know that if you get the baby, you have to get the next king cake. But why a baby? Does the baby represent something? Well, as it turns out, the king cake history is traced back to paganism, the birth of Jesus Christ, and Christianity.
While most people think that Christmas is over on December 25th, that is simply not true. Christmas continues until Epiphany, which is on January 6th, and also, the real start of the Carnival or Mardi Gras season. This day, also known as 12th Night or King’s Day, marks the day when the Three Wise Men visited baby Jesus and bearing gifts.
The word “epiphany” comes from the Greek word meaning “to show.” Epiphany, therefore, represented when Jesus first “showed himself” to the Three Wise Men and the world on this day. The name king cake, as you can allude to, comes from the Wise Kings visiting Jesus on that day.
It is a tradition in New Orleans that you eat king cakes on January 6th. If you are in New Orleans, the first Mardi Gras parade of the season is held today. Every year on 12th Night, the Phunny Phorty Phellows kicks off the parade season with a ride down St. Charles Street on the street car.
What exactly is a King Cake? Some would describe it as a cinnamon roll-type pastry. A traditional king cake is a cinnamon-flavored dough covered in icing and decorated with purple, yellow, and gold—the official colors of Mardi Gras. Over time, other flavors have popped up, such as cream cheese, strawberry, and even banana’s foster. Nowadays, you can find almost any flavor of king cake you can think of.
Inside each king is a hidden small plastic baby. The tradition is whomever gets the baby, has to buy the next king cake. The baby, you guessed it, symbolizes Baby Jesus, and symbolizes luck and prosperity. Nowadays, many bakeries no longer put the baby inside the king cake due to potential choking hazards. The baby is usually placed in the middle or on top of the cake.
Where did the tradition of putting a baby inside a king cake come from? The king cake started off as a simple puff pastry filled with almond cream in France, even dating back as far as the Roman Empire days. The cake was filled with a bean inside, marking the person as “king of the day” if they received the piece with the bean.
As Christianity emerged, then with the Three Kings, all those traditions merged together. At the time, the cake transformed into a ring of brioche dough as flour, sugar, and wheat became more readily available. Many people from that area settled in New Orleans and other parts of Louisiana, bringing with them, the tradition of king cakes.
The King Cake Baby did not appear until the 20th century. In the 1940s, a New Orleans bakery owner purchased porcelain dolls to hide in his king cakes to distinguish McKenzie’s Bakery (a famed New Orleans bakery that no longer exists) cakes from his own. The porcelain doll was eventually depleted and he replaced them with cheaper plastic ones.
Today, you will find several different flavors and flavors combinations of king cakes. Step into most bakeries in Louisiana, and you will find flavors such as strawberry cheesecake, pecan praline, lemon, blueberry, apple, and more. Cochon, a famed restaurant in New Orleans even sells an Elvis King cake that includes bacon, marshmallow fluff, peanut butter, and bananas with a plastic baby pig inside.
May restaurants and bakeries also offer different takes on the traditional king cake. There are king cake cupcakes, shakes, cheesecakes, and mousse cups. Any home baker can experiment with different combinations, mixing cream cheese with preserves or jams.
The basic dough recipe can be used to make any combination of king cake. You can experiment with a combination of fillings, such as cream cheese and strawberry (use jam).
If you are inserting a baby into the cake, do it after it has been baked. Also, if you are serving this to guests, please inform them that there is a baby inside. You can also place the baby on top of the king cake.
WHAT YOU WILL NEED:
King Cake Dough
Cream Cheese Frosting
KING CAKE DOUGH
Step 1:
In a small saucepan over low heat, warm 1 cup of the milk and the butter until the butter is melted and the mixture is warm to touch. Remove from heat and transfer the mixture to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook. Sprinkle with the yeast on top and let it sit untiling foaming, about 8-10 minutes.
Step 2:
With the mixture on medium speed, add the sugar, salt, vanilla, and 3 of the eggs. Mix until smooth. With the motor running, slowly add the flour and mix until just incorporated, about 5 minutes. Increase the speed to medium-high and beat until a dough ball forms, 4-6 minutes. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let sit in a warm place until the dough has doubled in size, about 1 hour.
NECTAR CREAM KING CAKE
Step 1:
In a medium bowl, beat cream cheese with a mixer at medium speed until smooth. Add confectioners’ sugar, egg yolk, extracts, and food coloring, and beat at low speed until combined and smooth.
Step 2:
Lightly punch down King Cake Dough. Cover and let stand for 5 minutes. In a small bowl, whisk together eggs and 1 tablespoon water.
Step 3:
Turn the King Cake Dough onto a lightly floured surface, and divide in half. This will be a sticky dough so use flour when needed. Roll one half into a 24 x 6-inch rectangle. Using a small offset spatula, spread half of the cream cheese mixture onto the dough, leaving a 1/2-inch border on one long side.
Step 4:
Brush the border with egg wash. Starting with the long side opposite border, roll up dough, jelly-roll style; pinch seam to seal. Gently shape the log to even thickness, if necessary.
Repeat the procedure with the remaining dough and remaining cream cheese mixture.
Step 7:
Let cool on the pan for 10 minutes. Remove from pan, and let cool; completely on a wire rack. Spread Cream Cheese Frosting on top, and garnish with purple, green, and gold sparkling sugars. If using Mardi Gras baby, insert it on the bottom of the king cake if using.
CREAM CHEESE FROSTING
Step 1:
In a medium bowl fitted with the paddle attachment, beat cream cheese, milk, vanilla, and salt at medium speed until smooth. Gradually add confectioners’ sugar beating at low speed until smooth.
✅ Quick Tips: Read the recipe in its entirety before you start cooking. This will help you understand the ingredients, steps, and timing involved, and allow you to prepare any necessary equipment or ingredients beforehand.
Servings 6
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily value may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.
Recipe for Nectar Cream King Cake taken from Louisiana Cookin’ Magazine. Recipe for King Cake Dough is taken from Tasting Table.