King Cakes

by

Hello everyone, Winnie Griggs here.

February is one of my favorite months of the year. Not only does its calendar contain the most romantic of all holidays, Valentine’s Day, down here in Louisiana it is also Mardi Gras season.

And along with parades, beads and revelry, Mardi Gras season also brings with it King Cake season. I LOVE king cakes it’s one of my favorite treats. If you’ve never had one before, let me tell you a little about them. And if you’ve never had a king cake before, or don’t know the significance of this confection, let me share a little bit about their history.

No one knows the exact origin of the king cake but there are a number of theories. The most popular is that the tradition originated in 12th century France. This origin story states that a special cake was prepared for the feast of the Epiphany, a Christian holiday which commemorates the visit of the three wise men to baby Jesus. The cake, called the Gateau des Rois, or “Cake of Kings” was made of a sweet pastry dough and shaped like a crown. It was filled with fruit and topped with cream.

The tradition of the king cake spread to other countries in Europe, including Spain and Portugal. In both countries, the cake was additionally decorated with a figurine meant to represent the baby Jesus. The king cake eventually made its way to the United States in the late 1700s, travelling with settlers to the New Orleans area. The cakes eventually expanded from a component of Epiphany commemorations to also become a tasty part of Mardi Gras celebrations.

Another tradition surrounding king cakes is in regards to the “baby” that’s inserted inside – the person who finds it in their slice of cake is said to have good luck for the following year and be king or queen for the day. They are also supposed to host the next celebration featuring a king cake.

As I said, I really love a good king cake.  Today they come in many more flavors than the traditional cinnamon. Among the most popular are cream cheese, pecan, chocolate, or fruits such as apples, cherries and various berries. Recently I’ve even heard of savory versions such as sausage, crawfish, and even a taco king cake. But my absolute favorite is strawberry cream cheese. Which my family knows so when we had a family gathering this weekend that’s what one of them brought for dessert. I would have taken a picture for this post but unfortunately I didn’t think about it until this was the only piece left (and even that didn’t last much longer).

If you are interested in making a king cake of your own, here’s the link to a recipe that promises to be quick and easy.

 

And because February is also the month my birthday falls in I’ll be giving away several copies of my books, the winners to be selected from among those who comment on this post.

62 thoughts on “King Cakes”

    • Rhonda, it rally depends on where in the state you live, though it is becoming more and more common throughout. I grew up right across the river from New Orleans and still have family in the area so Mardi Gras and it’s traditions are in my blood.

  3. Happy Birthday !

    I went to a Mardi Gras party many years ago and had King Cake for the first time. I had the slice with the baby Jesus.

    I’ve never made the cake, nor did I host a party.

    I did once make a mock cake which had the flavors of the cake,but made in a 9×13 pan. Not the same, I know.

    I have a recipe from someone in Louisiana to make a real King Cake.

    I usually make jambalaya and fasnachts for Mardi Gras.

  6. I’ve never have eaten a king cake and also never been to Louisiana. The recipe sounds easy to make. Perhaps I will try it sometime. Happy birthday whenever your birthday is. I too also have a birthday in February.

  7. Good morning, Winnie! I really wish I’d known about the King Cake-with-the-baby-inside tradition when my girls were little. They would’ve LOVED it!

    What makes the cake purple – is it the purple glaze and purple sugar sort of melted in while the cake was hot?

  13. I have had a piece of this before is was like a cinnamon layered cake to me – thanks for the information – I have been to New Orleans after the Mardi gras!

  14. I don’t remember hearing about King cake, but I would love to try it. It sounds like something I would love.

  15. Winnie, Happy Birthday and thank you for the history of the King cake. It sounds as if some of the versions are truly delicious, but I think I will pass on crawfish as well as taco. I have never been in N.O. during the Mardi Gras, however, my husband and I made a fairly quick trip through when we were traveling from one job to another once. I wish we had take a bit more time to see the Bourbon Street area. It is beautiful with all the black wrought iron balconies. As also, I love the beauty of the old mansions there. Hope you have a wonderful day for your birthday.

  16. Gosh, hi! I’ve never had King Cake and this post makes me so excited to try out the recipe! Also, it’s my birthday later in February too—I’m turning 22. I will definitely be having the cake for my day. Also, this is so unrelated to the post, but I just finished your Texas Grooms book series today and I’m so shocked that you posted today too? I think that’s a very sweet coincidence. Thank you so much for your beautiful books, they make me feel like I’m in the clouds

    • Oh wow, thanks so much for those kind words about the Texas Grooms series – it was a lot of fun to write. And happy birthday – the seems to a lot of us in the Aquarius club 🙂

  20. I love traditions…especially, when there are tasty foods surrounding them!
    I never had a King Cake, but I have read many stories that include them.
    I hope that one day, i will get to actually taste one.

  21. welcome today. thanks for sharing the history of king cakes. I have heard of them but never had the privilege of trying them. thanks for sharing the recipe. this sounds like a fun cake to make.

  22. This sounds so good, I may have to try it. My daughter’s birthday was the on Groundhog’s Day and mine is in six days so Happy Birthday from another Aquarius who is also an aquarist. lol

  23. Happy and blessed birthday, Winnie! I had never heard of king cakes until now. I would prefer the cinnamon or chocolate version. Now to check out the recipe!

  24. Happy Valentine’s Day and also Happy Birthday to you too. I have never heard of King Cake, but it sounds good. Thanks for the recipe.

  25. I love king cake! I’ve only ever had the traditional. Strawberry cream cheese sounds great!

    One year we missed king cake season, we were out of town or something, and we went to the bakery in our grocery store and talked to the bakers, and they gave us three huge bags of the colored sugar so we could make our own!

    Happy Birthday!

  26. Happy birthday! Happy Valentine’s Day! Happy Mardi Gras. Enjoy your month. Thank you so much for sharing. God bless you.

  27. We have had King Cake. The first time when we went to New Orleans the first time, we brought one back to share with our family the second time, and I made one from a mix I brought back after our third trip. I didn’t realize they are now making them in such a variety of flavors. I want to go to New Orleans again and will try to find these other flavors. Are they available other times of the year than around Mardi Gras? The first time we went down it was the weekend after Mardi Gras. It was St. Patrick’s Day and the parades, floats, and parties were still pretty wild.
    I hope you have/had an enjoyable birthday and have a wonderful New Year.

  28. Sounds like you’re practically a native :). I think thre are some places where you can special order them after Mardi Gras but I don’t know of any places where you can just walk in and get one.

  30. I love king cakes! Some of my favorite fillings have been bavarian cream, cream cheese, and chocolate. I have never tried making one. It looks so intimidating to make.

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