If you’re familiar with Mardi Gras then you’ve probably heard of or tried King Cake. A King Cake is a sweet, circular pastry or cake that’s the focal point of a historically Catholic celebration known as Epiphany, that falls on January 6th.
Epiphany, or Twelfth Night, marks the amount of time it took after the birth of Jesus for the wise men to travel to Bethlehem for the Epiphany when they recognized Jesus as the son of God. The plastic figurine of a baby in the cakes is a nod to this story.
In New Orleans, King Cake and Epiphany are often associated together. And while there’s a long history of hiding trinkets inside king cakes, the modern tradition of the plastic baby started in New Orleans.
The trinket inside the King Cake is an essential part of the celebration. Whomever finds the plastic baby in their piece of cake gets to be the ‘King’ for the day as the baby symbolizes luck and prosperity to whomever finds it. That person is also responsible for bringing next year’s cake or hosting the next Mardi Gras party.
The cake’s oval shape and festive colors make it easily identifiable. The colors, gold, purple, and green are symbolic as gold represents power, purple represents justice, and green represents faith.
King Cakes are popular throughout the Carnival season which spans from Epiphany to Fat Tuesday, that falls the day before Ash Wednesday and the start of Lent, where many people refrain from treats, like cake.
To partake in this tradition, you can order a King Cake right to your door from New Orleans bakeries, like Gambino’s via Goldbelly, or make your own King Cake at home with these recipes.
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