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The Tradition Of The King Cake

Janelle Cabuco |
March 4, 2014 | 2:57 p.m. PST

Associate Food Editor

There is no such thing as too much King Cake (@BourbonHouse / Twitter).
There is no such thing as too much King Cake (@BourbonHouse / Twitter).
Throw a party; eat some junk food; invite some friends over. Fat Tuesday is upon us, and today is the last day to throw one last hurrah before Ash Wednesday.

Mardi Gras begins on Jan. 6 of each year, otherwise known as Kings Day, and ends on Fat Tuesday, the day before Lent begins. A popular custom of New Orleans tradition is to bake what is called a King Cake in honor of the three kings who came bearing gifts for Jesus.  

Kings Day is the day when the three kings supposedly arrived at Jesus’ manger, which is another explanation for the name “King Cake.” Traditionally, King Cakes are only available during King Cake season, which is any time from Kings Day to Fat Tuesday, but nowadays one can purchase a King Cake any time of the year. 

Placed inside every cake is a very tiny baby, about one inch long; the baby is often made of plastic, but sometimes the baby is made of materials such as porcelain or gold. The person who takes a bite of their cake slice to only find the baby in it is crowned king or queen of the party, and is rewarded by having to host the next King Cake party. According to custom, the person who finds the baby in their King Cake slice will be brought good luck

King Cakes are often round or oval shaped, much like a crown, and are decorated in the colors of Mardi Gras: purple to represent justice, gold to represent power, and green to represent faith. These colors were chosen to represent a jeweled crown honoring the three kings. 

Traditionally, King Cakes were made from braided strands of cinnamon dough, and were covered with Mardi Gras colored sugar. They were basically simple rings of dough with very little decoration. However, as of late, people have begun to bake King Cakes with a variety of different shapes, colors, stuffings and toppings. 

Impress your friends and family by baking your own King Cake to bring to tonight’s party. 

Reach Associate Food Editor Janelle Cabuco here.



 

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