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New Orleans locals have varying advice on the specialties that visitors must try in the city’s famous food scene. While there are standout spots for gumbo, beignets, muffalettas, and po’boys, king cake is ubiquitous in January and February. You can order a king cake from the front desk of major hotels like the Sheraton and The Roosevelt, there’s a king cake drive-thru on the outskirts of town, and you’ll see king cake doughnuts, cupcakes, and cocktails in many cafes and bars. This is our guide to trying an authentic cake, without having to preorder and carry a cake that feeds a crowd. After all, you have so much else to eat.
What is king cake?
The king cake tradition began in France and Spain to mark the Epiphany, a Christian holiday paying homage to the Magi visiting baby Jesus and is commemorated with a feast. Today the colorful wreath-shaped cake is a fixture at festivities in New Orleans throughout Carnival season, January 6 (Epiphany or Twelfth Night) through Mardi Gras (Fat Tuesday) on the first Tuesday in March. The classic version is a brioche breakfast Danish layered with cinnamon that tastes much like the cake version of a cinnamon roll. Decorated with icing, frosting, glaze, and/or sprinkles, the typical trio of colors includes royal purple, gold, and green, which have represented justice, power, and faith since 1982.
Why are there babies in king cakes?
Part of the king cake lore is the notion that whoever finds a trinket hiding in their piece or slice, hosts the next Carnival party and buys the next king cake. The lucky trinket started as a bean, nut, or coin, and is often a miniature baby to represent the birth of Jesus.
“The elements of a traditional king cake are cinnamon and nutmeg in the dough, then you have your citrus zest inside,” Brennan’s Bakery Chef Drew Pope told Food & Wine. Pope — who was wearing king cake earrings and revealed a king cake tattoo on his arm when we met — has been making king cakes for 20 years and invited Food & Wine to see how the dough is filled, shaped, and topped for the restaurant group that produces 500 a day during Carnival season. That’s about 30,000 king cakes a year, distributed to 30 destinations, from coffee shops to grocery stores, and shipped nationwide.
Brennan’s is among the many local bakeries that have made and shipped king cakes for decades. Here are some of the newer pastry destinations in popular New Orleans neighborhoods, where you can simply try a slice.
Ayu Bakehouse
Courtesy of James Collier for Paprika Studios
Be warned that Ayu Bakehouse’s pastry case can be a complete distraction from king cakes, with crave-inducing cookies and eye-popping egg sandwiches. The Croissant City Classic King Cake is flaky with layers of croissant, cinnamon, and cream cheese, and texture from traditionally colored sugar sprinkles (purple, gold, and green). Co-founders Kelly Jacques and Samantha Weiss also offer a chocolate babka king cake and The Queen Bee, a limited-edition version made with burnt honey cream and candied local citrus. The first two are garnished with a handmade gum paste golden bean, the latter with a marzipan bee. Slices are $6, and full cakes range from $36 to $45.
Sucré
Courtesy of Sucré Sweet Boutique
Everything in Sucré is pretty, from the sparkly, pastel pastries to the interior design. The dense brioche king cake has softer colors and gold edible glitter, with a subtle whipped cream cheese filling. Enjoy a slice for $7.50 at one of the four New Orleans locations, which have plenty of room to dine-in or pastel pink boxes to takeaway. (Preorder full king cakes for $35.)
Brennan’s
Courtesy of Ralph Brennan Restaurant Group
The nearly 80-year-old Brennan’s is offering four flavors this season: Almond, Bananas Foster, Pink Parade Strawberry Cream Cheese, and of course, traditionally flavored with a cinnamon filling and sweet icing. The full cake boxes come with Mardi Gras beads and a baby, and you can sample mini versions of the traditional king cake, complete with a cute gold baby trinket, at Café NOMA in the New Orleans Museum of Art for $9.
Willa Jean
Courtesy of Randy Schmidt
One of the city's most popular modern bakeries, Willa Jean has another stunning pastry case and worthy savory options on the menu. The traditional cinnamon king cake is particularly creamy and sweet with caramel and a cream cheese glaze, with texture from sugar sprinkles and white chocolate pearls on top. The slice serving easily feeds two for $8.
Bearcat Baked
Food & Wine / Ashley Day
Baker Catalina (Cat) Colby-Pariseau gets creative here with a more flower-shaped cake that has almond and orange marmalade inside and a white chocolate cream cheese glaze. Garnished with shaved almond, pearl sugars, and a candied orange slice, it’s dressed to order and comes with a tiny cat in place of the usual baby. Order a slice from the Bearcat Baked pastry case for only $3.50 (full cake is $35).
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