The traditional King Cake is a ring of rich pastry, similar to brioche or Danish pastry, which is filled with a rich filling, like cream cheese, marzipan or a buttery cinnamon mixture. The cake is frosted with brightly colored icing: purple to represent justice, green to represent faith, and gold to represent power. King Cakes are served some time between Epiphany and Shrove Tuesday or Mardi Gras and can be eaten with breakfast or as a dessert.
The tradition of the King Cake originated in Europe and was brought to New Orleans by French and Spanish settlers. Before Christianity was prevalent in Europe, some say that the cakes had been staples of tribal celebrations. Once Christianity became popular, the cakes became a tradition of the Epiphany celebration, where a small trinket or bean was hidden in the cake to be revealed as the cake was eaten, paralleling the revelation of Jesus to Christians. The original cakes did not have the same colorful, braided look as today's cakes, but were more like sweet-filled pies.
Today, the cake is a hugely popular part of Mardi Gras celebrations. The tradition of hiding a trinket is still fairly common, but the Mardi Gras significance is simple to become the "king" of the party and does not usually have the same religious significance as the original cakes. The party-goer who finds the trinket might be obligated to supply the cake at the next year's celebration, but chances are that they will just be toasted and handed another drink. Most people buy King Cakes, but if you want to try your hand at one, Southern Living has a good recipe.
[Photo by Nicole Weston]
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