It’s Time to Order Your Mardi Gras King Cake

Feb 26, 2025 0

Long live the doughy, sprinkle-laden festival cake of kings

Mardi Gras kicks off next Tuesday, which means it’s time to dig out your beaded necklaces, shed the downer of shrovetide, and eat some sprinkle-heavy, cream-filled king cake. The pastry is initially served on January 6 to usher in Epiphany, but remains popular throughout the Carnival season; as Dana Hatic and Hillary Dixler Canavan explain in this Eater article about the cake’s history, “Most Americans are likely familiar with Louisiana-style king cakes that consist of a cake-y bread dough twisted into a ring and decorated with colored icing and sprinkles. Variants can be made from cake batter or bread dough or pastry, but almost all versions are shaped into a circle or oval to mimic the appearance of a king’s crown.” Traditionally, there is also a little porcelain or plastic baby hidden inside of the cake (because, baby Jesus!) and whoever uncovers him in their slice is crowned the king.

There are variations of Epiphany or king cakes from around the world, and similar pastries abound in Portugal and Greece to ring in the New Year. In Spain, Roscón de Reyes — a doughnut-shaped sweet bread that is filled with cream and topped with candied fruit — is served to celebrate el día de los Reyes Magos, the three kings. The French galette des rois, which translates to ‘kings’ cake,’ is one of my personal favorites thanks to its dense, frangipane-filled center and flaky puff pastry dough.

Mardi Gras festival attendees will, of course, clock one of the more colorful iterations of the cake, which bears a closer resemblance to the Spanish version, but is topped with purple, green, and yellow sprinkles and icing. Luckily, you also don’t have to make it to Bayou Country to get in on the splendor, because there are plenty of bakeries on Goldbelly that will ship their king cakes to your front door — often, with beads included.