Louisiana's Mardi Gras: King Cake

Did you know that Mardi Gras is an official state holiday in Louisiana? I'm not kidding. Mardi Gras is a state-sanctioned party. While I'm not a fan of the day's debaucherous reputation, I can get behind any holiday that comes with cake. For Mardi Gras, the state's bakeries churn out sugary sweet king cakes by the thousands. These oval cakes are made with danish dough, braided with cinnamon and lots of sugar and decorated in the colors of Mardi Gras: purple, gold, and green. These days, there are lots of alterations made to the traditional king cake, and they come with all kinds of special fillings, from praline to strawberry cream cheese.

Technically, king cake isn't just associated with Mardi Gras day. It's served throughout the entire carnival season, which begins on Three Kings Day or Epiphany, celebrated January 6. Matthew and I just happened to be in New Orleans on January 6, and Haydel's Bakery, the official bakery of the New Orleans Saints, was kicking off the king cake season. There were lines out the door much of the day. We stopped in for an original cake and a picture by their Mardi Gras Bead Dog. 

Inside each king cake, is a tiny baby charm. Whoever gets the slice of cake with the baby in it has to bring the cake to next year's party, or so the tradition says. These charms were once made of porcelain, but these days are of the plastic variety. I had been thinking that a fun souvenir of our time in Louisiana would be to find an old porcelain king cake charm. Then we went to Haydel's. I didn't realize that each year they create collectible porcelain charms for their king cakes, usually with a theme that relates to the city or the celebration. This year, Haydel's created a three-charm collection commemorating the Saints' Super Bowl win from last year. We wound up with "Pigs Flew."

The others in the series are "Hell Froze Over" and "#1 Super Fan-We Did It!" They'll be including one of these in each king cake order as long as supplies last.

Come visit us during Mardi Gras season (this year, Mardi Gras is March 8) and we'll treat you to king cake and a glass of milk—that helps cut the sweetness. Ooh, they are sweet!