King Cake is a bread-like type of cake eaten during Mardi Gras, which means Fat Tuesday in French. Mardi Gras is held right before the start of the period of lent that leads up to Easter. Many Christians give up something during lent, often sweets, so Mardi Gras is the time to have some good cake. That’s a good idea whether you celebrate Easter or not.
A King Cake is made from a soft dough that is filled with cinnamon sugar, decorated with sweet icing and covered in sprinkles of purple, green and gold, the traditional Mardi Gras colors.
The King Cake typically also has a plastic tiny baby baked into the cake to symbolize baby Jesus. It said that whoever gets the baby in their piece of cake is king or queen for the day and has to bring the King Cake for next time. If you want to make a King Cake here are some tips:
- For extra flavor add lemon and/or orange zest into the dough.
- If desired, walnuts or cream cheese can be added to the filling.
- Unless you have a revenge plot, make sure the tiny plastic baby is food safe. An alternative to the plastic baby is to use a large bean, like a fava bean.
- Make sure the baby is not too small. Trust me. Check before you eat.
