Dessert tradition adds sweetness to Mardi Gras

THE LADY WHO LUNCHES

King cake, how do I love thee? Let me count the ways. With Valentine’s Day and Mardi Gras fast approaching, it seems like the perfect time to celebrate how many ways we can enjoy this seasonal treat! From Epiphany to the Fat Tuesday before Lent, we eagerly share these delicacies at nearly every occasion. Sampling each, we query everyone, eager to discuss favorites.

It was surprising to this sweet-aholic to find that the favorite king cake nearest to the heart of many south Louisiana friends is a much simpler fare than the filled confections I anticipate. The traditional favorite is a yeasty cake redolent of fresh-baked bread dusted with cinnamon, rich and delicately flavored, but less sweet than many iced and filled versions.

Although some traditional cakes have a thick, coffee cake-like consistency, my favorite is made from dough that has been lightly flattened then rolled up into a single log creating many thin layers within the coil. To get the twist, the ends of these logs are flipped until they meet, forming a circle.

For those that have a sweet tooth, some recipes add dustings of seasonings or fillings prior to rolling up the dough, and others pipe filling in after the cake is baked. Both plain and filled king cakes are usually glazed and sprinkled with a colorful combination of purple, gold and green sugar representing justice, power and faith.

A word of caution before you serve it: Make sure you know whether or not your king cake contains a token or plastic baby to represent the Christ Child already hidden inside. The funniest not-funny Mardi Gras story I have heard was from my beau, a Pennsylvania transplant. He was innocently enjoying his first piece of king cake when without warning he bit into something hard. To his horror, it was a hard, plastic, naked baby. It was hard to tell if he was more shocked that an inedible choking hazard was purposely hidden in the food, or that no one was disturbed that it is a toy naked baby.

Lilah’s Bakery on Centenary Boulevard rates quite high with those seeking traditional king cakes. In addition, there’s a list of flavors like strawberry, maple bacon and German chocolate, where you’ll also find gluten-free and eggless varieties. With 15 locations across the region selling Lilah’s King Cakes, you may not have to go far to try them yourself.

Next to the cases of Caramel Risqué cheesecakes, eclairs, cheese tarts and cookies at Julie Anne’s Bakery & Café on Kings Highway, you will find shelves of colorful king cakes waiting for delivery. These white- or chocolateiced delights, plump with a variety of fillings like chocolate-covered strawberry and Zulu, rate each year as one of the top king cakes in the Shreveport-Bossier area.

My happiest surprise this season has been mini-king cake-style donuts from the Orbitz food truck that was set up near the Norsworthy Gallery on Texas Street during the Shreveport Downtown Artwalk. I wish I could have photographed the delectable, fresh-baked scent that beckoned participants down the sidewalk like a circus ringmaster shouting, “Step right up.” While ice cream and yummy hot sandwiches were available, the iced and sugarsprinkled little donuts were consumed by the dozen, the bucket and the bag.

Which brings us to my personal favorite king cake from Southern Maid Donuts. It is understandable really, considering I grew up with Sunday mornings and office meetings serving up this boxed fresh and hot at 4 p.m., Southern Maid tradition.

Their king cake is a large, fluffy, pull-apart delight generously piped with your favorite choice or combination of fillings. I confess to looking closely at all the visible cream to see where dollops of chocolate and Bavarian cream filling might meet in one perfectly scrumptious slice.

My new king cake bucket list item (doesn’t everyone have one?) is the Cream Cheese Doberge King Cake that showed up on my Facebook newsfeed in all its multi-layer, sugar-sprinkled glory. The image was from Bakery & Bar on Annunciation Street in New Orleans. Yes, they serve cake and cocktails. It showed eight cake layers separated by eight equal pudding layers all covered in sugar-sprinkled fondant. As if we need an excuse for a NOLA road trip, this is a definite must try.

The vanilla-cinnamon king cake flavors have even shown up in our favorite beverages, coffee, martinis and cocktails all over town. You practically hear a cheer go up when Tony’s Liquor on Line Avenue mixes up their first batch of king cake frozen daiquiris for the season.

My next stop this weekend is for the January Flavor of the Month – King Cake Daiquiri at Alky Therapy. The frozen concoction of vodka, amaretto and King Cake Vodka 190 comes with a fanciful accompaniment of fleur-delis, king cake and plastic baby garnish.

Most every event of any size until Ash Wednesday will likely have a slice of king cake for you to try. If your favorite coffee shop does not have king cake, coffee, a dollop of vanilla and caramel with a dash of cinnamon and a sugared rim should do the trick. There is no telling where you will find king cake next, so keep your eyes open and your taste buds ready. Enjoy!

Lynn Laird is a writer, fine artist and self-professed bon vivant living in Bossier. With her “Flair for Cooking” blog, she seeks out interesting ingredients and techniques to help make everyday meals just a touch more fabulous. She can reached at flairforcooking@gmail.com.