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King Me!
Fantastic Confections a Part of Mardi Gras History
King cakes, those delicious sugared pastries with the tiny plastic baby hidden inside, have become a near universal – and delicious – symbol of Mardi Gras. Tradition dictates that whoever finds the baby is crowned king (or queen) for the day and bakes – or buys – another cake for the next party tomorrow.
The king cake tradition came to New Orleans with French settlers around 1870, continuing a custom dating back to 12th-century France. Similar cakes were used then to celebrate the coming of the three wise men at an event called the feast of Epiphany, Twelfth Night or King's Day. The modern king cake, with the braided shapes and colors, symbolizes the unity of faiths and the three kings, hence the name King Cake.
The traditional king cake is made from twisted strands of cinnamon dough, topped with icing and sprinkled with purple, green and gold colored sugar. The sugars are traditional Mardi Gras colors: Purple represents justice, green represents faith and gold represents power. New Orleans bakeries report selling nearly 5,000 king cakes each day during the Carnival season, and cakes are shipped to destinations worldwide. Some sources put the number of king cakes consumed in New Orleans during the Mardi Gras season at more than 750,000!
The essential ingredient for king cakes doesn't have anything to do with flour, water, sugar or baking powder. It's all about the baby.
Good parties don't stop and end with the food. A rousing game of "Who's Got the Baby?" is guaranteed to liven up any gathering. A take on Old Maid, the card game features lively graphics and a familiar playing style, all without the stuffy old maid! Just ask "Who's Got the Baby?" at the next Mardi Gras party and let the fun begin.
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