For the past couple of years, I have tried my hand at making King Cake for Carnival, sans small plastic baby. Leading up to Mardi Gras (aka Fat Tuesday) and the beginning of Lent (Ash Wednesday) most look at this time as a great reason to party, and me who was not raised Catholic thought that was exactly what it was all about. It wasn’t until my freshman year in college that I was introduced to all of the specifics of Mardi Gras and New Orleans. My roommate, also a Jennifer, was from NOLA, raised Catholic, went to an all girl’s Catholic school, got the diploma. Her family would send a King Cake, and boy was my world turned on end by this sweet, cream-filled pastry!
I didn’t know about the symbolism of any of it! The fact that the cake is oval, to show the unity of faiths. That there are specific colors that are used for Mardi Gras, green represents faith, gold for power and purple for justice. By the way, the “baby” represents baby Jesus, sometimes it is substituted by a bean, but the person who has the piece with it is responsible to buy the following year’s cake or throw the party. It has been many years since that initial tasting, but I will never forget the excitement of hoping to be the one who had the baby in their piece of King Cake, even though I had no clue about how I would supply a King Cake then.
Carnival has begun in many parts of the globe, mostly in places with high concentrations of those who follow the Catholic faith. In New Orleans, the first parades began this past Monday (1/6/2020) and will continue until Fat Tuesday with Mardi Gras on February 25th. At the restaurant, I have already been asked when I would be making King Cake. So, starting the week of January 20th I will make a King Cake each week until Mardi Gras, that’s SIX weeks of King Cake! Now, I do not do some of the over-the-top flavors that I’ve seen online by the long-standing King Cake aficionados in Louisiana, my traditional citrus-infused seems to have filled the void here in Greenville, SC, for now. If you need a King Cake for work, or your own Mardi Gras party let me know, I will be happy to make one for you. I will ask that you give me a few days notice since I am making other cakes to have at The Bo, and who knows maybe tons of other King Cakes!
Happy Carnival to you all out there! We hope to see you at the Bach Association event on Monday, January 13th at The Bo, unless of course, you are watching either set of Tigers playing their ♥s out for the national football championship, then GO TIGERS!
