Here I am, I have been raving about king cakes, pointing my little scepter and saying, "Good, bad, not so good, not so bad" when it occurred to me that some of you are not really clear as to what a king cake is.
Like many Christian traditions, it is one that has roots in pagan tradition but has been changed over time.
Of course, that could lead me down another road entirely. I find it irritating when people say that other people stole someone else's tradition. I mean, pretty much the Romans stole their mythology from the Greeks, but no one ever says that. They just accept that there's a Greek name and a Roman name. And of course, there's always the emperor Constantine, who became a Christian, but who had been a pagan for most of his life. And they expected him to just throw out a lifetime of traditions in two seconds? Yeah, YOU try doing that. But anyhow...
The pagan ritual that this is very loosely based on has to do with ancient traditions. A young man was selected to be a king for the day. They would bake a cake and put either a bean or a coin in it. The lucky fellow who happened on it was feted and honored for exactly one day, then he was sacrificed. Of course, it goes without saying that this fellow was more than likely not of a royal class, and more than likely a slave. Sacrifice for the good of the harvest may have been preferable to the life he currently lived. Maybe his family even got a little bonus -- who knows?
However, human sacrifice was frowned upon in the Christian church. So their king for the day became a spiritual king. Not Jesus, one of the Magi, the three Kings who visited Jesus. Since Jesus' birthday was Christmas, they estimated that the kings came to visit 12 days after his birth, on or around January 6, or Twelfth Night. They re-created the king cake scenario, except that this time the king got to live, and they celebrated a new king and his court every week until Ash Wednesday. The Twelfth Night Revelers in 1870 were the first to also choose a queen. It would be 80 years before the first krewe was actually formed, but this was the definite beginning of a new era in the celebration of Mardi Gras.
Showing posts with label king cake. Show all posts
Showing posts with label king cake. Show all posts
Friday, January 25, 2008
Thursday, January 24, 2008
Adventures in King Cake: Keller's
Today's king cake was another familiar favorite: Keller's. I have heard some people criticize its lack of authenticity, but I think they are applying their standards incorrectly.
Keller's is a family-owned bakery that has been open in the Lafayette area since the 1890's. This is a long tradition of providing delicious pastries. My personal opinion is that people who do not like Keller's king cake are merely used to a different kind of king cake. Its authenticity is indisputable: the recipe is most definitely a brioche, not a cinnamon roll, bread, or doughnut. Everything on it is delicately applied: a creamy, but not overly sweet filling, a thin glaze that pours on just right, and some festively colored candy sprinkles.
Every cake comes with a paper outlining the history of the king cake, a few Mardi Gras beads to start off your season, and of course, the traditional baby.
So if it is an authentic king cake you want, you will find a very tasty one here, at a pretty good price (unless you want it shipped -- then oy vey!).
Keller's is a family-owned bakery that has been open in the Lafayette area since the 1890's. This is a long tradition of providing delicious pastries. My personal opinion is that people who do not like Keller's king cake are merely used to a different kind of king cake. Its authenticity is indisputable: the recipe is most definitely a brioche, not a cinnamon roll, bread, or doughnut. Everything on it is delicately applied: a creamy, but not overly sweet filling, a thin glaze that pours on just right, and some festively colored candy sprinkles.
Every cake comes with a paper outlining the history of the king cake, a few Mardi Gras beads to start off your season, and of course, the traditional baby.
So if it is an authentic king cake you want, you will find a very tasty one here, at a pretty good price (unless you want it shipped -- then oy vey!).
Monday, January 21, 2008
Adventures in King Cake: Meche's Donuts
Before I start this post about the latest king cake, I feel the need to rant. I may lose friends over this, but it has to be said.
Meche's Donut King has produced a good solid doughnut for several years now in the Acadiana area. They taste good hot first thing in the morning, and they taste good late in the afternoon after they've been sitting out, long past when the coffee has gotten cold.
A few years ago, the KKK (Krispy Kreme Kompany) tried to move into this area and pass off the product they sell as a doughnut. I had eaten Krispy Kreme in the local stores and found their doughnuts to taste like brown paper with a sugar glaze. I heard that they had to be eaten hot to be properly appreciated. When they set up a store in Lafayette, I finally got that chance.
A hot Krispy Kreme doughnut tastes like a cotton ball with a sugar glaze on it. There, I said it.
Anyhow, there was really no reason for me to taste-test Meche's king cake other than my oldest son really, really loves it.
And who wouldn't? The fillings are yummy and pleasing on the tongue. Their fruit fillings are made with real fruit. The presentation of the glaze is totally Mardi Gras: bright colors with a little package of beads and the history of the king cake.
It's a doughnot, true, not a brioche, so it gets few points for authenticity. But they excel at making a "king cake" by adapting what they do best. At $15 for a small, it also feeds a lot of people.
Meche's Donut King has produced a good solid doughnut for several years now in the Acadiana area. They taste good hot first thing in the morning, and they taste good late in the afternoon after they've been sitting out, long past when the coffee has gotten cold.
A few years ago, the KKK (Krispy Kreme Kompany) tried to move into this area and pass off the product they sell as a doughnut. I had eaten Krispy Kreme in the local stores and found their doughnuts to taste like brown paper with a sugar glaze. I heard that they had to be eaten hot to be properly appreciated. When they set up a store in Lafayette, I finally got that chance.
A hot Krispy Kreme doughnut tastes like a cotton ball with a sugar glaze on it. There, I said it.
Anyhow, there was really no reason for me to taste-test Meche's king cake other than my oldest son really, really loves it.
And who wouldn't? The fillings are yummy and pleasing on the tongue. Their fruit fillings are made with real fruit. The presentation of the glaze is totally Mardi Gras: bright colors with a little package of beads and the history of the king cake.
It's a doughnot, true, not a brioche, so it gets few points for authenticity. But they excel at making a "king cake" by adapting what they do best. At $15 for a small, it also feeds a lot of people.
Adventures in King Cake: Wal-Mart
My latest venture into the world of king cake turned out to be a good one.
I picked the strawberry cream cheese mix from Wal-Mart and it turned out to be a good choice. Neither the filling nor the cake are overly sweet, and it has just enough glaze to sweeten it, not overpower it.
It came with a small package containing some Mardi Gras beads, the baby, and a small plastic crown. This was a good add to the presentation, which was a little bit lacking. While the colors of the yellow and green were bright and Mardi-Gras-y, the purple was too pale, a little pink, even. It gave the cake a faded look, like it was day-old.
At a little under $6, it was a good pick.
I picked the strawberry cream cheese mix from Wal-Mart and it turned out to be a good choice. Neither the filling nor the cake are overly sweet, and it has just enough glaze to sweeten it, not overpower it.
It came with a small package containing some Mardi Gras beads, the baby, and a small plastic crown. This was a good add to the presentation, which was a little bit lacking. While the colors of the yellow and green were bright and Mardi-Gras-y, the purple was too pale, a little pink, even. It gave the cake a faded look, like it was day-old.
At a little under $6, it was a good pick.
Thursday, January 17, 2008
Adventures in King Cake: Great Harvest Bread
Today I got back in the saddle of King Cakes again. A co-worker brought one in from Great Harvest Breads. I admit to being a little skeptical at first: a whole wheat king cake? Hmmmm....
Unlike my skepticism over Winn-Dixie's king cake, however, my skepticism this time around turned out to be unfounded. The cake itself gets no points for authenticity. It is unmistakably wheat bread. The whole wheat gives it a faint nutty flavor, and there is a light sprinkling of cinnamon and brown sugar throughout that enhances the natural flavors rather than overpowering them with sugar. It is beautifully decorated with interlaced swirls of purple, green, and gold glaze, with a cinnamon-brown-sugar-pecan crunch liberally sprinkled on top for good measure.
So while I can't promise you that there aren't any calories in this king cake, or that it is authentic, I will say that it is a tasty, more healthful alternative to some of the sugar-laden cakes floating around Lafayette. I would definitely give it two thumbs up.
Unlike my skepticism over Winn-Dixie's king cake, however, my skepticism this time around turned out to be unfounded. The cake itself gets no points for authenticity. It is unmistakably wheat bread. The whole wheat gives it a faint nutty flavor, and there is a light sprinkling of cinnamon and brown sugar throughout that enhances the natural flavors rather than overpowering them with sugar. It is beautifully decorated with interlaced swirls of purple, green, and gold glaze, with a cinnamon-brown-sugar-pecan crunch liberally sprinkled on top for good measure.
So while I can't promise you that there aren't any calories in this king cake, or that it is authentic, I will say that it is a tasty, more healthful alternative to some of the sugar-laden cakes floating around Lafayette. I would definitely give it two thumbs up.
Tuesday, January 15, 2008
Adventures in King Cake: Winn-Dixie
This weekend, we tried the Winn-Dixie King Cake. I was a little skeptical, as it came in one of those clear, plastic containers that they usually reserve for day-old pastries.
As it turns out, I was right to be skeptical. Although it wasn't as sweet as the Albertson's cake, which was the only thing I liked about it, it was also dry. Dry does not complement lack of sweetness. In fact, it was rather off-putting and I could not finish it.
Even though the Albertson's cake had just a tad too much of frosting and sugar, I found that the W-D cake swung too far in the opposite direction. The frosting and sugar were little more than a delicate drizzle over the top, which was neither attractive, nor added too much in the way of flavor.
At $8, it's not a bad cake, but I'd make the drive to Albertson's ANYDAY. The difference in price will pay for the extra gas.
As it turns out, I was right to be skeptical. Although it wasn't as sweet as the Albertson's cake, which was the only thing I liked about it, it was also dry. Dry does not complement lack of sweetness. In fact, it was rather off-putting and I could not finish it.
Even though the Albertson's cake had just a tad too much of frosting and sugar, I found that the W-D cake swung too far in the opposite direction. The frosting and sugar were little more than a delicate drizzle over the top, which was neither attractive, nor added too much in the way of flavor.
At $8, it's not a bad cake, but I'd make the drive to Albertson's ANYDAY. The difference in price will pay for the extra gas.
Thursday, January 10, 2008
Mardi Gras: King Cake Review: Albertson's
I have decided that this year we are going to eat our way through Ad-Lent: my name for the time between now and Ash Wednesday. And what better thing to eat than King Cake?
I started off this season with a grocery-chain king cake: Strawberry Cream Cheese from Albertson's. This one was a definite hit and is almost gone in less than two days.
The cake itself is like a cinnamon roll. It has then been stuffed with both a strawberry filling and a cream cheese filling. Some parts of the king cake have only one filling or the other, and some parts have a mixture of the two. My youngest son gives thumbs up to both fillings.
Albertson's cake has been glazed with a thick, white concoction. The top is decorated with colored granulated sugar in the traditional Mardi Gras colors: purple, gold, and green. They include a small plastic baby for you to insert.
It might not win any awards for authenticity; technically, a king cake is supposed to be more closely related to a brioche. But for $5, it's a pretty darned good imitation and the presentation is fabulous.
I started off this season with a grocery-chain king cake: Strawberry Cream Cheese from Albertson's. This one was a definite hit and is almost gone in less than two days.
The cake itself is like a cinnamon roll. It has then been stuffed with both a strawberry filling and a cream cheese filling. Some parts of the king cake have only one filling or the other, and some parts have a mixture of the two. My youngest son gives thumbs up to both fillings.
Albertson's cake has been glazed with a thick, white concoction. The top is decorated with colored granulated sugar in the traditional Mardi Gras colors: purple, gold, and green. They include a small plastic baby for you to insert.
It might not win any awards for authenticity; technically, a king cake is supposed to be more closely related to a brioche. But for $5, it's a pretty darned good imitation and the presentation is fabulous.
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