What is as sweet as sugar, purple, gold and green all over and has a baby inside? A king cake! A king cake is a cake fit for a king. In my family, it is a cake fit for Kings and Woods. My family, which includes Jean and me, as well as our daughter, whose last name now is Wood, has enjoyed those sweet, delicious treats around this time of year for more years than I can count.
Jean and I first discovered king cakes in the late 70s, when we moved to New Orleans. Some of my seminary classmates invited us to a king cake party at their apartment. I felt so honored that they would host a party with a cake named after us. As it turned out, it had nothing to do with our last name, but they had bought a cake to celebrate “the” King. No, not Elvis, but Jesus. They served each of us a piece and said, “Now, whoever gets the baby has to buy the next cake and host the next party.” I don’t remember who got the prize, but inside every king cake is a small plastic baby. Last week I got the baby and almost swallowed it before I realized it was in my mouth! The baby represents baby Jesus.
Our daughter was born in New Orleans. For the past several years, she has returned there around Mardi Gras season and always brings back goodies. Those usually include pralines, beignets and several king cakes. I’m in sugar overdose for the next few days. It doesn’t last long because the treats don’t stick around our house for long.
In case you’ve never had one, a king cake is a wreath-shaped cake. It is actually more like a pastry than a cake. It is frosted with melted powdered sugar and then covered in the official Mardi Gras colors of gold, green and purple, in an alternating pattern. I’m told the gold represents power, green faith and purple justice or majesty. Modern-day king cakes may have a filling of cream cheese and/or a fruit-flavored cream. My daughter brought me my favorite last week, which has cream cheese and lemon-cream filling inside. I would offer you a piece, if I still had some!
I’m sorry to disappoint, but the cake did not originate in New Orleans or Louisianna. It began in France, and since Louisianna was settled by the French, they brought their traditions with them, including the king cake. The surprise inside was usually a trinket or charm.
The cake is associated with the Catholic celebration of Epiphany. It commemorates the story of the three wise men visiting the baby Jesus. The Bible doesn’t actually say there were three of them, but it does say they brought three gifts, so we assume there were three. The three colors may represent the three gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh. The first American king cakes simply had a bean inside, instead of a baby. Donald Entringer, who owned McKenzie’s Pastry Shoppes, is credited with starting the plastic baby tradition. In the 1940s, he was asked by a carnival krewe, in New Orleans, to produce king cakes with a prize inside. He came across a large number of plastic babies, gained permission from the health department to add them to his cakes and the rest is history.
I have certainly enjoyed my share of the sweet treats known as king cakes for many years now. Whatever the original prize inside was, or what it was meant to represent, I’m thankful for the reminder of the sweet baby Jesus!
Bill King can be reached at bkpreach@yahoo.com or 334-728-5514 (office).
