By Elodie Provosty
Photo by Elodie Provosty
King cake is something New Orleanians pride themselves on during Mardi Gras season, from the brioche dough and the creamy icing to the design of the sprinkles on top. But whose king cake is the best?
Everyone, of course, has different tastes and preferences. In my personal experience, I prefer Haydel’s Bakery for my king cake because it gives the perfect ratio of fondant icing to brioche bread where you can taste both in every bite. But I wanted to get a more varied perspective on it, so I asked other Willow students–which king cake is the best?
“The one in front of me” chuckled Rogan Schenck, Willow junior.
“I like Hi-Do Bakery the best,” said Willow sophomore My-Anh Holmes, “because they have king cakes without icing, and I don’t like the icing very much.”
Another popular king cake is from Dong Phuong Bakery, which many prefer because of their smooth cream cheese icing. Online sales fill up early in January, but cakes are available daily beginning at 8 a.m. when the bakery opens until they sell out the day’s count. Waits range from a few minutes to several hours.
“Dong Phuong is by far the best king cake in New Orleans,” says junior Mary Dietz. “Besides the huge line at the bakery, Dong Phuong is superior to any other king cake I’ve tasted–especially their icing.”
Besides their delicious taste and unique decorations, king cake actually has significant symbolism for the Mardi Gras season. King cakes are oval shaped to symbolize the unification of faiths and are doused in green, purple, and gold sprinkles–all symbolizing a different virtue, with green symbolizing Faith, purple justice, and gold power. These are, of course, the colors of Mardi Gras in New Orleans.
Each king cake also comes with a hidden treasure inside, commonly a plastic baby to represent the baby Jesus. The baby is hidden inside the king cake, and the lucky person who bites into it is crowned king or queen for the day, and that person also has to provide the next king cake.
“I love getting the king cake baby,” junior Marley Choate said. “ Everyone is always jealous of me. Plus, I don’t have to buy the next one because I’m only 16.”
Another one of my personal favorites is Rouse’s. It is super easy to get and almost always in stock. It is a simple traditional king cake but still has all the flavors.
“Rouse’s king cake is very delicious and tasty, due to the exuberant and delightful sugar and spices placed between dough, which is then covered in icing,” junior Kaj Friis-Hecht enthused. “It really is just a New Orleans staple, and without it, Mardi Gras wouldn’t hit the same, so I’m super grateful that Rouse’s makes king cakes.”
In the end, there isn’t one king cake everyone agrees is the best–only personal favorites. One thing everyone agrees on, though–keep ‘em comin’ until Fat Tuesday!
