Our local PBS station doesn’t only bring us interesting television, it sometimes brings us food. For a long time, a hot ticket for chocolate lovers was the chocolate tasting at WYES. But it’s been replaced by something even better,… a king cake tasting!! In the height of the season when the mania is tangible!
In the days of the chocolate tasting, and even just ten years ago, I don’t think anyone could have predicted the fever that now engulfs the city starting on King’s Day. I keep trying to understand how this has ballooned off the rails. We’ve had Mardi Gras a very long time, and king cake a long time. What has changed, other than a culture driven by social media? I say this as a disinterested observer of this maniacal phenomenon. And I watch with amusement.
Matt Haines was amused as well when he moved here. But he turned his amusement into an opportunity, then into a business. He is a free-lance journalist who became fascinated by this king cake mania, and determined to investigate it all. His giant tome, The Big Book of King Cakes is a best seller, spawning a kid’s version. He was at the tasting, and is present at all other events around town this time of year.
I remain a king cake crank. Since I am not a sweets person except when chocolate is involved, I don’t like king cake. What surprises me is that Tom, who ingests more sugar in a week than I do in a year, also is not a fan. Now, if you are talking savory king cakes, I’m listening.
With the current insatiable need for king cakes, even savory king cakes are gaining traction. Perhaps the demand for all things king cake has reached such levels that bakers have run out of ways to entertain us with the regular doughs, glazes, and sugars. Or perhaps we have created a cinnamon shortage.
Whatever the reason, savory king cakes are turning up now too. I don’t have to drive to Cajun country to find them.
Last Saturday king cake lovers of all kinds gathered in the lobby of WYES for “King Cake and Conversation,” featuring Arthur Hardy and Peggy Scott Laborde with her husband Errol, all Mardi Gras lovers of the highest order. And COO of WYES Dominic Massa eclipsed them all with his purple suit. Matt Haines was there selling books.
And WYES volunteers happily handed out the main draw... all-you-can-taste KING CAKE!!! And other things with king cake flavors, like cotton candy provided by the local Elmer's Chee-Wees brand. There were syrups like The Olde Tyme King Cake syrup served over bread pudding. And king cake -flavored coffee from Community to wash it all down.
There were king cake egg rolls from The Mamas Krewe, with actual eggroll wrappers enveloping the king cake.
And Norjoe had a cannoli king cake, with the flavoring in the ricotta and a cannoli shell as casing. This was unusual, but also good. The same cannot be said for some of the other outlier ideas.
At any king cake tasting a Randazzo must be present to make it official. Here was Caywood, from one of the branches of the family, offering the Caywood & Randazzo version of our most popular of local baked goods. (Matt Haines had an entire family tree in his book trying to explain the Randazzo dynasty.)
There was Tartine, last year’s winner (crowned by the people in attendance rather than a panel of judges,) with a very traditional but not excessively sweet king cake that had a nice cinnamon component, colored sugars and light icing.
Caluda’s is another crowd favorite with a denser dough and heavier cinnamon flavor, Nolita is a media darling with a bakery opened only six weeks. It is the talk of the town with its not-too-sweet king cake with a hint of satsuma.
Gracious Bakery did something different as well, with chocolate ribbons throughout, though not enough to even register in the bread-like texture. Also dry.
The nicest presentation was Sugar Love Bakery, with individual pieces stacked attractively with little flags on each. This one was very sweet, a testament to its name.
La Vie En Rose was there, as was Amalie Cooks, but Ideal Market had a fire and didn’t make it.
And the winner is….Celtica, a French bakery with its true French king cake, the Galette des Rois. This cake bears no resemblance to the ringed version with the sugar and glazed toppings. The Galette des Rois is a custard baked in pie dough that completely envelopes the custard.
Interestingly, the one odd cake won over the familiar versions. It is certainly less sweet and of a higher quality than the ones we love, but it is a “real” French king cake.
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Any way you slice it (sorry, couldn’t resist the pun) a good time was had by all. And the $25 admission price is a steal for a fun evening of chatting with celebs about Mardi Gras over as much king cake as you can eat. Remember that for next year.
