In New Orleans, King Cake Is a Way to Make Joy
The New York Times
The colorful cake is more than a dessert — it’s the flavor of the city. And a diverse community of bakers is adapting the Carnival specialty to their own tastes.
NEW ORLEANS — When Dominick Lee was in elementary school in the 1990s, every year for Twelfth Night, the teacher would bring a king cake for the class to share. He and his classmates would wait for their slices — decorated with purple, gold and green sugars — eager to see which piece had a tiny plastic baby hidden inside. Whoever found it was responsible for bringing another king cake to school the next week, and the cycle would continue through Carnival season, right up until Mardi Gras.
“It was a really wonderful childhood memory, and it’s stuck with me to this day,” said Mr. Lee, a chef born and raised in New Orleans.
Nearly every New Orleanian has a similar story. King cake is a treasured sweet, and a beloved Carnival tradition.
