Assistant (to the) editor

By Melissa Tucker

King of all cakes

Posted January 29, 2008

Let me just get this out of the way.

'm from Louisiana.

Not Cajun country, by any stretch, but places where you'll always find Zatarain's, Bayou Magic, Tony's, Crab Boil and boudin in every grocery store.

AND that treat, much like Cadbury eggs, that only comes out once a year... King Cake.

This cake is for eating right before Lent starts as part of the Mardi Gras celebrations. It's a sweet dough usually formed into a circle, covered in tri-colored frosting and sugar, and always with a little plastic baby baked inside.

Just like most pastries, you can go with the garden variety King Cake, which tastes like French bread covered in frosting (good but not great...) or the ultimate cake that is soft and doughy and then filled with fruit and sweet cream cheese, and of course, covered in rich icing. This is the kind of cake you'll find nowhere but south Louisiana, and it's divine. Trust me.

But I know many of you have been to New Orleans for Mardi Gras, and I could be preaching to the choir. But I've lived here in Arkansas going on four years, and I've yet to find anything here but the "garden variety" variety.

No offense, Community Bakery, you're very good at what you do, but King Cake ain't it. And thus far, it's the only place I know of in this town that's actually heard of King Cake.

Although, at the Bridal Fair, Bennett's Catering was giving away a cake every hour, but I didn't get a chance to ask them what it was like.

But this year, my mom is coming to town, and I'll see if she can bring me a cake from Shreveport. Yay!

So, I'll put off my quest until next year, but if you know of any place in central Arkansas that might do the King Cake right... send an email or a comment my way.