King cake, the glorious, pillowy symbol of Carnival, is a staple for everyone in New Orleans from Twelfth Night (January 6) until Ash Wednesday. In 2021, the beloved treat has been at the center of the celebration, with so many other Mardi Gras traditions sidelined due to COVID. Several restaurants have taken on the challenge of creating their own renditions for the first time ever, hoping the additional offering might offset some lost revenue. But veterans of the city’s culinary scene aren’t the only ones making a splash in an unusual year. New Orleans has had an emergence of talented home bakers, some of whom specialize in king cakes or have introduced some of the season’s most highly coveted versions.
Complementing the spectrum of incredible king cakes from iconic bakeries and newcomers alike, here’s a look at some of this year’s most creative, gorgeous, and unexpected (sweet) versions — from startup and home bakers to fine dining institutions and coffee shops.
For Eater New Orleans’s complete guide to Mardi Gras 2021, see here.
Rahm Haus’s Purple, Green, and Gold Ice Cream King Cake
Rahm House ice cream is likely one of New Orleans’s biggest pop-up success stories of the pandemic. Jillian Durran’s small-batch ice cream made with inventive flavor and ingredient combinations (think brown butter miso or sumac pineapple carrot cake) have taken the city by storm. She makes other desserts from time to time as well, like the mind-blowing cloud cake, and her hugely popular ice cream king cake. The 7” cake is made with an ube bread braided with taro and adzuki bean filling; layered with golden coconut milk ice cream (made with turmeric, cinnamon, and black pepper) and shredded coconut; and topped with matcha cream cheese frosting, a sprinkling of blue cornflowers, and a yuzu chocolate feve (the king cake trinket). Follow them on Instagram for availability and to order other Rahm House wares, including a non-ice cream king cake, here.
Mae’s Bakeshop’s King Cake Monkey Bread
From the pastry chef for Emeril Lagasse’s flagship restaurant, Mae’s Bakeshop is Jeremy Fogg’s bakery dream come to life. For now, Fogg is selling the bakeshop’s goods through various restaurants and pop-ups. His king cake monkey bread is a shareable, pull-apart version of the classic, meant to be served warm with bananas Foster sauce. A $40 kit comes with an 8” cake, icing to top the cake after warming, edible Mardi Gras beads for decorating, and bananas Foster sauce for dipping. There’s one last chance to order it for the season, to be delivered Friday, February 12.
Bayou Saint Cake’s Walnut Frangipane King Cake
Pastry chef Bronwen Wyatt’s normally specializes in small-batch layer cakes featuring seasonal ingredients. The king cakes she’s created this year are wildly popular, with one particular standout — a French-style, walnut frangipane king cake topped with an apple cider vinegar glaze and cream cheese frosting. Wyatt sells this version exclusively at Superette Grocery on Magazine Street, but her other king cakes can be ordered here.
Brennan’s ‘Pink Parade’ Strawberry Cream Cheese King Cake
Brennan’s introduced a line of king cakes this year for the very first time, with pastry chef Brett Gauthier designing three swank takes — a traditional brioche rolled with cinnamon filling, a “Who Dat” chocolate brioche with whipped chocolate ganache, and a dazzling, sparkly, bright pink Ponchatoula strawberry cream cheese king cake (the prettiest). Excitingly, all three are available via D’livery Nola, for nationwide shipping, or for pickup at King Cake Hub, Langenstein’s, Congregation Coffee, and of course, at Brennan’s and Ralph’s on the Park.
Coffee Science’s Chocolate Expresso King Cake
It’s somewhat rare for a coffee shop to enter the king cake fray. But Coffee Science has greatly expanded its offerings in the last year, becoming a hub for produce and pantry items, holding weekend pop-up markets with food and product vendors, and generally establishing itself as a neighborhood go-to. The bakery’s two king cakes this year, Venetian cream and chocolate espresso, have been major sellers — perhaps inspiring more coffee shops to experiment in the future.
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