Anybody got a good recipe for "King cake"?

[FinanceDude]

It is a Mardi Gras tradition I guess. Somehow I got roped into it because my son blabbed to his 5th grade class about how good a cook I was..........

 

[SarahW]

1. Call Gambino's Bakery in Baton Rouge (Cream cheese filled is my favorite)
2. Have King Cake shipped
3. Enjoy

 

[W2R]

Exactly. Traditional King cakes are dry and flavorless. Nobody here bakes them. I have never seen a home-baked one, at any rate. What you do, is buy one of the cream cheese/cinnamon ones which are much yummier than the traditional ones, and have it shipped to you. Sarah is right - - Gambino's makes a good one. My favorite is Randazzo's.

 

[Alan]

Exactly. Traditional King cakes are dry and flavorless. Nobody here bakes them. I have never seen a home-baked one, at any rate. What you do, is buy one of the cream cheese/cinnamon ones which are much yummier than the traditional ones, and have it shipped to you. Sarah is right - - Gambino's makes a good one. My favorite is Randazzo's.

Agreed, I lived in Baton Rouge for a total of 17 years and never saw a home made one. We had a Gambino's close by and I can add my vote to the quality of their King Cakes plus we used them to ship King Cakes to our daughter and SIL (who is from New Orleans).

 

[W2R]

I am over at Frank's and told him about this thread. He is a native New Orleanian. Just to provide another data point, he says, "In the 55 years that I have lived in New Orleans, I have never even HEARD of anybody making their own King cake." He say Haydel's is his favorite, with Randazzo's and Gambino's as runners up.

 

[Leonidas]

Cher, you buy dem youself when go make de groceries.

Another vote here for Gambino's. One of the local bakeries here has a couple of bakers who formerly worked at Gambino's before Katrina, and they make killer petit fors.

As for King's Cake, it is just a Mardi Gras tradition rather than any kind of delicacy. That's why you can't find them available except this time of year. It's just a giant dry cinnamon roll crossed with a croissant on steroids kind of thing with a plastic Baby Jesus stuck inside it. Although I did buy one at my local grocery the other day and they had replaced the baby with a miniature baby's rattle.

 

[SarahW]

I left Baton Rouge in 1991, but I still order my king cakes. Yum.

Leonidas--I mus go pass de vacuum. Dis house is dirty, yes.

 

[Ed_The_Gypsy]

We lived down in Red Stick fo cupple yeahs. Bought king cake. Moved away. Bought it by mail. Wife makes it now. Real good, it is. Tough part is finding the coloured sugar or food colouring and -- of course -- a Baby Jesus that won't break someone's teeth.

 

[Stevewc]

Well FinanceDude,
I guess there goes your good cook rating?
Don't you think W2R should run down to what ever the best place is and ship a nice load of cakes for the class?
Steve

 

[Leonidas]

Leonidas--I mus go pass de vacuum. Dis house is dirty, yes.

How's yo momma and dem?

Reading this thread again this morning suddenly has me wanting some King's Cake. Allegedly, the best to be had in Houston is at the Acadian Bakery on Alabama. If the rain doesn't come back strong this morning I may take a trip down to Montrose and see if I can get one.

Update: Their website shows that they also make Doberge cakes...mmmmmm.

 

[Orchidflower]

How the heck did I miss that bakery when I lived in Houston....rats!!!!

Can someone tell me why these cakes are starting at $69...it's a cake! What the heck is it made of that makes it so expensive?
http://www.gambinos.com/shop/default.php?cPath=22ay

I just looked at all the bakeries W2R suggested and am having heart palpitations over the price of these King cakes. I've had King cake before when I was down there with my father, and it wasn't worth $50....good but not that good. Is it just me?

Did anyone check the price on the olive salad at Gambinos? I have made olive salad from Central Grocery's recipe several times, and it surely wasn't worth $40+ dollar a jar...good grief...New Orleans surely over-prices this stuff...dang!

 

[FIREd]

I was at the bakery this morning getting my bread when I saw those yummy looking king cakes and I just couldn't resist...