You know your king cakes, you think. but we’ve rounded up a few ones that maybe you should try- you have ‘til the 28th to officially binge on king cake in New Orleans!
Classic King Cake in New Orleans
Haydel’s Bakery — For the purist, Haydel’s king cake has a cinnamon-infused Danish dough and lighter icing. Pro tip: Uptown pop-up at SnoWizard at 4001 Magazine St. (and two additional popups in Metairie.)
Manny Randazzo King Cakes — Using an original recipe that dates back 50 years, Randazzo’s is a fan favorite for king cake in New Orleans.
Traditional
McKenzie’s at Tastee’s — While the McKenzie’s Bakery is no longer around, its old-school, traditional king cake is found at Tastee’s around NOLA, including the Harrison Avenue location. These king cakes aren’t too sweet, so if you have kids…
Hi-Do Bakery — A nice, plain brioche-style version without the sickeningly sweet white icing on top… So, if you like fillings but not cinnamon and icing, these might be worth a try. Also available in cool shapes including the fleur de lis and crab. Note: cash/check only.
Sucre — Edible glitter lends a glossy finish to these king cakes, available for purchase at the Uptown, French Quarter and Metairie locations.
French Style King Cake
La Boulangerie — Arguably the most classic of the bunch, La Boulangerie‘s king cake takes it way back to the original French galette des rois. No colorful frosting here — just buttery, flaky puff pastry with dense almond cream.
Maurice French Pastries — This bakery won the People’s Choice award at the King Cake Festival for its highly regarded traditional French variation, the galette des rois.
Maple Street Patisserie – simply delicious- but get there early because the ‘plain’ ones sell out fast!
Funky King Cake
La Divina Gelateria — Mini king cakes (big enough for one person) including cookie batter, bananas foster and Nutella. Large cakes available by special order.
Babka King Cakes — Shaya and Petite Amelie are offering not-too-sweet babka cakes. Shaya’s is a cinnamon babka with sea salt caramel glaze; Petite Amelie goes the chocolate route with chocolate and nutella flavors.
Cochon Butcher — Try all the creative combinations in perfectly sized mini-cakes with baby pigs tucked inside. Meyer lemon brings a bright flavor. The “Elvis” variety is a perennial favorite with peanut butter, banana and house-cured bacon, topped with marshmallow.
Bakery Bar — Debbie Does Doberge makes a New Orleans-style doberge cake with fabulous purple, green and gold sugar on top to update the king cake this season.
King cake shakes — With a slice of king cake on top, Frey Smoked Meat Co. in Mid-City makes a seasonal king cake milkshake that’s a showstopper.
Queen Cakes
Antoine’s Famous Cakes and Pies
Gracious Bakery — Almond-infused Queen Cakes feature house-made brioche dough. Its Meyer lemon king cake is citrusy and just subtly tart, while the Nectar king cake riffs on a favorite snowball.
Pro tip:
Uber Eats, Haydel’s popup uptown
HOST A KING CAKE PARTY
A king cake party is traditionally done this way: One person buys a king cake and invites others to come and enjoy it. The cake is cut and whoever gets the baby hidden in the cake then hosts the next king cake party. This goes on from Jan. 6 through Mardi Gras in homes, offices, schools and neighborhoods throughout the city.
One creative group found another approach, which allows them to taste dozens of cakes in one sitting. The king cake exchange party is catching on, judging by the response in social media.