Fit for a king

As carnival season ramps up, king cakes take over St. Charles Parish

For Dawn Loyd of Two Sisters Bakery, king cake season starts before Christmas, with a red and green cake decorated with holly. For Majoria’s Supermarket, it starts the day after New Year’s.

“Depending on whether Mardi Gras is early or late, we could be making them all the way through Easter,” Loyd said.

The carnival favorite means big business for area bakers and others. Dana Majoria, of Majoria’s Supermarket, said his bakers will sell about 700 to 800 king cakes, depending on the timing of the season. That may seem small in comparison to others, but Majoria’s doesn’t take orders—theirs are purchased exclusively through walk-in business. The supermarket’s small ovens can get a workout on special days, such as Super Bowl Sunday.

“Some days we don’t even have enough capacity—our bakers can’t get them out fast enough,” Majoria said.

Kristi Brocato, of The Basketry in Luling, orders her king cakes from a supplier in Harahan that specializes in mini king cakes. Though her basket arrangements are sent throughout the world, she estimated roughly 80 percent of the approximately 1,000 baskets she’ll sell during the Mardi Gras season stay at least as close as New Orleans.

“The baby king cake is our business,” Brocato said. “Our customers look forward to our baskets because that signals that it’s Mardi Gras season.”

Meanwhile, Loyd said this year is the first year in which she’s attempting to count how many king cakes she actually sells. Her limited oven space keeps her from selling more than six or seven batches worth of dough per day. A batch, she said, equates to roughly 15 cakes.

“I can’t keep track of it in the middle of the season,” laughed Loyd.

But it’s the flavors and combinations that give each proprietor the real challenge. Majoria said that their bakery produces a full range of flavors, including Bavarian cream, strawberry, plain and cream cheese.

“We get a lot of compliments on them,” Marjoria said.Two Sisters, meanwhile, makes a range of sizes and flavors. In addition to traditional flavors, the bakery also produces a cupcake version of their specialty king cakes. The specialty king cakes, named for various New Orleans krewes, offer some unique variations on the traditional flavors. The Krewe of Zulu—a parade known for its coconut throws—is exemplified with coconut topping and stuffing, as well as a ganache frosting and toasted pecans.

As a non-baker, Brocato doesn’t offer a wide range of cakes, but instead works to encapsulate south Louisiana in an easy-to-transport package. Her baskets often include Zapp’s potato chips, Mardi Gras trinkets, and even king cake-flavored vodka.

“Liquor and king cake is always good,” laughed Brocato. “Or coffee.”

At the end of the day, everyone seems to agree that the King Cakes are a labor of love that is closely tied to the history of traditions of southern Louisiana. For Loyd, the king cakes initially make a nice break from her regular business.

“I enjoy the king cake…when Mardi Gras rolls around, it’s a fresh break from doing 80 to 100 cakes a weekend and weddings,” Loyd said. “Then right at the end, you’re ready for Mardi Gras to be over with, because it’s just king cake after king cake after king cake.”

And “the end” varies from season to season, one of the hazards of a holiday set by the first full moon after the spring equinox. Majoria said that the timing of Mardi Gras, which was later last year, can have a big impact on sales. The Super Bowl also accounts for a large amount of orders. Loyd said that for this most recent Super Bowl, she was surprised to be filling more king cake orders than any other cake order.

“If the Saints were in the Super Bowl I think I would just lose sleep.” Loyd said.

But as rapidly as king cake season comes, so to does it slip away.

“King cake season is like a light switch—come Jan. 2, you can hardly make enough, and then when lent starts, you can barely give them away,” Majoria said.

 

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