What dessert is purple, gold and green all over? Local bakeries know the answer well.
But for many years Baton Rouge resident and owner of Tredici Bakery Monica Shaughnessy didn’t see the kind of big king cake sales a Louisiana confectioner might expect over Mardi Gras.
“In the past few years,” Shaughnessy said, “I haven’t necessarily had as much coming through for Mardi Gras, just because I haven’t been doing the typical king cake.”
Instead, Shaughnessy overturned the idea of the traditional king cake with a more classic take: the galette des rois.
“I didn’t want to make just your regular old king cake,” Shaughnessy said.
Tredici is one of few bakeries in Baton Rouge that sells the simpler galettes, but while many Louisianans know and love the sweet, almond paste-filled pastries, they also miss the more recognizable and colorful king cake.
This year, Shaughnessy introduced a king cake with her own unique spin: the pull-apart king cake.
Similar to monkey bread, this take on the classic Louisiana dessert comes with a cream cheese or buttercream filling in several different flavors including strawberry, bananas foster and cinnamon maple.
“They seem to be very popular so far,” Shaughnessy said while laughing, talking about a customer who had recently texted her while on a flight. “He had the king cake in its own seat and he buckled it in. Said he didn’t want anything to happen to it.”
Maggie Calandro, who used to work at her sister Shaughnessy’s bakery, said, “I love how Monica has gone back to some of the original Mardi Gras traditions such as the galette des rois, but also has put a twist on the modern king cake.”
Those in the Mardi Gras spirit can also find alongside the pull-apart king cakes and galettes a collection of purple, green and gold macarons and decorated cakes. Even some creatively-designed cookies find their way into the mix, in shapes like carnival masks, beads, crowns and jester hats, all in the season’s colors.
“Every cake astounds me,” said Rachel Calandro, who works next door to her sister’s bakery. “I’ll walk up and ask what she’s making today, and you know, she’s got this masterpiece on the table.”
The Mardi Gras season is a big one for bakeries in Louisiana. Mardi Gras, or Fat Tuesday, is the last day of Carnival season and is also the day before the start of Lent. Many people who celebrate use Fat Tuesday as their last indulgence before Easter, leading to local bakeries receiving an influx of king cake orders.
At Tredici, the new pull-apart king cakes were the star of the show this season. Shaughnessy said 40 king cakes were ordered and picked up for parades and parties in Baton Rouge and, in the case of the customer buckling in his cargo on an airplane, beyond.
“Parties bring people together to enjoy just about anything these days,” said Maggie Calandro. “I think being even just a small part of those events is a special thing in itself.”
