With the winter holidays wrapping up and the new year beginning, it is officially the start of the Carnival season. With Mardi Gras on the horizon, it is the perfect time to enjoy king cake, a delicious trademark of Carnival.
For those new to the South, king cake is a traditional Mardi Gras dessert. Cinnamon and sugar are rolled into dough, which is then shaped into a ring, topped with icing and decorated with purple, green and gold sprinkles. Lastly, a small plastic figurine of baby Jesus is hidden in the cake. Tradition holds that whoever gets the slice with the baby is expected to host the next Mardi Gras party or simply purchase the next king cake.
If you’re looking to try king cake for the first time, or if you just moved to Baton Rouge and are unsure of where to purchase one of these delectable treats, look no further than this list of places you can find king cakes in Baton Rouge.
Joe Gambino’s Bakery
With locations in Baton Rouge, New Orleans and Lafayette, this bakery is a great place to purchase a multitude of different king cakes. Joe Gambino’s Bakery was founded in 1949, and this New Orleans-born company was grown through a love of baking and a rich history of delicious treats.
From traditional to apple-filled, this bakery on Goodwood Boulevard has it all when it comes to these festive cakes. Joe Gambino’s bakery has many bundle deals, ranging from a pack of six cream cheese king cakes to a Fat Tuesday bundle. This bundle features three king cakes of different flavors with packs of decorative icing on the side for a fun activity during Mardi Gras celebrations.
Eloise Market and Cakery
This market and cakery, founded by LSU alumna Madelyn Schmidt, is a Baton Rouge-grown company. Schmidt built this business with the support of her family after beginning her cake decorating journey while she was an undergraduate student.
You can purchase a king cake from the Eloise Market and Cakery located on Perkins Road by pre-ordering at least 24 hours in advance or stop by the market and purchase a cake on a first-come, first-served basis. However, if you’re looking to try your hand at baking, you can attend a king cake and bingo class where you can learn to make a king cake while playing bingo with fellow classmates.
The pricing of these cakes depends on the flavor and filling. There are many fun varieties to choose from, such as blueberries and cream, banana pudding and cookies and cream. There is even a gluten-free option for traditional king cakes, as well as a DIY king cake kit with the dough pre-made and ready for a cinnamon sugar dusting. This kit comes with baking instructions, perfect for beginner bakers.
CounterSpaceBR
CounterSpaceBR is a bakery located on Government Street dedicated to cookies and layered cakes, but for the Carnival season, it opens its doors to the traditional New Orleans treat. Although this bakery only offers a traditional cinnamon sugar king cake, it provides a variety of cake options, with dietary needs as the focus of their sweets.
When placing an order for CounterSpaceBR’s cakes, you can choose between a traditional sized king cake and a mini king cake. After selecting a size, you can choose between traditional, vegan, gluten free and gluten free and vegan options. If you have an extra sweet tooth, you can even order a cookie-filled king cake, a unique flavor not found in many places.
The Ambrosia Bakery
This bakery, located on Siegen Lane, is dedicated to spreading the celebration of Mardi Gras. Not only are there a variety of king cakes for sale at their store, but they also offer UPS shipping for their king cakes, allowing this Mardi Gras tradition to travel vast distances.
There are two UPS shipping options, including UPS Next Day Air shipping or UPS Ground shipping. All shipped cakes are shrink-wrapped and come with icing and sugar sprinkles on the side, allowing you to decorate the fresh cake upon arrival.
For those in town, you can order a cake for in-store pick-up at The Ambrosia Bakery, where a variety of fun flavors are up for grabs. The bakery even features a purple and gold king cake, a wonderful treat for any Tigers celebrating Mardi Gras.
Supermarkets
If you don’t want to go through the process of ordering a king cake — or simply don’t want to drive to a bakery — you can always pick up a cake in the bakery section of your local supermarket while shopping for your groceries.
Walmart and Rouses Market have similar limited flavor options with an average price of $20. However, if you want to stay close to campus, you can take a short walk to Matherne’s Market right across Nicholson Drive, which sells a few different king cake flavors starting at $17. These stores may have limited flavors, but they make up for it in convenience and pricing.
Trader Joe’s is also an excellent place where many people, including Louisiana natives, can try a new Mardi Gras dessert. The store does not offer a traditional king cake, but it does offer a King Cake Kringle — a Danish pastry inspired by king cake. This sweet treat costs about $15 and is similar in size to a traditional cake, making it one of the cheapest supermarket and bakery options.
If you are looking for a wide variety of flavors to choose from while also shopping for groceries, you can visit Oak Point Market St. George, a grocery store known for its selection of king cakes. With fun flavors inspired by the media to traditional flavors like cream cheese filling, this grocery store has it all. The store is constantly marketing its cakes on Facebook, so be sure to check out its page for limited time special flavors.
