Very few things are more New Orleans than a King Cake during Mardi Gras season. Year in and year out, everyone gets this festive cake to celebrate carnival. However, what should you do if you are bored of the classic King Cake? The following non-traditional King Cakes stood out to me during my journey to find the most unique unconventional King Cakes.
Mr. Bubble’s Cafe: Ube and Pandan
Image via NolaBunmi at Mr.Bubble’s Cafe
Mr. Bubble’s Cafe, offers a dessert rooted in Asian culture with its Ube and Pandan King Cake. For those unfamiliar, Ube is a purple yam that adds a sweet earthy flavor to desserts, while Pandan is a leaf that tastes similar to vanilla. An excellent combination as is, the cafe takes it a step further by adding a cinnamon-sugar filling and a coconut cream cheese based frosting. This cake provides a completely unique appearance compared to any King Cake I had seen before.
Joe’s Cafe: Fried King Cake
Image via Joe’s Cafe official website
One of my favorite adaptations of a King Cake, Joe’s Cafe breaks from the traditional baked version and instead decides to fry a King Cake. After frying, they glaze the cake and top it with its usual icing and sugar, turning the carnival cake into a blend of a King Cake and a donut. The cake has a crispy exterior and a soft interior, both to die for. What stood out to me, besides the obvious resemblance to a donut, was the lack of dryness of the cake. The worst thing a King Cake, and a donut for that matter, can be is dry. However, this cake was anything but, and also offered one of the most unique King Cake experiences I have had the pleasure of encountering.
Coffee Science: Crème Brûlée King Cake
Image via @coffeescience on Instagram
Combining a timeless dessert with a King Cake, Coffee Science decided that this year’s signature flavor would be Crème Brûlée. The crunchy layer of caramelized sugar on top of the cake makes for a first bite like no other. Of course, what stood out most to me was the vanilla custard filling, similar to the dessert it is inspired by. Not to mention the overall appearance of this cake was beautiful. This list would have felt incomplete without mentioning the Crème Brûlée King Cake.
Violet Sprinkles: King Cake-A-Ron
Image via @Violetsprinklesnola on Instagram
As if the last combination wasn’t creative enough, Violet Sprinkles (partnered with Haydel’s Bakery) created the King Cake-A-Ron, a cross between a macaron and a King Cake. If that idea alone isn’t appealing enough, a detailed look into the cake’s build should iron out any doubts. The cake’s surface is a cinnamon macaron shell, while the inside is a buttercream filling. The cake’s overall airy, crumbly texture shone and cemented its place as one of the more creative adaptations of the traditional King Cake.
Bywater Bakery: Crawfish Seafood King Cake
Image via @bywaterbakerynola on Instagram
Going in a completely different direction than the other non-traditional cakes, Bywater Bakery’s Crawfish Seafood King Cake is a savory spin on the dessert. The cake has many elements that a regular King Cake does not. To start, the sugar coating that is usually applied to the top of a King Cake is replaced with a cheese coating. Then the cake’s interior is filled with a creamy seafood filling, similar to a crawfish beignet if you’ve ever had one. Of course, the most notable distinction with this King Cake is that it is meant to be served warmed. This is one of the more creative options for a non-traditional King Cake.
