“This is selfish,” my editor said before suggesting that I write a story about locally-made king cakes. “Because I need one and don’t know where to get it,” she said.
I could be wrong, but it seems like for many, this question comes up every year. One time on a Fat Tuesday at work, I was asked by my boss to leave to go get us one. Sadly, I didn’t know where to go, so I ended up at Kroger. And it was serviceable, but we felt the need to heat our slices up in the oven and slather them with rich, creamy butter. But there’s better options in the way of locally-owned small businesses here in town offering different varieties and styles of the traditional New Orleans-style cakes, which start showing up in bakeries and groceries around the beginning of Carnival season. Traditionally, king cakes came with a stuffed trinket, originally a hard fava bean, more modern cakes with a ceramic baby representing baby Jesus. But, that tradition isn’t as ubiquitous nowadays due to the risk of lawsuits stemming from a tooth injuries or children swallowing porcelain or ceramic babies.
This year Haydel’s Bakery in New Orleans is offering port-o-potty trinkets in some of this year’s cakes in honor of last year’s crappy Mardis Gras with no parades.
To find out about this year’s Central Arkansas king cake offerings, I called a friend of mine, a Little Rock restaurant explorer and Mardi Gras fanatic who makes the trip to New Orleans every year she can. Without even thinking about it, she tipped me to the food truck The Croissanterie’s king cakes, which are available via pre-order and have been selling out, she said.
She also tipped to me to the croissant-themed food truck’s move to the new brick and mortar location in West Little Rock at 14710 Cantrell Road. Co-owner Wendy Schay said the king cake’s offered at the Croissanterie are made with yeast-risen dough filled with cinnamon and sugar and topped with a rich cream cheese icing and colored sugars. And there’s a baby trinket in every cake, so proceed with caution and prepare to crown someone king or queen for a day. The Croissanterie’s king cakes are already sold out for this week but you can purchase one for pick up on Friday Feb. 18, Friday Feb. 28 and Fat Tuesday (March 1). RB
Flake Baby Pastry
I stopped by Flake Baby Pastry, Monica Chatterton’s cottage bakery in North Little Rock, to pick up a whole king cake on Sunday, and it was such a power move. I got home and it was still warm and ready for immediate consumption (after multiple food selfies, of course). Inside the middle of the cake was a Flake Baby miniature ceramic trinket. Topped with a sour cream icing and layered with a roasted strawberry and cream cheese filling that’s subtle and delicious, it reminded me a fresh cinnamon roll without sweetness that can shock your fillings. The colored sugars on top provide a nice crunchy texture to accompany the pillowy inner layers.
I’m no king cake expert but the texture seemed flawless. Flake Baby’s no-contact pick up system made for a simple neighborly sunny day pick up, and special points for the pink box and Flake Baby’s colorful label. Chatterton said she hopes to do another king cake bake before the season’s over. Follow her on Instagram and check her website for her weekly box varieties and schedule. RB
Southern Jewells
Growing up in the Northeast, my only exposure to king cakes was the grocery store “king cake” that my French teacher would buy for us each February. Madame Meredith’s heart was in the right place, but that cake was never more than a ring of dry bread smothered in sickeningly sweet icing and brightly colored sprinkles. As a result, king cakes were somewhere near the bottom of my dessert rankings. Well, that is until I met Amy Jewell, owner of Southern Jewells bakery. Jewell is a Louisiana native who moved to Little Rock a few years back and has graced us with her incredible baked goods ever since. She stays true to her roots and bakes up real deal king cakes every January and February. The first time I tried her cream cheese filled king cake, it was like a light went on in my head and I realized that perhaps those grocery store king cakes that Madame Meredith bought every year were not so genuine. Instead of the dry ring of flavorless bread, Amy’s king cakes are fluffy and filled with a range of homemade fillings, from the more traditional cinnamon and brown sugar to a variety of fruit and cream filings. This year, I opted for a satsuma and cream filling, which I highly recommend. The satsuma jam adds just a hint of citrus flavor that really rounds out the whole cake. I may have made audible noises of euphoria when I ate my first slice of the satsuma and cream king cake, but fortunately only my dog was around to witness. You can order a Southern Jewells king cake by contacting Amy through her social media and they will be available until March 1st. SKM
Blue Cake Company
Have you ever wished your pillow was made out of cinnamon and brown sugar filled dough and topped with cream cheese icing? Well, have I got good news for you. Blue Cake Company’s king cake is perhaps the fluffiest ring of brioche I’ve ever seen, and it is so fluffy that it could easily stand in for a pillow in a pinch. If you don’t devour it all first, that is. Blue Cake Co. does a lot of things very well, and this year I discovered that king cakes can be added to that list. Its king cakes only come in one flavor (cinnamon and brown sugar filling with a cream cheese glaze), but they have perfected that one flavor so that no other flavors are needed. The brown sugar filling seeps out of the bottom of the cake just a bit and ends up adding a crunchy, caramelized bonus bite near the end of the slice that contrasts wonderfully with the soft brioche. You can order a king cake from Blue Cake Co. through their online ordering system with 2 days notice required. SKM
Community Bakery
If you’ve had a slice of king cake in Little Rock, chances are that you’ve had a slice of Community Bakery’s king cake at some point. Open for over 70 years, Community Bakery is a Little Rock institution, and their king cakes have become synonymous with the annual SoMa Mardi Gras parade. Before you head to the parade, stop by Community Bakery for a slice of one of their three flavors of king cake: praline pecan, cream cheese, and raspberry. My preference is the cream cheese king cake, which is filled with a rich layer of cream cheese and topped with icing and a load of sprinkles that create a crunchy topping while adding some Mardi Gras flair. And this king cake comes with the traditional plastic baby inside, because what cake isn’t better when it comes with a rousing game of “find the plastic baby?” If you want to pick up a Community Bakery king cake before the parade, you can either order online at their website or walk in to the bakery, as they usually have some baked and ready to go for immediate pick up. SKM
Boulevard Bread Co.
Boulevard offers a traditional flavor and an almond flavor king cake. You can call ahead (501-663-5951) and reserve a cake or get one by the slice with lunch. Boulevard’s king cake is deceptive. It looks dense but it’s surprisingly light, airy and soft. The icing is more abundant than most king cakes I’ve sampled and rather than spread flat with a spatula its purple, green and gold Mardis Gras colors are swirled across the top. I told myself I was only going to eat half the slice. I failed. It’s cool though because I’m giving up king cake for Lent. RB
Hurts Donut Co.
As with so many things Mardi Gras-related, the night time is the right time for the gigantic king donuts/miniature king cakes at Hurts. A parade of hedonists beelined to the 24-hour donut shop after a recent showing of “Hamilton,” my 10-year-old and I among them. Every single donut in the case beckoned with its own glimmering gimmick (candy bar sprinkles! fluorescent zigzag piping! bacon bits?). The plastic baby snuggled on a bed of icing and sanding sugar won out. As with all Hurts donuts, the king cake for one looked better than it tasted. But it still tasted pretty good, especially at 10:30 p.m. on a school night. AB
***
A few other king cakes around town we haven’t yet and the chance to try:
The Pizzeria
The Pizzeria is offering a “good ole fashioned king cake (cinnamon cake with icing and colored sugar sprinkles)” for pick up every Friday this month, Fat Tuesday (3-1) and Friday, March 4. You can also request specific fillings such as raspberry, strawberry, Bavarian cream, turtle pecan, strawberries & cream, cookies & cream, and lemon meringue. You can pre-order them here.
Dempsey Bakery
Dempsey Bakery is offering frozen take and bake dairy-free king cake kits that you can take home, bake and decorate yourself and blow the minds of friends on your social media feed.
The Dreamy Spoon
The Dreamy Spoon self-serve frozen yogurt shop in Maumelle is offering cream cheese, cream cheese with cinnamon and cinnamon king cakes. Call (501) 851-2448 to order.
Stone’s Throw Brewing is collaborating with Will’s Cinnamon Shop of Hot Springs and offering king cake combo packs that are available for pick up at Stone’s Throw Brewing’s MacArthur Park location on Fat Tuesday. For $15 you can get a 32 ounce crowler of a featured Mardis Gras brew with a quarter king cake. For $30 you can get 32 ounce crowlers of both of Stone’s Throw’s special Mardis Gras beer releases and a whole king cake. You can pre-order your cake and beer here.