Twelfth night rings in a King Cake tradition!

Epiphany.... Let's eat Cake!

 

Epiphany, the 12th day after Christmas, celebrates the visit of the three kings or wise men to the Christ Child. It signifies the end of the Christmas season. And ushers in the beginning of the Mardi Gras season which will last until Mardi Gras day, or Fat Tuesday!

For most people around the world, this New Year week signals a time to cut back, reorganize and slim down. But not for us down here in Louisiana. With Lent fast approaching at the end of Carnival Season, we go ahead and pull out all the stops for another few weeks.  In south Louisiana, the tradition of King Cakes begins.  (King Cakes are yummy cinnamon roll-like cakes with icing and sugar on top.) Today starts the cycle of King Cake parties. But be careful while you eat,  there may be a plastic baby in that piece of cake!  The person who receives the piece with the baby -- to symbolize the baby Jesus -- in their piece of cake must bring the next King Cake, or host the next King Cake party. It is a fun tradition that people look forward to all year long. Offices, classrooms and homes around the south are slicing into King Cakes today.

So bring a slice of Mardi Gras home to your city! Bake yourself a King Cake with a King Cake baking mix or order one from a Deep South bakery to be shipped to you. Good times are here! Life is short. Eat Cake. Let the fun begin!

If you are having a King Cake party, you can find the King Cake platter pictured at the top at MardiGrasOutlet.com.

2011 Update:

New! Check out this adorable King Cake necklace, perfect for an inexpensive party favor for Mardi Gras or King Cake parties.

Also, we also made some tasty King Cake cupcakes! Click here to see directions on how to make these. They are very simple to make.