New Orleans King Cake

It's that time again: Mardi Gras, Fat Tuesday, Epiphany, Twelfth Night... whatever you call it, there's bound to be some sort of cake involved. I've already posted about my French Galette Des Rois, but over in New Orleans, an old French Creole hotbed since way back, things are much less serious and holy, and much more carnivalistic and gaudy. Check out these king cakes, if you're not sure:

Holy Jesus, it's like a bakery went insane and then threw up all over my monitor. These cakes are so crazy-looking, they've crossed the line from craptacular to AWESOME.

King cakes are descended from the much more classy galette des rois: they have a plastic baby inside instead of a feve, or porcelain figure, and are loaded with bourbony fillings, sparkles and the colours of Mardi Gras, gold, green and purple. It's enough to give someone a seizure. They are apparently ubiquitous all over New Orleans right about now.

Here's an article and recipe, if you're actually going to make one. I am seriously thinking about it.