Snack Review: H.E.B. New Orleans King Cake
O.K., so I know I usually review healthy stuff for Snackerrific and leave the sugar for Candy Addict, but I am a firm believer in indulgence (moderately) every now and then. So if I am going to indulge, I prefer to do so on something out of the ordinary.
Walking into my local H.E.B., the sight of a giant cake covered in gold, green, and purple sprinkles stuck out like a rainbow sore thumb amidst the breads and muffins. As I approached the mysterious pastry, I discovered it was indeed what I suspected: a king cake.
My first and only exposure to king cake, as a child who never lived in an area that celebrated Mardi Gras, was in my sophomore year of high school. I remember my AP European History teacher, Mrs. Fine, bringing the festive confection to class shortly before Mardi Gras, as she was a native of New Orleans.
The story behind king cake originates from the three kings who journeyed to Bethlehem over twelve days (ergo, the twelve days of Christmas). What a cake has to do with that I am not sure, as I was raised Jewish, but you’re supposed to consume king cake between Epiphany Day (the twelfth day of Christmas) and Mardi Gras. A plastic baby, said to commemorate Jesus, is inserted into the cake, and whoever finds it is responsible for providing the next cake.
Depending on where you live, you eat king cake at different times and prepare it in different ways. For instance, European countries and Mexico tend to consume it closer to Christmas whereas countries that celebrate Mardi Gras and Carnival do so toward Mardi Gras. The French variety is a puff pastry concoction known by the moniker “La galette des Rois,” and the Mexican “La Rosca de Reyes” resembles a fruitcake.
The cake I purchased for $4.69 at H.E.B. was a New Orleans king cake. New Orleans king cake was developed from the hybrid culture of French and Spanish pioneers in New Orleans. This version of the cake is the most ornate of the varieties, consisting of a ring cake covered in a frosting/icing, dusted with colored sugar (the colors of Mardi Gras), and may include a filling.
The cake I purchased contained a cream cheese filling, modeled in the standard New Orleans shape and color format, and measuring in at about a half-inch in height and a foot in diameter.
The dough itself tastes like a cross between a brioche and puff pastry - soft, but layered. It reminded me of those old-school bakeries that make their own donuts and baked goods where the flour hasn’t been combined with many preservatives so there is a mineral-rich flavor to the dough.
The sugar on top adds for a nice textural crunch to the chew of the dough, as it’s comprised of a stained sanding sugar. Aside from the color, the sanding sugar seems out of place with the icing on the cake. Both are very sweet, and one would be sufficient. Also, I prefer to consume only fresh icing on baked goods (think warm cinnamon buns as opposed to the day-old, congealed variety).
The cream cheese filing was your standard cheese danish flavor, which I enjoyed and felt complemented the sweetness of the sugar and bread. Overall, I liked the cake, but was disappointed on it relying on sweetness as a substitute for a richer flavor.
I’m certain connoisseurs of king cake will lament my buying of a supermarket version, and will point out the reason for my cake’s flaw lay with the maker. I’ve heard some rumors that Whole Foods bakes them as well, so hopefully I will get a chance to sample their version and update my findings.
Steve on December 1st, 2009
Good Stuff…