The past few years I've brought king cakes to my offices, which in turn made people like me more and question my heritage. I just have to put it out there that I'm not from Louisiana, nor is anyone in my family. The king cake tradition is just a fun and unusual one that I like to indulge in because so few people around here have ever had one, let alone made one. It's even hard to find little plastic babies in the baking section of the store, hence why I've never actually baked one into a cake myself... which is also probably why I'm always the one bringing king cakes.
This year Mardi Gras snuck up on me and with freezing rains creeping closer to Columbia, the thought of going to the store to procure the ingredients to make a king cake is less than appealing. Plus, king cakes are large and heavy so an alternative is sounding like a way better option. So what are some twists on the king cake to keep the good times rolling and the festivity level up while the weather has us down?
Mardi Gras Beignets
Beignets are a classic New Orleans food tradition, so why not glitz them up with classic Mardi Gras colors? It's easy to turn colored sanding sugar into powdered sugar to make these sweet fried treats.
King Jello Shots
Maybe leave this one out of the office, but these traditional Mardi Gras colors layered jello shots are too cute! And if you make them tonight they will be perfect for post 5 p.m. celebrations on Tuesday. These are as simple as pour a layer, chill, and repeat during the day but they look much fancier.
Fake King Cake
Call it cheating if you want, but a cinnamon-y pound cake instead of a traditional king cake is a win to me. It's jus as delicious and much easier to bake it in a bundt pan.
King (Cup)cakes
King Arthur Flour has a recipe to scale down the large ring shaped cake into manageable and cute cupcakes.
King (Pan)cakes
Anyonita Nibbles flattened her Mardi Gras celebration and started early, with a colorful breakfast! Of course, pancakes are traditional to this day, so really it's just layering traditions one on top of the other.
Who is making an awesome dessert to usher in the season?
