king cake

noun

plural king cakes

: a sweet ring-shaped cake traditionally with a symbolic bean or figurine of the infant Jesus inside that is served from the Epiphany to Shrove Tuesday

Of course, no one does king cake quite like New Orleans. It's decorated in the colors of Mardi Gras—purple (to represent justice), green (faith) and gold (power)—as chosen by one of the city's first Mardi Gras organizations, or krewes. A token or trinket—usually a plastic baby symbolizing the infant Jesus—is hidden inside. Whoever finds the baby may be crowned king or queen of the party; more important, that person is responsible for bringing the cake to the next gathering.

—Noelle Carter

Examples of king cake in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Though there are no Mardi Gras parades during Super Bowl weekend, visitors will still see touches of the season throughout the city, like decorations of purple, green and gold, and the availability of king cake in local bakeries. —Chelsea Brasted, Axios, 15 Oct. 2024

The version of galette des rois, or king cake, seen here consists of two layers of puff pastry encasing an almond cream. —Cece Pascual, Washington Post, 19 July 2024

Ayu Bakehouse opened on Frenchmen Street in 2022 and almost instantly achieved a near-impossibility in New Orleans: Its out-of-town owners created a must-get king cake. —Chelsea Brasted, Axios, 9 Sep. 2024

Like an American king cake, the galette des rois often contains a hidden bean or token (fève), intended to convey good luck to the person who finds it. —Cece Pascual, Washington Post, 19 July 2024

Word History

First Known Use

circa 1741, in the meaning defined above