Unique King Cakes Every New Orleanian

Life is too short to eat the same favorite traditional cake every carnival season. The carnival season in 2023 is particularly short: only 47 days (from January 6th to February 21st). That means you have less than 50 days, or about 7 weeks, to get out there and sample some of the most daring and untraditional royal cakes trending this season. From king pie charcuterie and king pie spring rolls to king pie with Vietnamese coffee glaze, black pudding and sushi, local bakeries and restaurants ensure that New Orleans palates have many new flavors to explore. Bring an appetite, be bold, open-minded and open to creativity. But whatever you do, don't you dare ask the question, "But is it King Cake?" Because of course it is!

The following list contains bakeries from throughout the New Orleans area and is organized alphabetically. Many of these stores offer pre-order, delivery, and/or pop-up events, so you don't necessarily have to live nearby to enjoy these goodies. This list is by no means complete. Among them are avant-garde cakes that are less well known than those of the big bakeries. Some of the varieties featured here are new this season, while others are popular.

King Cake Trendsetters to Try this Season 2023:

Ayu Bakehouse’s sweet and savory king cakes

Ayu Bakehouse (801 Frenchman St.), a bakery that opened in the Marigny neighborhood in June 2022, offers three beautiful and eclectic royal cakes this season: Chocolate Babka, King Muffaletta, and Croissant City Classic. With King Muffaletta, the bakery gives its popular Muffuletta Grissini a carnivalesque twist and turns it into a tasty ring-sized twisted royal cake. Chocolate babka is a flaky, richly chocolatey update to the traditional braided sweet bread, originating from the Jewish communities of Poland and Ukraine. According to Ayu Bakehouse's Instagram, Croissant City Classic is where "old school meets new, with our dream boat rolled in cinnamon cream cheese made with local raw cane sugar."

All of Ayu's royal cakes are served with handmade gumpaste golden beans instead of plastic babies. King Cakes can be pre-ordered at their store.

King Cake Mini Buns by Buttery Spell

Buttery Spell specializes in traditional and flavored nut butters, but also offers real pioneer cakes. Started by New Orleans native Amanda Ratcliff as a pandemic hobby, Buttery Spell is now a well-established business that appears frequently on the local food scene. King Cake Pound Cake and King Cake Mini Loaves are available for pre-order and shipping on their website. The loaves (individual mini cakes) are also sold at the Jamaican Jerk House and are frequently sold out. The buns contain sugar, vanilla, cinnamon, cream cheese, with the green, purple, and yellow sugars on top.

Buttery Spell often sells its butter and treats at farmers' markets in Slidell, Metairie, and elsewhere in southeast Louisiana.

Sweet and Savory King Cakes from Bywater Bakery

Bywater Bakery's Royal Cakes are by no means unheard of - the Bakery's Royal Cakes are frequently listed among the local "best" and are well stocked at the King Cake Hub available at the King Cake Hub and at their shop at 3624 Dauphine St. It may surprise you how many other unique King Cakes they offer at the bakery: Crab King Cake, King Cake Boudin, Spinach Artichoke King Cake, King Cake Frangipane, King Cake Brownie Bomb, King Cake Bouille, various King Cakes filled with fruit and vegan Bourbon Cinnamon King Cakes are also available on rotating dates throughout the season.

Bywater's King Crawfish Cake is filled with crab, made with homemade white bread dough, topped with garlic butter and topped with Mardi Gras Parmesan Cheese. Boudin King Cake is made the same way but filled with boudin (traditionally a mixture of pork, rice, onions, peppers and spices stuffed into a sausage casing). Spinach and Artichoke Pie is made with homemade garlic bread, topped with spinach and artichoke dip, and topped with parmesan cheese.

The Bouille King Cake and the Frangipane King Cake are made with homemade brioche. The bouille is filled with Cajun cream, while the frangipane is filled with crème de frangipane and topped with traditional purple, green, and gold sugar. The Bourbon Cinnamon Vegan King Cake is also coated in those classic sugars, but according to the website, it's made with "soft sweet potato dough, rolled with a cinnamon swirl, baked, golden, and drizzled with bourbon glaze."

There really are enough king cakes here to fill your entire carnival menu! To find out when your favorite Bywater Bakery cake will be available, be sure to visit the Bakery Menu online.

Stuph'D King Cake Donuts

Stuph'D Beignets and Burgers at 3325 Saint-Claude Avenue is known for its sweet and savory donuts. The "Stunning" donuts featuring Philly cheese steak, grilled shrimp, Creole crab, spicy sausage, Oreo cheesecake, sweet potato pie, brownie, and pecans are a year-round hit. During Carnival, they offer a donut filled with galette des rois, decadent as that may sound. "The icing melts on the cake and it becomes gooey and gooey," explained one customer. » Contrasted with the crispy and airy outer dough. very decadent. Filled donuts are available on site, for delivery, or to take away. To place an order, call (504) 459-4571.