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KING CAKE

Rouses Bakery Director Michelle Knight (left). Our King Cake Krewe will bake more than 500,000 king cakes — in 24 flavors — during the Carnival season.

ex-pats across the country order cakes to help celebrate their city’s most revered tradition away from home. And no matter the occupation, any office setting is bound to have at least one cake on hand (if not more) throughout the season. “It’s a 24-hour job during Mardi Gras — it’s non-stop,” says Knight, who has been with the company for more than a decade and took over as bakery director last year. “I start at about five in the morning, and then it’s running numbers all the way till eight o’clock that night to prepare for the next day. It’s making sure we’ve got enough

boxes and bags, enough icings and fillings.” The cake, believed to have been introduced to New Orleans by way of France in 1870, commemorates the Epiphany, with the accompanying baby figurine meant to symbolize Christ. While the present-day French version, or galette des rois , is a flaky pastry ring filled with frangipane, the version sold stateside is traditionally made with a sweet, yeasted dough.

At Rouses, 24 flavors of the festive cakes are sold at the 55 stores along the Gulf Coast. The top-selling flavors include a list of 10 all-time customer favorites like strawberry cream cheese, Bavarian cream, praline and apple as well as flavors including caramel, chocolate, cherry, blueberry, cookies and cream, and coconut, among others. Most people are familiar with Rouses’ time- honored recipe, a soft and doughy cake with a cinnamon smear baked into the

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