On the 12th day of Christmas (Jan 6), 12 drummers drumming probably aren’t headed your way (unless your true love is part of a marching band). But if you celebrate Epiphany, the 12th day after Christmas that marks the arrival of the three wise men arrival after the birth of Jesus — you’ll be treated to lots and lots of cake (also referred to as King cakes).
Traditionally, all king cakes have a hidden trinket, ceramic porcelain doll, or a bean used to represent baby Jesus, somewhere inside the cake. But different cultures practice distinct customs for the person who finds the hidden piece, which ranges from being crowned royalty for the day to being tapped as the person to bring the cake for the next celebration!
Here is a taste of four different king cakes served around the world on Epiphany:
1. Louisiana – The King Cake:
Louisiana observes a pretty long holiday season during this time of the year, which spans Thanksgiving, New Years and Epiphany (Jan 6) or King’s Day — which also kicks off Carnival, or Mardi Gras season. To celebrate the start of Carnival on King’s Day, many New Orleanians rush to procure a King Cake (looks more like a roll or bread). There are multiple options for a filling, popular flavors include plain cinnamon, cream cheese, praline, strawberry, raspberry, apple and lemon. The braided dough is topped with white icing and colored sugar in the traditional Mardi Gras colors: purple, green and gold.A plastic king-cake baby, symbolizing the infant Jesus, is hidden in the cake. The person who gets the piece of cake with the baby traditionally has to buy the next King Cake.
2. Mexico – The Ring Cake
Most of king cake consumption around Mexico takes place on January 6, Dia de los Reyes and is actually the day on which the Mexican people exchange gifts. The Ring cake is more oval in shape and topped with candied fruit. Whoever finds the muñeco, or doll, in the cake has to host a party on February 2 for Día de la Candelaria, where it is customary to serve tamales. One food holiday begets another!
3. Spain – The Tortell
Within Spain, the tortellvaries from region to region, but most prepare a bread-like cake. In Catalonia, the region most famous for the city of Barcelona, theirs is a circular pastry filled with marzipan cream and punctuated with candied fruit like cherries and oranges. It also contains not one, but two prizes. Whoever finds the king figurine gets to wear the crown, while the one who finds the fava bean has to pay for the cake!
Don’t Miss : TFN’s Definitive Food Guide To Barcelona
4. France – Galette de Rois
The French have a thing for pastries, so it’s no surprise the French king cakes are closer to pastry than cake. King cakes vary across France’s regions. In the North, it’s the Galette de Rois, a flaky pastry dough filled with frangipane, a combination of pastry cream and almond cream. La Feve, the porcelain figurine, is the prize all the kids vie for. Should they win, they get to don the paper crown.
Recipe : Whether you are celebrating epiphany or not, the Galette de Rois can be eaten anytime during the month of January so here’s the recipe of Galette de Rois (a puff pastry pie filled with frangipane) from Mary Cadogan’s blog.
Ingredients:
400g ready-made puff pastry
2 rounded tbsp apricot jam
100g softened butter
100g caster sugar
1 lighly beaten egg
100g ground almond
2 tbsp cognac or dark rum
Paper crown for the decor
Method:
- Heat the oven to 200C
- Divide the ready-made puff pastry in half, roll out each piece and cut into a 25cm round. Put one round on a baking sheet and spread with the apricot jam to within 2cm of the edges.
- Beat together the softened butter and caster sugar until light and fluffy, then beat in the egg. Stir in the ground almonds and cognac or dark rum.
- Spoon the mixture over the jam, spreading it evenly. Brush the edges of the pastry with water, then cover with the second piece, pressing the edges to seal. Mark the top of the pastry from the centre to the edges like the spokes of a wheel or in a zig zag pattern, then brush with beaten egg.
- Bake for 25-30 mins until crisp and golden. Serve warm or cold.
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