Sucré
Today is a day of celebration and revelry for Louisiana and much of the south, for it is Mardi Gras. Between the celebration of our victory and the general liveliness of this time of year, the entire state has been in party mode! Music, parades, parties, beads, festive cocktails, dancing and of course yummy food abound in the Big Easy and all throughout the state. Perhaps one of the most notable icons of Fat Tuesday is the King Cake.
Beginning on January 6th these cakes are sold in bakeries statewide. These simple twisted bread-like cakes are laced with cinnamon and sugars. Iced in colors of purple, green and gold these hues represent justice, faith and power. Inside each one is a tiny plastic baby doll, which represents the infant Jesus. New Orleans tradition dictates that whomever bites into the slice of cake with this trinket must buy the next cake. An easy way to keep the party going right?
In New Orleans there are plenty of sources to find King Cakes but my favorite would have to be Sucré. Nestled in the trendy, eclectic Garden District on Magazine Street, Sucre is a sweet boutique that is one of a kind. Executive Pastry Chef Tariq Hanna has been featured on the Food Network and owner Joel Dondis has been a important part of the New Orleans culinary scene for over a decade. Artisan sweets like gourmet chocolates, French macaroons, gelatos and fabulous cakes will delight any sweet tooth. Their version of the King Cake is a ring of twisted, buttery dough sweetened with cinnamon and sugar and filled with a whipped cream cheese filling. Beyond being tasty they are a feast for the eyes.
Best news of all? Sucré ships the majority of their yummy confections including King Cakes so you can satisfy your craving no matter your locale. If you want to read more about Sucré and my latest visit there check out my blog. King Cakes will be available for purchase until the end of the month so as we say “laissez les bon temps rouler!” That means “let the good times roll!”
I used to love Lisa Frank as a kid (nerd alert: I still kinda do) so when I discovered a secret cache of stickers last year, I was so excited to put the rainbow-colored stickers EVERYWHERE…on letters to friends, on my sticker chart for remembering to eat my veggies everyday…any place that I could find. And my favorite of all their colors is their iconic purple; so unashamedly bright, somehow bringing out the best in hip-hop pants for bears, puffin feathers, the northern lights, cuddly kittens, and a painting panda. Love.
(see the color here: http://www.colourlovers.com/blog/2009/03/09/the-colors-of-lisa-frank/)
It would have to be GOLD ! Especially if it is the the shape of a ring !
Definitely gold! What a beautiful cake.
Without a doubt, I would pick PURPLE! GEAUX TIGERS! My boyfriend is from New Orleans, and I’m still trying to get with it with all the wonderful traditions that city (and the state of LA) have to offer. This would for sure be a great way to show him how much I’ve learned! And make up for the fact that I can’t cook worth a darn. AND to make up for the fact that we missed Mardi Gras! (Whew, lots to make up for!)
Purple!!! Rarely is this color celebrated in the way that Mardi Gras does!!
Green – because I love kelly green, naturally!
That cake is gorgeous! Purple is definitely my favorite.
I love green and purple, but purple feels more celebratory to me.
This is an awesome feature, I never knew about any of this! So cool.
Thanks Miss Lindsey.
Green!
Green girl! Because it is naturally beautiful!
Purple by far! But Mardi Gras wouldn’t be the same w/o all three colors!
Justice for all has to be it!
How strong the purple color. It’s in the veins of life, let’s work for it in our hearts.
mm, love all of those colors and I would have said green for a long time but I think purple right now – it is a color that when done right – whether it is a perfect lavander or an almost midnight – can be rich or subtle, strong and delicate.
Who dat?
Only in New Orleans is PURPLE done correctly, so for Mardi Gras (and for me) it is purple.
I can’t pick just one. My alma mater and now my place of work (and four blocks from my house) and essentially my home for a very long time has the colors purple and gold. We bleed purple and gold :) unintendend we wear purple, we paint our walls in our house purple and creams, we drape gold jewelry, paint our faces, streak our hair (yes, I do have small purple streaks dyed into my hair)… purple and gold all the way. We ARE Royal.
I love the gold collection of bracelets I’ve aquired over the years. My eldest daughters favorite color is green. But I’d have to pick purple as it is my youngest daughters passion. She looks forward to her King Cake every year & would be tickled to know it was her favorite color that won her this Ultimate Cake!
Did I mention the oldest is 27 & the youngest is 7 …..
I love all three colors!
As a New Orleanean-in-exile here in the icy North East I’d have to say a combination of the three, but if I had to choose one it’d be the purple. NOLA does the purple just right.
Wow,this is a great giveaway…I was born and raised in Lafayette,LA so I know about king cakes…yum! But 10 years ago we moved to MI,where I was able to find them at kroger, but now we just moved to VA & they don’t have them here. :( So hopefully I can win this for my girls who left Lafayette when they were toddlers/infants.My fave color is purple…I just think it’s so pretty…expecially in winter where it’s snowy & gloomy.I also love purple wallpaper.
Gold!
Green for the faith that it represents.
I was a south Alabama girl growing up so I love Mardi Gras and king cake! Mine would have to be purple because it is just such a fun color!!
Though others would think they are a bit gaudy together – as a former New Orleanian, I just love the three colors together — Mardi Gras remains my favorite season!
Purple is the best color because it is so unique to Mardi Gras and NOLA!
green…bright and optimistic, a glimpse of the spring to come
Oh my, I’ve been craving King Cake! Yum. I love the gold!
I love green, in all its hues, and especially all mixed together.
gold!
I didn’t think I liked metallic colors that much until I saw a canvas painted only gold. It was so beautiful and it looked even better in the sun. So out of the three Mardi Gras colors purple, gold, and green I would have to say gold. (even though I love the other two as well )
Green! It makes my red hair much more vibrant.
Purple!!! It was my mom’s favorite color, it was my alma mater school color and growing up my entire room was purple! Purple is definitely my favorite color.
Green! Guess it’s the Irish in me. :) The 3 Mardi Gras colors arent’ ones I’d have put together but they’re so festive & rich that it was meant to be. :) Happy Mardi Gras!
Gold! I absolutely love all the Mardi Gras colors, though!
Gold which is really funny because most of my life I hated the color, thinking it was tacky and over the top. Then about two years ago I suddenly developed a love for all things shiny and gold (within what I like to think is good taste). Now my sister has to refrain me from buying jewelry, clothing, and other items just because they glisten in the sun. I guess I must be part magpie.
P.S. I tried King Cake two years ago and ended up with the infant. I was told it would bring me good luck, and nothing about buying next year’s cake! I guess I’m a little behind on doing my part, but that’s what I get for eating the cake with a bunch of Californians.
Green! I love all the shades of green in the world…
Green is definitely my favorite of the three but they each have their place… but…If I had my choice which color I’d like to be, painted head to toe, for a day I’d probably have to pick purple!
Purple. It’s a fun, happy color!!
Green :)
I love Green! Especially in a deep jewel tone. It’s just so lush.
Mardi Gras actually originated in Mobile, AL. Just FYI! :) Happy Fat Tuesday everyone!
Green for sure…the color of Spring and new life!
At the moment I would have to say green, because I just took a leisurely cruiser ride along the base of the Sonoma Mountains, and they are the most perfect hues of bright, lucious green right now! It was such a feast for my eyes – I couldn’t get my fill of looking at their dazzling verdant slopes!
Green for sure! I’d love to win this as a gift for a friend who was just telling me about these awesome cakes! :)
Purple. It’s fun and flirty.
Purple it is! It’s always been my absolute favorite color. The stone in my engagement ring is a vibrant purple sapphire – the girls at the shop still remember it a year and a half later when my fiance and I have visited to look at wedding bands! He’s German, so even though I’ve never been to Mardi Gras I had a blast at Karneval in Cologne a few years ago – they throw a wicked party over there. There’s nothing like eye-popping color, crazy costumes, and scrumptious pastry to invigorate a dreary gray winter, no matter what continent you’re on!
Purple……so royal!
PURPLE!!!!
green! :)
Green…of course!! Green is the color of all things magical!!