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

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Growing up in New Orleans, Kaitlin Guerin remembers that every Carnival season was sweetened with appearances by king cakes. —

Chelsea Brasted, Southern Living, 13 Jan. 2025 The big picture: Some New Orleans bakeries will ship king cakes to those who aren't blessed to live in the land of Carnival. —

Carlie Kollath Wells, Axios, 10 Jan. 2025 The French holiday maintains a presence in the U.S. with Americans holding parades, eating king cakes and crafting beads with the green, purple and gold color scheme. —

Olivia Munson, USA TODAY, 3 Jan. 2025 Austin has plenty of spots offering up king cakes this year. —

Kelsey Bradshaw, Austin American-Statesman, 7 Feb. 2024 See all Example Sentences for king cake