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Message
TulaneLSU's Top 10 king cakes of 2021
Posted on 2/3/21 at 4:27 pm
Posted on 2/3/21 at 4:27 pm
Dear Friends,
Ecclesiastes includes that famous line, "To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven." We are in the heart of king cake season, and I have spent the last three weeks eating over 85 varieties of king cakes.
I do not consider myself an authority on king cakes because King cakes, at least in my view, are not a very good type of cake. It is for this reason I name only my top ten, not an authoritative "Top 10 best king cakes" list as many websites do. I believe each of us is entitled to his own opinion and wish for no great arguments or disagreements when releasing such a list. When it comes to cakes, I can name ten types of cakes I like more, not the least of which would be Doberge (Maurice's, Haydel's, and Robert's have the best), cookie (GACC), Battenberg (Selfridge's), black and white cookie (which is really a cake; Zabar’s, Caputo’s, and Publix), and pound (Grandfather).
King cakes, really since Katrina sparked a new found pride in all things New Orleans, have become a standard-bearer, just like the poorboy, sno-ball, and muffuletta. It is the least impressive of these standards, but perhaps, due to its temporal scarcity, has become the most fiercely contested and adored by its followers. That people stand in line for some of them is, as many here have noted, ridiculous.
To solve this problem, several ambitious food sellers have opened king cake stores. Uptowners and MidCitiers know well the new King Cake Hub that offers king cakes from about 20 different bakeries. Another reseller that sources multiple bakery's cakes is found at Flavors Sno-balls in Kenner, which made TulaneLSU's Top 10 sno-balls. I suspect by next year there will be a few more king cake markets. It is an untapped gold mine.
King cakes are adored in our household because of the deep Christian symbolism in them. We take great care to keep every baby Jesus found in the cakes. Our collection is well into the 1000s now, a collection that dates back three generations. I have always wanted to go to a king cake baby factory to see how the presently plastic babies are made. If anyone has any information on this matter, please share. Even if that means making a trip to China, if it meant a tour of the factory, I think I could convince Mother to make the journey with me. Until then, I shall leave you with TulaneLSU's Top 10 king cakes of 2021:
10. Brennan's strawberry cream cheese
Brennan's bought The Napoleon House and now they have moved into king cakes. Even though I am not a huge fan of their restaurants, TNH has never been better and their king cakes are phenomenal. I also like the pink box. The chocolate one was one of my favorites, but I could not have a newcomer grab two top ten spots, this year at least.
9. La Louisiane cream cheese
My family thinks I'm nuts when I rave to them that Sam's (not Walmart) sells a better king cake than Randazzo's, Caluda's, and Gambino's combined. It is just $16, making it the best traditional king cake deal available today. It is also the prettiest.
8. Cake Cafe and Bakery goat cheese and apple
They're back! This type of king cake is for a more refined palate than most king cake eaters have, but it is worthy of a baker's display case. Superb flavors.
[/b]
7. Maurice's Pontchatoula
(not my photo)
Perhaps the least traditional on my list, this cream filled, strawberry topped dessert is worthy of being featured at a fine restaurant. The dough is perfect.
6. Haydel's traditional
I boycotted Haydel's several years ago when they began selling off-season king cakes. But this year, for you, my friends, I returned and remembered why it was my favorite. Of all the so-called traditional cakes out there, this is head and shoulders above the rest. Perhaps we will start collecting the baby Jesus figurines from here again.
5. Hi-Do traditional
Uncle gets us at least one Hi-Do annually. To me, it tastes like a better made McKenzie's. I am grateful they use cinnamon only sparingly. The real winner at Hi-Do is not the king cake, though. Next time you're there get one of the croissants. My favorite is the chocolate ones. Best croissants in the city!
4. District Donuts old school
The prettiest king cake available for any traditionalist, even more so than the one from La Louisiane. Its rainbow beading with cherry on top will take any boomer or Xer back in time. See for yourself.
3. New Orleans Cake Cafe and Bakery raspberry cream cheese
Arguably, this little Bywater eatery served the best breakfast in town when it was open. The owners made a return to the cooking scene this Carnival season with their king cakes, and the raspberry cream is excellent. At $32 it is one of the most expensive ones, but you can taste the ingredient quality and know that a portion goes to help NOCCA. Plus it is the only cake that gives you two baby Jesus figures! My only criticism is the dye in the icing stains worse than Easter egg dye stains.
2. Dong Phuong cream cheese
It has been nearly twenty years since I had my first cake from the East, and I have been slow to come around to it. Even last year, it was just #4. Each year is creeps its way higher and higher. Could it possibly knock off the reigning #1 next year?
1. Tastee, Kenner
Perhaps the most striking thing I learned during this quest to find my favorite king cake is the great diversity in Tastee donut king cakes. I may now understand why so many people scoff when I say Tastee's donut king cake is the best -- it is because at several of the Tastee locations they do not really sell a donut king cake. Instead, they offer what tastes like a baked cinnamon roll, as pictured above. Others have the donut king cake, but they are days from being fresh. Only the Tastee in Kenner on Loyola, next to Kenner Seafood, is consistently great. Let me emphasize that last sentence: you must go to the Tastee in Kenner to get the real Tastee donut king cake. And be sure to get the fried oval, not the donut holes shaped into a king cake. The real Tastee king cake's greatness is undisputed once again this year. While other bakeries gouge the public Tastee's award winning ring is still just $13. Do not waste your time with the old McKenzie's style either. Stop in and tell them TulaneLSU sent you.
Most truly yours,
TulaneLSU
P.S. For previous Top 10 lists, refer to:
TulaneLSU's Top 10 king cakes of 2020
TulaneLSU's Top 10 king cakes of 2012
Ecclesiastes includes that famous line, "To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven." We are in the heart of king cake season, and I have spent the last three weeks eating over 85 varieties of king cakes.
I do not consider myself an authority on king cakes because King cakes, at least in my view, are not a very good type of cake. It is for this reason I name only my top ten, not an authoritative "Top 10 best king cakes" list as many websites do. I believe each of us is entitled to his own opinion and wish for no great arguments or disagreements when releasing such a list. When it comes to cakes, I can name ten types of cakes I like more, not the least of which would be Doberge (Maurice's, Haydel's, and Robert's have the best), cookie (GACC), Battenberg (Selfridge's), black and white cookie (which is really a cake; Zabar’s, Caputo’s, and Publix), and pound (Grandfather).
King cakes, really since Katrina sparked a new found pride in all things New Orleans, have become a standard-bearer, just like the poorboy, sno-ball, and muffuletta. It is the least impressive of these standards, but perhaps, due to its temporal scarcity, has become the most fiercely contested and adored by its followers. That people stand in line for some of them is, as many here have noted, ridiculous.
To solve this problem, several ambitious food sellers have opened king cake stores. Uptowners and MidCitiers know well the new King Cake Hub that offers king cakes from about 20 different bakeries. Another reseller that sources multiple bakery's cakes is found at Flavors Sno-balls in Kenner, which made TulaneLSU's Top 10 sno-balls. I suspect by next year there will be a few more king cake markets. It is an untapped gold mine.
King cakes are adored in our household because of the deep Christian symbolism in them. We take great care to keep every baby Jesus found in the cakes. Our collection is well into the 1000s now, a collection that dates back three generations. I have always wanted to go to a king cake baby factory to see how the presently plastic babies are made. If anyone has any information on this matter, please share. Even if that means making a trip to China, if it meant a tour of the factory, I think I could convince Mother to make the journey with me. Until then, I shall leave you with TulaneLSU's Top 10 king cakes of 2021:
10. Brennan's strawberry cream cheese
Brennan's bought The Napoleon House and now they have moved into king cakes. Even though I am not a huge fan of their restaurants, TNH has never been better and their king cakes are phenomenal. I also like the pink box. The chocolate one was one of my favorites, but I could not have a newcomer grab two top ten spots, this year at least.
9. La Louisiane cream cheese
My family thinks I'm nuts when I rave to them that Sam's (not Walmart) sells a better king cake than Randazzo's, Caluda's, and Gambino's combined. It is just $16, making it the best traditional king cake deal available today. It is also the prettiest.
8. Cake Cafe and Bakery goat cheese and apple
They're back! This type of king cake is for a more refined palate than most king cake eaters have, but it is worthy of a baker's display case. Superb flavors.
[/b]
7. Maurice's Pontchatoula
(not my photo) Perhaps the least traditional on my list, this cream filled, strawberry topped dessert is worthy of being featured at a fine restaurant. The dough is perfect.
6. Haydel's traditional
I boycotted Haydel's several years ago when they began selling off-season king cakes. But this year, for you, my friends, I returned and remembered why it was my favorite. Of all the so-called traditional cakes out there, this is head and shoulders above the rest. Perhaps we will start collecting the baby Jesus figurines from here again.
5. Hi-Do traditional
Uncle gets us at least one Hi-Do annually. To me, it tastes like a better made McKenzie's. I am grateful they use cinnamon only sparingly. The real winner at Hi-Do is not the king cake, though. Next time you're there get one of the croissants. My favorite is the chocolate ones. Best croissants in the city!
4. District Donuts old school
The prettiest king cake available for any traditionalist, even more so than the one from La Louisiane. Its rainbow beading with cherry on top will take any boomer or Xer back in time. See for yourself.
3. New Orleans Cake Cafe and Bakery raspberry cream cheese
Arguably, this little Bywater eatery served the best breakfast in town when it was open. The owners made a return to the cooking scene this Carnival season with their king cakes, and the raspberry cream is excellent. At $32 it is one of the most expensive ones, but you can taste the ingredient quality and know that a portion goes to help NOCCA. Plus it is the only cake that gives you two baby Jesus figures! My only criticism is the dye in the icing stains worse than Easter egg dye stains.
2. Dong Phuong cream cheese
It has been nearly twenty years since I had my first cake from the East, and I have been slow to come around to it. Even last year, it was just #4. Each year is creeps its way higher and higher. Could it possibly knock off the reigning #1 next year?
1. Tastee, Kenner
Perhaps the most striking thing I learned during this quest to find my favorite king cake is the great diversity in Tastee donut king cakes. I may now understand why so many people scoff when I say Tastee's donut king cake is the best -- it is because at several of the Tastee locations they do not really sell a donut king cake. Instead, they offer what tastes like a baked cinnamon roll, as pictured above. Others have the donut king cake, but they are days from being fresh. Only the Tastee in Kenner on Loyola, next to Kenner Seafood, is consistently great. Let me emphasize that last sentence: you must go to the Tastee in Kenner to get the real Tastee donut king cake. And be sure to get the fried oval, not the donut holes shaped into a king cake. The real Tastee king cake's greatness is undisputed once again this year. While other bakeries gouge the public Tastee's award winning ring is still just $13. Do not waste your time with the old McKenzie's style either. Stop in and tell them TulaneLSU sent you.
Most truly yours,
TulaneLSU
P.S. For previous Top 10 lists, refer to:
TulaneLSU's Top 10 king cakes of 2020
TulaneLSU's Top 10 king cakes of 2012
This post was edited on 2/3/21 at 4:59 pm
11
Posted on 2/3/21 at 4:46 pm to TulaneLSU
Almond creme dong phuong is the best.
Period
Period
Posted on 2/3/21 at 5:21 pm to TulaneLSU
quote:
and I have spent the last three weeks eating over 85 varieties of king cakes.
Posted on 2/3/21 at 5:37 pm to TulaneLSU
7 and 10 are outstanding.
Posted on 2/3/21 at 5:56 pm to TulaneLSU
Had the coconut king cake from Dong and it has ascended into my number one spot.
Posted on 2/3/21 at 6:42 pm to TulaneLSU
Thank you for all of your top ten lists and write ups! The photographs really take me back home to Louisiana and New Orleans.
Posted on 2/3/21 at 7:51 pm to CnAzInCA
I really want the maurices I need to figure out how to get one
Posted on 2/3/21 at 8:14 pm to TulaneLSU
Friend,
Plastic Baby Jesuses are made in an injection molding machine. If you look, you can see the mold parting line and the nib of plastic where the baby was separated from the gate.
I imagine a decent Baby Jesus mold would shoot on a 50 ton machine, with each shot making maybe 30-40 babies, depending on the mold size. The machine runs virtually unattended once they get it going, and an operator would separate the babies from the gate and send to gate to regrind for use in making more Baby Jesuses later that day or the next. You can send a CAD drawing to China and they will ship you a mold in maybe three weeks. They are very good at making injection molds. Most molds now come from China.
Not that it has anything to do with Baby Jesus, but at one time, I was the world's leading authority on the manufacturing of plastic and paper vaginal applicators for vaginal yeast infection cream delivery. Believe it or not, they are considered a "Pharmaceutical Necessity for Drug Delivery" by the FDA, and fall under the medical device requirements of 21CFR part 800. We made millions and millions of them, for everyone in the business.
Plastic Baby Jesuses are made in an injection molding machine. If you look, you can see the mold parting line and the nib of plastic where the baby was separated from the gate.
I imagine a decent Baby Jesus mold would shoot on a 50 ton machine, with each shot making maybe 30-40 babies, depending on the mold size. The machine runs virtually unattended once they get it going, and an operator would separate the babies from the gate and send to gate to regrind for use in making more Baby Jesuses later that day or the next. You can send a CAD drawing to China and they will ship you a mold in maybe three weeks. They are very good at making injection molds. Most molds now come from China.
Not that it has anything to do with Baby Jesus, but at one time, I was the world's leading authority on the manufacturing of plastic and paper vaginal applicators for vaginal yeast infection cream delivery. Believe it or not, they are considered a "Pharmaceutical Necessity for Drug Delivery" by the FDA, and fall under the medical device requirements of 21CFR part 800. We made millions and millions of them, for everyone in the business.
This post was edited on 2/3/21 at 8:36 pm
Posted on 2/3/21 at 8:52 pm to MeridianDog
Everyone has a favorire king cake..just pick whatever you like....
Posted on 2/3/21 at 9:07 pm to TulaneLSU
Dong Phong is incredible
Haydels for the traditional fix though
Haydels for the traditional fix though
Posted on 2/3/21 at 9:28 pm to Anguyen504
Dong phoung is tasty but I would consider it more of a sweet cream filled strudel than a king cake.
Posted on 2/3/21 at 9:30 pm to TulaneLSU
Antoine's cream cheese is top 5 for sure.
Posted on 2/3/21 at 9:32 pm to tigeralum06
Does antoine’s (west bank) do the original Queen Cake?
This post was edited on 2/3/21 at 9:36 pm
Posted on 2/4/21 at 8:23 am to TulaneLSU
quote:
I boycotted Haydel's several years ago when they began selling off-season king cakes.
Pretty sure Haydel's sells king cakes year round and have been doing it for over 25 years.
Posted on 2/4/21 at 8:44 am to ellishughtiger
quote:and i consider a typical king cake a fricking cinnamon roll with icing.
but I would consider it more of a sweet cream filled strudel than a king cake.
King Cake purists are the devil. 
Posted on 2/4/21 at 1:14 pm to TulaneLSU
No Antoine's and 2 of those aren't actual king cakes...
Posted on 2/4/21 at 1:37 pm to lsuwontonwrap
Pouparts in Lfayette has one identical to the Maurice's Pontchatoula
Posted on 2/4/21 at 3:01 pm to Anguyen504
Almond creme from Dong Phuong is my favorite. Amaretto Walnut from Keller’s is 2nd.
Posted on 2/4/21 at 4:40 pm to CORIMA
quote:
Pouparts in Lfayette has one identical to the Maurice's Pontchatoula
No they dont
Posted on 2/4/21 at 4:48 pm to moontigr
That one from Keller’s is very good. I prefer manny’s over it
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