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

Recent Examples on the Web

Though there are no Mardi Gras parades during Super Bowl weekend, visitors will still see touches of the season throughout the city, like decorations of purple, green and gold, and the availability of king cake in local bakeries. —Isaac Avilucea, Axios, 27 Jan. 2025

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

Word History

First Known Use

circa 1741, in the meaning defined above