Kings’ Day, or the Epiphany, is one of the most cherished holidays in Louisiana and around the world. One of the ways in which people celebrate the official start to Carnival season (also known as the Pre-Lenten period) is with king cakes, desserts that typically come in the form of a sweet brioche dough in the shape of a hollow circle topped with glaze sprinkled with colored sugar.
King Cake Hub, the brainchild of Will Samuels, is a retailer that compiles all of the best king cake options in New Orleans into one easy-to-use shopping experience. Customers are able to order king cakes from a variety of bakeries through the website and then pick up those cakes at a single location.
In December of 2018, King Cake Hub announced its new physical location based at the Mystère Mansion, home of the Mortuary Haunted House. It features king cakes from around New Orleans and Southeast Louisiana’s favorite bakeries including Gambino’s Bakery, Cannata’s King Cakes, Hi-Do Bakery, Bywater Bakery, and Girls Gone Vegan.
“We had a phenomenal first season with Carnival, 2019, and we are delighted to return to the Mystère Mansion for 2020,” says Samuels. “The location was in the heart of the city, the staff was great to work with, and the whole aspect of being inside this legendary haunted mansion and iconic New Orleans landmark made for the perfect environment in which to launch King Cake Hub.”
For 2020, King Cake Hub has expanded its partnerships. In addition to its original five, the retailer has added Caluda's Bakery, the Culinary Arts program of the New Orleans Center for Creative Arts (NOCCA), Sugar Love Cakes, District DSB, Chef Amy Boudreaux of Zuppardo's, and Mayhew Bakery. In all, there are over 50 varieties of king cakes available daily beginning Monday, January 6.
King Cake Hub will offer its own creation: The Epiphany King Cake. This new variety was developed in partnership with Gambino’s Bakery and features classic dough honoring over 70 years of Carnival tradition topped with what is describes as “a modern twist of your new favorite cream cheese icing.”
NOCCA’s Satsuma Almond King Cake, which will be available at King Cake Hub, is described by the school as “a flaky puff pastry with rich almond paste and cream cheese filled with a bright, refreshing, citrus filling using satsumas supplied by our partners at Press Street Gardens.”
NOCCA’s king cake will be a part of the King Cake Coterie, the exclusive King Cake of the Week club. Each week members of the Coterie will receive a specialty king cake by one of the top bakers in the area made exclusively for the Coterie.
One of the newest king cakes available for the club is the Dragon Claw, courtesy of Caluda's. It has a flaky laminate danish dough (made with butter) and a cream cheese icing.
