Looking for King Cakes in Memphis? Here are 14 places to buy this Mardi Gras treat
Laissez les bon temps rouler!
Mardi Gras season officially kicked off Jan. 6 — and that means King Cakes are here.
For those who might not be familiar with King Cakes, a sweet danish dough filled with cinnamon sugar, cream cheese or fruit filling is covered with vanilla icing and decorated with the Mardi Gras colors of purple, green and gold. The person who gets the slice with the plastic baby inside becomes “king” for the day and is bound by custom to host the next party and provide the King Cake.
It’s a fun and tasty tradition that can be enjoyed, not just in New Orleans, but across the country.
It used to be you had to make your own King Cake or order one from New Orleans, but now many Memphis bakeries are making this Mardi Gras treat.
Here are 14 places in Memphis to find a King Cake before Mardi Gras ends March 1.
Take our advice: Place your order early. Most places have a limited number available, especially for Fat Tuesday.
Sweet LaLa’s Bakery
6150 Poplar Ave.; (901) 654-3646; sweetlalas.com
Sweet LaLa’s Bakery makes King Cakes for special orders. “We think what makes ours the best is our risen dough and made-from-scratch cream cheese and cinnamon filling,” owner Lauren Young said. Sweet LaLa’s King Cakes are approximately 10 inches and feed 15. The cost is $32. Orders should be placed at least 48 hours in advance.
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Donut Hutt
1016 W. Poplar Ave., Suite 111, Collierville; (901) 861-4404; donuthutt.com
Donut Hutt is making several flavors of King Cakes. Choose from traditional cinnamon or one filled with your choice of cream cheese, raspberry, strawberry or lemon. Cakes are available in two sizes. The medium (serves 14-18) is $30 for the traditional cinnamon and $39 filled. The large (serves 25) is $49 for the traditional cinnamon and $59 filled. A limited number of cakes will be available in the case, but preorders are recommended.
La Baguette
3088 Poplar Ave.; (901) 458-0900; labaguettememphis.com
French bakery La Baguette has been making King Cakes for decades. The 12-inch King Cakes are made from danish dough and are cinnamon cream cheese flavored. You should allow two days for special orders. The cost is $28.50, which includes tax.
Lucy J’s Bakery
1350 Concourse Ave.; (901) 257-9206; lucyjbakery.com
Lucy J’s Bakery in Crosstown Concourse is making King Cakes in both cinnamon pecan and cream cheese flavors. The King Cake is a special order item and costs $15. It feeds six to eight. They request a 48-hour notice for special order items.
Prima’s Bakery and Boutique
523 S. Main St.; (901) 352-4193; primasbakeryandboutique.com
Prima’s Bakery and Boutique in Downtown Memphis makes a cinnamon cream cheese King Cake for special orders. It’s filled with orange and lemon zest with a thin ribbon of cinnamon cream cheese baked into the cake. A sweet vanilla glaze covers the top. The cost is $45. Rachel Mullen, who runs the bakery, is also making Mardi Gras-themed French macaron cookies, petit fours, doughnuts and iced sugar cookies. Orders should be placed online. A 48-hour notice is required for special order items, but Mullen recommends you order early to secure your desired pickup date and time.
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Kay Bakery
667 Avon Road; (901) 767-0780
King Cakes at Kay Bakery are only available in the traditional cinnamon flavor. A special order item, this King Cake feeds 10. The cost is $14.50. Cakes are available in the case, but preorders are recommended.
The Ginger’s Bread & Co.
(901) 870-3927; thegingersbread.com
The Ginger’s Bread & Co. is offering King Cakes in two flavors. A traditionally decorated King Cake comes in a cinnamon sugar flavor and a praline flavor filled and topped with caramel and pecans. Each cake is made with a classic brioche dough. Choose from a large ($14 for the traditional and $18 for the praline) or a mini ($4.50 for the traditional and $5 for the praline) that feeds one or two. Owner Jimmy Hoxie will also be making pralines, fleur-de-lis cookies and bananas foster muffins for the holiday. Orders can be placed online.
Farm and Fig
800 Cooper St.; (901) 483-8282; farmandfigcatering.com
Farm and Fig is offering a 9-inch braided King Cake. The buttery cinnamon filled cake is topped with a vanilla glaze and the traditional gold, green and purple sugars. It costs $30 and feeds eight to 10. They request a 48-hour notice for special order items.
St. Michael's Catholic Church
3863 Summer Ave.; stmichaelmemphis.com
Father Ben Bradshaw and his volunteer crew at St. Michael's Catholic Church will be baking King Cakes for Mardi Gras weekend. Cakes are available in Nutella, salted caramel, cherry and apple flavors. Each cake is $30. Order online prior to Feb. 21. Pickup is Feb. 25 and 26 at the church.
Memphis Whistle
2299 Young Ave.; (901) 236-7136; memphiswhistle.com
Memphis Whistle, a new Cooper-Young cocktail bar, is making mini King Cakes that serve one or two people. Amanda Hicks, who owns the bar with her husband, Jef, makes the mini King Cakes from scratch daily using a cinnamon roll recipe from her childhood. She ices them with a homemade cream cheese icing spiked with a cinnamon-infused rum that Jef makes for the bar. While most King Cakes will come with the traditional baby, a few will have a mini moonshine bottle instead. "If you get the bottle, you get a free Whistle drink," Amanda said. The cakes are $5 each and are available daily until they run out. Orders can be placed in advance.
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Carrington's Catering
7946 Fischer Steele Road, Cordova; (901) 481-4206; carringtonscatering.com
Carrington's Catering will be taking special orders for King Cakes. Each cream cheese-filled cake is about a 12-inch ring. Choose from flavors such as cherry, brown sugar cinnamon and apple. Each cake is $34, and cakes can be picked up at Memphis Kitchen Co-Op. To order, text (901) 481-4206 or email info@carringtonscatering.com.
Gibson’s Donuts
760 Mt. Moriah Road; (901) 682-8200
Gibson’s Donuts owner Don DeWeese credits their popular King Cake doughnuts to his son Britton. Britton makes these specialty doughnuts from the shop’s cinnamon roll dough. They will start appearing in the shop case the last week of February. They are also available by special order.
Bluff Cakes
7946 Fischer Steele Road, Cordova; bluffcakes.com
Bluff Cakes will be making King Cakes for special orders. Each cake feeds 12. A traditional cinnamon sugar cake is $40, and specialty flavors are available for $50. Cakes can be picked up at Memphis Kitchen Co-Op. Orders should be placed online.
Thomas Meat & Seafood Market
642 W. Poplar Ave., Collierville; (901) 221-8584; thomasmeatandseafoods.com
Thomas Meat & Seafood Market does not make King Cakes, but it does order them from the world-famous Gambino’s Bakery in New Orleans. They try to keep two flavors in stock during Mardi Gras season. Choose from traditional praline ($24.99) or cream cheese ($29.99). They have a limited number in stock, so reserve early.
Jennifer Chandler is the Food & Dining reporter at The Commercial Appeal. She can be reached at jennifer.chandler@commercialappeal.com and you can follow her on Twitter and Instagram at @cookwjennifer.
This article originally appeared on Memphis Commercial Appeal: King Cakes in Memphis: 14 places to buy this Mardi Gras treat
