Bake Like a Royal Toddler: Little King Cakes - No. 179

Festive but easy on the 12th day of Christmas

EVERYTHING ABOUT THIS CHRISTMAS was crazy. Covid, Southwest flight disruptions, freakish snow, and to accommodate everyone’s whacky travel schedules we extended the opening of gifts over several days.

The Christmas tree is still up with lights. As are the stockings. And although my mother said it was bad luck to not pull all that down by the new year, I am disregarding her warnings. This year, I’m reveling in a full 12 days of Christmas.

And while I always thought the idea of baking a king cake on Jan. 6–Epiphany—was a lot to ask for after all the December indulgence, this year we’d be crazy not to, right?

Why King Cake?

Friday is Epiphany, or Three Kings Day, the day Christians believe Jesus was revealed to the three wise men and through their story to the world. The word ‘’Epiphany’’ comes from the Greek meaning ‘’to reveal.’’ We have epiphanies about a lot of things in life.

My epiphany for Epiphany was to bake little king cakes that accomplished several things. They would resemble the larger, grander King Cake I shared this time last year. That cake is rooted in the baking of Europe, and while we associate it with New Orleans and Mardi Gras, it is older—French, Basque, Spanish—an over-the-top presentation involving yeast, spices, and dried fruit.

I also wanted to use up ingredients already in my pantry so no trip to the store. I hoped to bake something our house full of people might enjoy at breakfast. And I needed to keep a three-year-old busy.

With my granddaughter still visiting and the kitchen table in full craft mode these last two weeks, we baked little coffee cakes scented with lemon you might make any day of the year, but after festive decoration looked like they got hit by the Mardi Gras parade.

She loved it.