The King of Cakes

New Orleans bakers are reimagining Louisiana's most iconic pastry

- CHELSEA BRASTED

GROWING UP in New Orleans, Kaitlin Guerin remembers that every Carnival season was sweetened with appearances by king cakes.There were plenty of big, cinnamon-flecked, glazed slabs of braided brioche to choose from. And she notes that back then, "It would have been ridiculous to spend more than $20 on one."

But those delicious confections of Guerin's youth are nothing like the small-batch, delicately flavored kinds that she sells today. King cakes and their cult followings have helped fuel a revival of neighborhood bakeries across the area, including her own place, Lagniappe Bakehouse, in New Orleans' Central City. "People really want king cake during Mardi Gras, now more so than ever," Guerin says.