Mardi Gras season in Shreveport-Bossier officially began with the Twelfth Night Celebration on Jan. 7. But for many locals, the season really arrives with the year’s first delicious slice of king cake. King cakes are abundant in Shreveport-Bossier’s bakeries, restaurants, and hardware stores (we’ll explain that last one later), and local varieties of the traditional cake can be incredibly different. No two are quite the same.
A few local king cakes that we’re fond of are:
Lilah’s Deli & Bakery’s Peanut Butter and Chocolate
In their first year, Lilah’s sold 35 king cakes. This year, they expect to sell 800 or more, shipping them as far away as California. Owner Sopan Tike is a Highland neighborhood treasure, and this year he’s adding two new options to his 15-flavor menu of king cakes: sugar-free and gluten-free. Their peanut butter and chocolate is among the most unique we’ve tasted.
Tubbs Hardware’s Xtreme Praline
Tubbs Hardware expects to sell upwards of 6,000 king cakes this Mardi Gras season, shipping them all over the United States. Owner Don Tubbs is most satisfied by the number of King Cakes he ships to one city in particular: New Orleans. “It thrills me how many of our king cakes go to New Orleans and they like our cake so much they put it in the top 3,” Tubbs said. “There’s several customers in the French Quarter and the Garden District and they compare our king cakes to Haydel’s and Randazzo’s bakeries, even though ours is made right here in town.” There’s no better example of why these cakes are popular than the Xtreme Praline.
Julie Anne’s Bakery & Cafe’s Blueberries and Cream
It may not be their most exotic creation (they’ll put anything “feasible” inside of a king cake), but this blueberry filling just perfectly compliments the bakery’s signature sweet dough. For my money, a slice of this cake accompanied by a hot cup of coffee is just about as good as it gets.
We’ve had our say. Which is your favorite local king cake?
