Louisiana’s Mardi Gras season has kicked off with traditional masses and the northwest region’s first parade is next week. This means it’s also the season of the king cake – the decadent yearly indulgence of flour, sugar and butter.
Most bakeries have been behind the scenes, stocking up and preparing for the booming baking season in Louisiana.
Here’s what they’ve been up to and what bakers have planned for this year:
Early preparation comes with little sleep. Sopan Tike starts baking at 6 a.m. and is home past midnight most days during the season.Husband and wife owners Sopan and Lisa Tike have been hard at work preparing for king cake season since November.
“There are even some days he sleeps in our van,” Lisa Tike said.
Sopan Tike can make up to 70 king cakes per batch at the peak of the season, and “we’re making five to seven batches every day,” he said.
Lisa Tike said year-round she and her husband operate the bakery by themselves but for Mardi Gras and king cake season they hire six to eight additional employees.
The Tikes’ secret to great king cakes: fresh everyday, and never frozen.
“Sometimes, during our busiest time of the season customers may get a king cake that is still warm because we bake them all day,” Lisa Tike said.
Lilah’s offers king cakes in four sizes ranging from mini to extra-large. The bakery offers 25 varieties.
No Mardi Gras party is complete without a fresh king cake from a local bakery like Lilah’s in Shreveport.
Read more: https://www.shreveporttimes.com/story/life/2016/01/12/king-cake-season-full-swing/78673308/