Louisiana, Why Don’t We Have Edible King Cake Babies Yet?
Unfortunately, one of the most fun Mardi Gras traditions has for the most part, become a thing of the past, and for understandable reasons.
However, with a little bit of Louisiana ingenuity, we may be able to bring it back.
When I was a kid, one of my favorite things about Mardi Gras was finding the baby in the king cake. I would zero in on it like a chicken hawk huntin' for a chicken.
I was just a kid, so it's not like anyone expected me to buy the next king cake.
These days the baby is no longer hidden inside the king cake by the bakery...but maybe it could be.
King Cake Baby Tradition
Did you know the king cake baby represents Jesus?
Oh, and they used to be made of porcelain.
Ouch! Now that would definitely chip a tooth.
Traditionally, a small plastic baby is hidden inside a king cake to celebrate the Christian faith.
There is also a bit of responsibility that comes along with finding the king cake baby.
From Wikipedia -
"The baby symbolizes luck and prosperity to whoever finds it. That person is also responsible for purchasing next year's cake or hosting the next Mardi Gras party.
Bakers have begun placing the baby outside of the cake to avoid liability for any choking hazard."
Edible King Cake Babies
These days, we don't get the little plastic baby hidden inside the king cake.
No one wants to choke to death on a plastic baby, and no one wants to get sued.
Obviously you have the option of hiding the baby in the king cakes yourself, but that just isn't as fun, and someone could still choke on it.
It got me thinking...what if the king cake baby was edible?
If the baby was made out of something like a soft Gummy Bear, we wouldn't have to worry about possibly chipping a tooth or worse.
We would just bite through the baby harmlessly as we enjoy our Mardi Gras manna.
It would also be another thing we could eat, and that's always a good thing.
The only drawback I can think of is that if the baby was made like a Gummy Bear, we would possibly bite through it and eat it without knowing it.
I fail to think that I'm the first person to think of this.
This idea has been explored by every bakery in Louisiana, right?
Why wouldn't an idea like this work? The fact that it's not being done this way leads me to believe there's probably a problem with this revolutionary idea.
However, if it did actually work, it would bring the fun of king cake babies back.
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Gallery Credit: Annalise Mantz