Houston, TXKing Cake

Houstonia dates this River Oaks bakery to 1973 and names Mary and Patrice Ramain as its founders. The Houston Chronicle says customers beeline past the croissants, almond tarts and eclairs for king cake, and records both styles under one roof: a ten inch New Orleans round with almond, cream cheese or cinnamon filling, and a French galette des rois of puff pastry and almond cream that needs 24 hours notice. Order the galette if you plan ahead, and the cinnamon king cake roll if you do not.

The Houston Chronicle tells the origin story: the team went to a baking convention in Louisiana more than a decade ago, visited nine bakeries there, and came home to write their own bead-covered cake. Houstonia dates the business to 1949. Filling choices run to cream cheese, strawberry cream cheese, raspberry cream cheese and pecan praline, with a plain cinnamon version alongside. Order the pecan praline by the slice in store first, then commit to a whole one.

Chef Sara Brook's Upper Kirby bakery makes two king cakes in an eight inch size, both on flaky Danish dough under royal icing and purple, green and gold sugars. Houstonia describes the praline crunch version as the one for traditionalists with a taste for adventure, and the plain cinnamon as the straight read. The Houston Chronicle adds the frosted butter cookies cut as masks and crowns. Order the praline crunch and a mask cookie for the drive.

Houstonia points out what makes this Midtown Gulf Coast dining room useful during Carnival: it is one of the few places to eat king cake in house rather than carry a whole one home to the fridge. The cake on the menu is small, feeds four, hides a baby and is filled with strawberry jam and cream cheese, as both Houstonia and the Houston Chronicle describe it. Order it at the table. Whole cakes to go need 48 hours notice.

The Houston Chronicle files this 96-year-old Bellaire Boulevard bakery under go-to for all things dessert and lists the Mardi Gras range: a small king cake that serves ten to fifteen, a large one that serves at least twenty, raspberry or cream cheese filling for a few dollars more, or a combination of the two, beads included. Order the small cake with the combination filling, and add the Mardi Gras cookies and cupcakes the Chronicle mentions alongside.