It wouldn’t be Mardi Gras without copious amounts of king cake to put the “fat” in Fat Tuesday. We love these sugary treats at parties, balls and sometimes even the breakfast table, but how often do we think about all the work that goes into them? Meet a few of the people who make Mardi Gras happen for our taste buds: the bakers of Baton Rouge.
Allison Offner
Owner of Cupcake Allie
How many orders are you handling for Mardi Gras balls per weekend?
Between the two locations, probably 30 or 40. We do cake ball favors for place settings, cupcakes and king cake towers. Some people just want a bite, but others are full spreads to go with all these elaborate table decorations.
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How does delivery work with those tables?
We find the easiest thing is using disposable wares for towers and things like that. The last thing you want to do when you leave a ball is have to be responsible for anything—for most people it’s hard enough to find their shoes or their purse, and I may be speaking from experience.
How did you prepare for the season?
We had a game plan—definitely ordering-wise too, with our suppliers—so we had decorations and supplies on hand. Any new staff we had, we made sure they were prepped for the craziness that would ensue. If you can be prepped and ahead of the game and know what to expect, then things run much smoother. And our king cake dough is different from our usual cupcake batter, so we make sure we’re making that ahead of time and letting the yeast work.
Carly Erwin
Manager, Baum’s Fine Pastries & Chocolates
What’s the average number of orders you’re filling for a Mardi Gras ball weekend?
Earlier in the season it’s not as many, but as [Mardi Gras] gets closer we have more and more. Right now on Fridays and Saturdays, it’s about 150 to 200 cakes.
How much prep work goes into the season?
It’s a lot. We have the dough, the fillings—we have about 25 different flavor combinations, so it’s a lot of work to make all of those fillings and have everything ready. On top of that, there’s making the glaze, dyeing the sugar, so we have to have everything ready.
What’s the key for a bakery to keep it all together during the carnival season?
I would say organization. Just being prepared and planning out what’s coming. There are some things you can have ready in advance, like the colored sugar. Do all the prep work as early as possible, and then just be prepared and know when the big weekends are coming. We already have all the boards labeled for the cakes, so as they come out, the board’s ready. We put them on the boards, we bag them and we put them out. You just have to stay organized.
Nikki Kendrick
Customer service rep, Ambrosia Bakery & Deli
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How many king cakes does Ambrosia bake per week?
Oh, it’s hard to even count. We’re probably doing about 200 a day, so for the week, it’s got to be in the thousands. We had one order last week that was 138 cakes. It’s crazy.
What does the bakery do differently during the Mardi Gras season to handle so many extra orders?
We hired an overnight crew, which we usually don’t have. So we have people working all night. There are about 10 to 15 extra people at night baking king cakes. We’re baking around the clock. You can get it about 25 or 30 different ways, so there’s a lot to keep up with. We have a delivery person bringing the cakes out, and when she can’t do it, one of the owners will do it instead.
What’s keeping this machine running in the carnival madness?
The employees working nonstop. If it wasn’t for the people working here, this would not be happening. The girls in the call centers, to the guys baking the king cakes, to the girl that decorates them, it’s just all these people working around the clock, nonstop.