Ask DCist: Three Kings Cake
I am looking for information on Mexican bakeries in the D.C. area where I might be able to get a Three Kings Cake next month. Thought you folks at DCist might have ideas.
Whether it’s called Rosca des Reyes, Dreikönigskuchen, Galette des Rois, or a Three Kings Cake, it’s time to start thinking about ordering one, should you choose to extend your holiday celebrations into the new year. January 6 marks the Christian Feast of the Epiphany -- the day on which Kings Gaspar, Balthazar and Melchior (played by George Clooney, Mark Wahlberg, and Ice Cube in the movie version) allegedly presented gold, frankincense, and myrrh to kid Jesus in Bethlehem.
Three Kings Cake varies among cultures. German Dreikönigskuchen is often filled with pecans and fruit, whereas Spanish Epiphany Bread -- or Rosca des Reyes -- is more of a brioche “in the shape of a crown” and flavored with lemon and orange zest, brandy, orange flower water, candied fruits, and almonds. French Galette des Rois is a puff pastry filled with almond cream, sweetened with simple syrup icing. Its relative from New Orleans -- a fruit-soaked, rainbow jimmies concoction -- is much less traditional.
Part of what makes the cakes so appealing is the custom of baking a coin, crown, bean, or baby figurine inside. According to various lore, the recipient of the item was either: a) a king or queen of a festival, b) a lucky person, or c) an unlucky one, in that he or she was required to pay for the next celebration.
DCist especially likes England’s embrace of January 6 as Twelfth Night, the last night of merry making before returning to the grind. For your last night of merry making, you may order your Three Kings Cake from several area bakeries, including:
Breadline. 1751 Pennsylvania Avenue NW. (202) 822-8900.
Breadline’s cake is more Spanish than French, in that it includes brandied fruit, lemon zest, and orange flower water, with a fava bean baked inside. Please order cakes at least 48 hours before pickup. Cakes cost between $9 and $12 and serve up to eight people.
La Madeleine. 3000 M Street NW. (202) 337-6975.
La Madeleine’s French cakes comes with the baby on the side. The bakery is taking orders now, but “we couldn’t keep up with last year’s demand,” said one employee. That means you should order soon. Cakes that serve eight are $15.
Heller’s Bakery. 3221 Mount Pleasant Street NW. (202)265-1169.
This German bakery offers a pecan cake as well as the New Orleans’ brandied fruit and rainbow sprinkles cake. Although other bakeries replace the baby with a bean or place it outside the cake, this one maintains the tradition. Don't choke on Jesus. Cakes for eight people run $15.
Stella’s Bakery. 11510 Rockville Pike, Rockville, Md. (301) 231-9026.
They’re busy! They will have Galettes des Rois, but you might want to either call after December 25 or visit.
(Incidentially, both locations of Tacos Pepitos Bakery used to take orders for Three Kings Cakes, but neither has done so since 2004.)