Can someone please explain to me what a King Cake is? I know it's popular for Mardi Gras. I was asked to make one for a church function and I'm not certain what it is exactly. Any help would be appreciated.
I've never made one, but I found this at allrecipes.com. It's from Southern Living, and you can't go wrong there! 
http://cake.allrecipes.com/az/SthrnLivingmgzinsKingCk.asp
They are like a yeast raised coffee cake kind of thing. You bake them in a circle and then ice them with a simple frosting and put purple, gold and green colored sugar over that. After it is baked you also hide a small plastic doll inside - who ever finds it is king or queen of the day and has to make the cake for the next year's celebration. I make them every year for DD French class.
Here are a couple of sites with a picture of it:
http://www.holidays.net/mardigras/cake.htm
http://www.gumbopages.com/food/dessert/king-cake.html
Oh wow - it's not really a cake at all! Thank you all for your responses. I was thinking it was the cake with the strings that you pull? Can you tell I'm a Northerner?
My question is - doesn't the plastic baby melt when you bake the cake?
Quote by @%username% on %date%
%body%