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Over the years, bakeries across Louisiana have redefined the king cake, treating the Carnival delicacy as a true artform rather than a Mardi Gras tradition to be followed.
The annual confection was once deemed as a ring of brioche infused with cinnamon paste and doused in purple, green and gold sugars. Now, many king cake makers across the Gulf Coast push the recipe’s boundaries.
A THC-infused king cake is one of the latest creations to emerge this Mardi Gras season. A quiet partnership between a Lafayette bakery, which was not named, and a Memphis-based cannabis company are the creators behind it.
Growing up in Lafayette, Collin Bercier — the founder of Ounce of Hope Aquaponic Cannabis — wanted to merge Louisiana culture with his out-of-state business.
“We always try to bring a little bit of Louisiana to Memphis as much as we can,” Bercier said. “King cakes being such a specialty item, it really fits into our edible line, per se, too.”
The THC-infused king cake, which Bercier said is a first of its kind, is a crown of soft pastry filled with cinnamon and glazed in the colors of Carnival. Every cake comes with a pack of icing that contains 300 mg of the hemp-derived compound Delta-9 THC, meaning each slice is infused with about 15 mg.
There are six flavors to choose from, including plain, chocolate, blueberry cream cheese, strawberry cream cheese and Bavarian. Ever since the king cakes started selling two weeks ago, Bercier said praline and pecan has been the most popular.
Ounce of Hope started experimenting with the king cake last year, allowing dispensaries, employees and friends to sample the product, before partnering with the Lafayette bakery and selling them to the public this year.
Though Ounce of Hope is located in Memphis, due to troubles with obtaining cannabis licenses in Louisiana, the king cake is available for shipping across the United States. The cakes, shipped every Monday and Tuesday, are sent out the day after a customer places an order so it maintains a fresh taste. In store pick-up is not available.
Bercier said the king cakes will be sold until the end of February. Each cost $64.99.
“}]] The king cake is the first of its kind and is mash-up from a south Louisiana bakery and a Tennessee cannabis company run by a Lafayette native. Read More
