Create your own king cake at this local bakery

Madelyn Schmidt Burr, owner and founder of Eloise Market and Cakery, doesn’t believe in gatekeeping king cake recipes. 

When she started selling king cakes five years ago, Burr says there was a frustrating lack of information about how the cakes are made. She found success after many trials of subpar online recipes, but she thinks the process shouldn’t have to be this hard.

“I thought to myself, ‘I don’t know how anyone would expect bakeries in the future to be able to do this if no one’s going to share,’” Burr says. 

The next year, Burr started hosting king cake classes at Eloise Market and Cakery’s first location on Lee Drive. 

Four years on, the classes have continued and grown in both popularity and size, partially due to Eloise’s new location on Perkins Road. The new space has plenty of room for baking lessons with a separate event room, fit with a teaching kitchen for classes. Burr has already held more than 30 king cake classes this year, and will continue hosting throughout February. 

The team at Eloise makes the process easy and fun for beginner bakers. The dough is pre-made, and the ingredients are measured and set aside. Burr stands at the front of the class to demonstrate how to roll out the dough, sprinkle the cinnamon filling and form the cake’s iconic ring shape. The cakes then take a trip to the proofer before going into the oven. 

While the cakes bake, the class stays entertained with a game of bingo. Sticking with the theme, bingo prizes are typical Mardi Gras throws like bouncing balls, glittery masks, rubber ducks and, of course, beads.  

Once the cakes finish baking, Burr gives each a generous slathering of butter before giving them back to attendees, who will ice and decorate their creations. Attendees get sent home with their customized king cake, topped with a baby, and the recipe to recreate the treat in their own kitchen.

Burr says feedback has been incredibly positive, with repeat customers noting that their recipe has improved over the years. Many of this year’s classes have been sold-out events. 

“People are just intrigued by this, and they just want to be a part of their own culture, because they deserve to be. So I wanted to open that opportunity up for other people. This is not a big secret. This is a part of us,” she says.

While guests come to make their own Carnival confection, they might also leave with a new connection and memories. This is the best part of these classes for Burr. 

“My favorite thing about a class is seeing actual friendships created from this, and it feels like I’m helping to build our community around here,” she says.

On top of hosting up to 17 king cake classes a week, the bakery also has to keep up with its storefront and the increasing demand for retail king cakes. Burr and her team are putting out more than they ever have, with about 300 cakes sold every week.

As demand for king cake continues to grow, Eloise Market and Cakery is keeping up while also inviting others into the process. For Burr, sharing her recipe is about making sure the tradition continues. 

King cake classes run through the end of the month, and multiple time slots are still available. Tickets are $40. Eloise Market and Cakery is at 1940 Perkins Road.