The King Cake is a large round cake colored with gold, green and purple sugar, made just for parties which fall on or between the Feast of the Epiphany (also known as Three Kings Day, or Twelfth Night) and Mardi Gras (Fat Tuesday, the day before Lent begins – this year that’s Feb. 5.) The cake is round to portray the circular route the Three Kings took to get to the Christ child. Its colors symbolize gold (for power), green (for faith) and purple (for justice.) Read more about the cake’s history here. King Cakes also have a trinket hidden inside – usually a tiny plastic baby, symbolizing the baby Jesus. At King Cake parties, whoever finds the baby inside their slice is meant to host the next King Cake party. These gatherings (especially popular with Louisianans) continue until Mardi Gras. Luckily, you don’t have to be an ace baker to enjoy a King Cake. At Kingcake.com, you can order them the traditional way (unfilled, just the sweet bread with the sugary topping), or filled with various flavors including coconut cream cheese, lemon, pecan and pina colada. Prices start at $29.99. You can also order them in a package with Mardi Gras beads and other trinkets, for $32.99. Kingkingcakes.com is another good online source for King Cakes. Their medium size serves 20 people; their large version serves 30 to 35 people; they are sold plain or filled, for $27 to $32. Their fillings include pecans, cream cheese, pralines or strawberry cream cheese; you can also get them with chocolate frosting. If you want to try to bake one on your own, Food Network star Emeril Lagasse has a recipe for King Cake; while you’re at it (do you have all weekend to cook?) you can make his Mardi Gras Jambalaya.