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NEW ORLEANS - In the home of Mardi Gras, people have strong feelings about what king cake is and when you should eat it.The oval-shaped pastry with a plastic baby inside traditionally heralded the arrival of Carnival season on 12th Night -- Jan. 6 -- the day the Catholic faith says three wise men arrived with gifts for the baby Jesus. And it was eaten only until Mardi Gras, Feb. 5 this year.Traditional king cake is made of cinnamon-flavored sweet breadlike pastry with thin icing, topped with purple, green and gold sugar. Each contains a plastic baby, or sometimes a red bean. The person who gets the baby is supposed to supply the next king cake.This recipe from Kit Wohl's "New Orleans Classic Desserts" uses store-bought roll mix. RecipesKing Cake
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