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King Cake - Chicago and North Shore

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Where can I find King Cake in the North Shore / Chicago? I'm looking for king cake with both the cream cheese and fruit fillings. I'm in the North Burbs, but I'm willing to travel for NOLA King Cake.


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  1. Bennison's in Evanston (you may have to pre-order). Vanille makes a more traditional French version.

    4 Replies
    1. re: ferret

      The cake at Bennison's is not a traditional "king cake". It's a traditional Pithiviers (pronounced pa-TIV-ee-ay). IOW, puff pastry with a filling of ground almonds with a slight rum flavor. No cream cheese, no fruit. However, it does come complete with the cardboard crown and the small plastic baby baked into the cake. (And they call it a pithiviers, too.) I bought one last month. It was a bit on the pricey side - around $20, IIRC. It was good, though (assuming you like pithiviers, of course).

      1. re: nsxtasy

        Sounds like the Bennison cake is a galette des rois for Epiphany rather than a NOLA king cake for Mardi Gras.

        The version at Fresh Market I mentioned is a NOLA style king cake. My comment about authenticity was more that I have seen other better looking versions around, just not recently, and I am not sure how they relate to what is actually made in New Orleans.

        1. re: nsxtasy

          I believe they do both (relying on memory), and judging from their website it appears that they do.

          "New Orleans has a decades-old tradition of shipping literally hundreds of thousands of King cake worldwide to customers who love this unique bakery item We want you to enjoy a King Cake, too. They are available plain, cream cheese, apple, cherry, or praline pecan filled."


          1. re: ferret

            Indeed they do - good find!

            The Pithivier I bought looked just like the one in the photo, except it didn't have the decoration in the middle, and instead had a cardboard crown around the outside, sitting on top of the cake.

      2. Not sure how authentic they were, but the Fresh Market in WIlmette, just off the Edens at Lake, had them last weekend.

        3 Replies
        1. re: rjka

          Thanks for your help. I might try both suggestions :)

          1. re: tumuppet

            Just wanted to add that I saw that Deerfield Bakery and Sunset Foods are selling these as well. However, I tried the one from Sunset last night and was not impressed. The filling was cinnamon swirl but the cake was very leaden.

            1. re: rjka

              I ended up with a King Cake from Three Tarts Bakery in Northfield. No fruit, but a cheese filling. It works, but I still miss Randozzo's.