Epiphany Tradition: King's Cake

Another common thread in Epiphany celebrations is baking a "King's Cake," which is a cake that has a small doll or trinket inside of it. King's Cake is commonly baked in France, Puerto Rico, Spain, Mexico and the United States. Once the cake is served, whoever finds the trinket becomes king for the day. Alternately, in some families, whoever finds the trinket is responsible for baking next year's cake.

The King's Cake Epiphany tradition mirrors that of the Mardi Gras King's Cake. For more details on the Mardi Gras version, as well as delicious recipes to try, see our article on Mardi Gras King's Cake.

Yule log cakes, a traditional symbol for Christmas, are also incorporated into Epiphany celebrations. Families often begin eating the Yule log cake on Christmas, and continue having a piece each day until the twelfth day of Christmas, finishing the Yule log on Epiphany.

If you would like to try incorporating King's Cake and Yule log Epiphany traditions into your family's Christmas celebrations, consider these highly rated recipes from All Recipes and Emeril Lagasse:

• Christmas Yule Log (also known as Buche de Noel)
• King's Cake