King cakes are an edible, indelible symbol of Carnival season in New Orleans, but that symbol has many different faces. Just as trends change and preferences differ with regards to throws, costumes and other facets of the Mardi Gras tradition, there are a lot of different types of king cakes out there for us to cut in to.

Last year, we looked at four purveyors making offbeat king cakes - the one filled with goat cheese from Cake Café, for instance, and the personal-sized cake with gourmet chocolate from Cochon Butcher. This year, we're revisiting the classic king cake as done at both old favorites and relative newcomers around the area. 

Maple Street Patisserie

7638 Maple St., New Orleans, 504-304-1526

Head baker Ziggy Cichowski specializes in different types of traditional pastries and breads from all across Europe, making his Uptown bakery something of a melting pot. When Carnival time comes around, he channels old New Orleans tradition, producing king cakes that are precisely braided and exuberantly decorated with multi-colored sugar and drizzled white icing. If you fondly recall the McKenzie's standard, this one will take you back.

Antoine's Famous Cakes and Pastries

1300 Stumpf Blvd., Gretna, 504-368-6222

Antoine's is a fixture in Gretna, and at Carnival time its king cakes and "queen cakes" are the foundation. Queen cakes are what Antoine's dubs its filled cakes, which can boast many different fruit and cream fillings. These can be over the top, sometimes making the king cake seem tame by comparison. But the king cake itself is still formidable -- puffy, moist, thick and shot through with so much cinnamon it would almost taste spicy if not for all that sweet frosting. They've been adding black and gold frosting highlights lately too, so you can get a Saints-style king cake.