Right now, my cup runneth over with local citrus. A friend brought me lemons the size of oranges and oranges the size of grapefruits. I had to use them and came up with this citrus-flavored cake.

Orange and lemon cake

Makes 12 servings

For the cake:

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 2 sticks butter, at room temperature
• 1 cup sugar
• 4 egg yolks
• 4 egg whites
• 1 cup sour cream
• 1 tablespoon minced orange peel
• 1 tablespoon minced lemon peel
• Pinch of cream of tartar

To make the syrup:

• ¾ cup sugar
• ¼ cup orange-flavored liqueur
• ¼ cup fresh orange juice
• 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• Pinch of salt
• 6 thin lemon slices
• 5 thin orange slices
• 1 cup whipping cream, whipped

To make the cake, preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Butter and flour a 9-inch angel food cake pan. Sift together the flour, baking powder and baking soda. Using an electric mixer, cream the butter and sugar. Add the yolks, sour cream, and orange and lemon peels. Beat until slowly dissolving ribbons forms when beaters are lifted.

Stir in the dry ingredients.

Using clean beaters, beat the egg whites with cream of tartar until stiff but not dry. Gently fold half of the whites into the batter to lighten the mixture, then fold in the remaining whites. Pour into the prepared pan. Bake until tester inserted in the center comes out clean, about one hour. Remove from the oven and let cool in the pan for 15 minutes. Run a knife around the edges of the cake to loosen and invert onto a platter.

To make the syrup, cook the sugar, orange liqueur, orange and lemon juice, and the salt in a heavy saucepan over low heat until the sugar dissolves, swirling the pan. Increase the heat and boil until the mixture is thick and syrupy.

Using a toothpick, pierce the top of the cake all over. Pour the syrup over the cake. Garnish with the lemon and orange slices. Serve with whipped cream.

Here in Louisiana we barely have time to catch a breath after the Christmas holidays because we go right into the Carnival season, which begins on Twelfth Night. As soon as the new year begins, King Cakes are everywhere—bakeries, the supermarkets, and of course right here at Cajungocer.com.

So be prepared, and get your order in as soon as possible so you can begin hosting King Cake parties. If you don’t already know about the history of these delightful cakes, let me fill you in. Years ago, a small coin or token, perhaps a bean or pecan half was hidden in the cake. Whoever finds the treasure (these days it’s usually a tiny ceramic or plastic baby doll) is to host the next King’s Cake party the following week. The ring-shaped cake is usually decorated with sugar tinted in the classic carnival colors of green, gold and purple symbolizing Faith, Power and Justice. The original cakes were made of a simple but rich yeast dough. Today many of them are filled with cream cheese, cinnamon, pecans and a host of other sweet delights.

While New Orleans is the usual destination for Carnival revelers, there are a lot of festivities as well in Acadiana. The Carnival season there is perhaps little less hectic than in the Crescent City, but lots of fun nevertheless. In downtown Lafayette, the Hub City of Acadiana, and in smaller surrounding communities, Mardi Gras is celebrated much like it is in New Orleans, but on a smaller scale.
Families arrive early to line the parade routes and the aroma of barbecue, fish-fries, and gumbo wafts through the air, mingling with the whiffs of street food—hot dogs, fried shrimp on a stick, and boudin on a bun.

I always get a kick watching people in masks and costumes decked out as jailbirds, cowboys, Indians, Louisiana governors, and voodoo queens sauntering along the streets with children in tow, dressed in clown costumes with painted faces.

One year, at a neighborhood party, two swamp creatures wrapped in Spanish moss deftly turned chicken, sausage and pork chops on the grill. I quietly prayed that neither would catch on fire!
Like our city cousins, food is the main ingredient in the festivities.

For instance, in the prairie towns of Church Point, Mamou, and Basile, there are courirs, the running of Mardi Gras in the rural communities. Costumed horseback riders gallop around the countryside gathering chickens, rice, and all the makings for a communal gumbo that is cooked at the end of the day.

If you can’t come to Louisiana for Mardi Gras, you can certainly host your very own Carnival party. Browse our website and you’ll find all the makings for a grand buffet. For instance, we have a wide assortment of boudin, the local rice and pork sausage that is a must for a Louisana-themed party. And don’t forget the gumbo. Save yourself some time and energy and order your favorites from us! Be sure to have lots of rice and French bread to go along with the gumbo.