Self-proclaimed “King Cake King” Brendon Oldendorf is on a mission to prove to himself — and to the world — that no one knows king cake like he does.
The New Orleans native sampled 227 king cakes from 151 bakeries across five states this past season, spanning from Jan. 6 to Feb. 21, in pursuit of a world record. The Panhandle's growing king cake scene put Florida on his map.
Heeding to the advice of a friend and Pensacola local, he forged a bucket list of bakeries across Escambia and Santa Rosa counties to sample during his stay.
He was originally on a mission to hit 200 king cakes during the 2023 season, which would double his personal milestone of topping 100 in 2022. By the end of the month and a half, he had exceeded it. His quest has been documented in USA TODAY and Southern Living, along with several other media outlets that have caught up with him along the way.
Oldendorf said he was intrigued by the Pensacola area's variety of king cakes and was eager to see how they held up against his home turf.
“I didn’t realize that Pensacola does have a bunch of different places that sell king cake, so I definitely had to try those places and see how they compare to New Orleans,” Oldendorf said.
Luckily for us, Oldendorf scored his experiences. There were his thoughts.
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First things first — which bakeries did he try?
- Craft Gourmet Bakery, 5555 N. Davis Hwy.
- Milton Quality Bakery, 6727 Caroline Street
- Adonna’s Garden Street Cafe and Bakery, 811 W, Garden Street
- TrollBreads Bakery, Pensacola home bakery
- Maynard’s Donuts & Coffee, 875 E. Nine Mile Rd., and 2155 W. Nine Mile Rd.
- Chrisoula’s Cheesecake Shoppe and Cafe, 236 W, Garden Street
- The Salty Pantry Chef, Navarre home bakery
Who scored the best in each category?
Every time Oldendorf tries a new bakery, there are four ways he scores his slice to help discern those that are truly the cream of the crop. Presentation, dough, icing and filling. Out of those he tried locally, these were the standouts:
- Best presentation: The Salty Pantry Chef for Nutella king cake
- Best dough (tie): TrollBreads Bakery for chocolate chip cream cheese king cake and Chrisoula’s Cheesecake Shoppe and Cafe for a king cake cheesecake
- Best icing: Craft Gourmet Bakery for king cake loaf
- Best filling: Adonna’s Garden Street Cafe for cherry king cake
- Best overall: TrollBreads Bakery for chocolate chip cream cheese king cake
Drum roll, please…out of all the king cakes tested, Oldendorf’s personal favorite (with the highest scoring average across the four categories) was a cottage bakery and farmer’s market regular — TrollBreads Bakery.
Though the dessert was unassuming, it was made with plenty of care and could stand its ground with some of New Orlean’s greatest.
“I think it was the filling and the dough combination,” Oldendorf said of what set it apart. “I do like chocolate, of course. The TrollBreads maybe didn’t have that fantastic presentation, but the dough and the filling were really top-notch. I think people would find it very good. I haven’t seen many places that do the chocolate chip cream cheese, probably a handful, that do here (in New Orleans.)”
How did they measure up against New Orleans?
Oldendorf said he enjoyed everything he tried — especially the diversity in king cake formats (like the bread loaf and cheesecake) and fillings (especially cherry and chocolate chip cream cheese) — and will be back again next year to hopefully beat his personal best.
“I thought their (the Pensacola area's) king cakes were overall pretty good. It’s hard, you know. I don’t think they would measure up to the best of New Orleans, but I would definitely go back next year,” he said.
Follow along with Oldendorf's adventures on kingcakeplanet.com.
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