INDIANAPOLIS — It’s Fat Tuesday, and for Circle City Sweets at The AMP, it’s the busiest holiday of the year.
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On Monday morning, owner Cindy Hawkins and her team are hard at work, preparing 100 king cakes.
“And then that’s it, we’re done,” Hawkins said
They're shaping, filling and organizing them for the final stretch before Mardi Gras.
“These will go in the cooler overnight, and then tomorrow we’ll be here really, really early to get them proofed and baked,” she said.
By the time Fat Tuesday celebrations are in full swing across Indianapolis, the bakery will have produced about 500 king cakes.
“Which may not sound like a lot, but for a small shop, it’s a lot of cakes for us,” Hawkins said.
The demand comes on the heels of another major holiday, Valentine's Day.
“Every couple of years it falls back-to-back like this, so this is the year,” Hawkins said.
While both holidays are busy, Mardi Gras ranks No. 1 for the bakery.
“It floors me. It’s so funny when people hear it, too. They’re like, ‘Mardi Gras? People in Indiana celebrate Mardi Gras?’” Hawkins said. “I always joke it’s an excuse for people to have a party in the office.”
Hawkins said the tradition started almost by accident.
“A friend of mine asked me about doing a king cake for her,” she said. “We’ve been making it ever since. And it just kind of grew from word of mouth, social media. Goose started carrying them wholesale for their customers. Every year it’s just bigger and bigger."
Hawkins loves that her cakes are bringing people to celebrate Mardi Gras.
“It’s a huge boost in sales for us. It really is,” she said.
Circle City Sweets has set aside extra king cakes for last-minute customers. Orders can be placed by phone, or customers can stop by when the bakery opens at 7 a.m.
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