This is something of a repeat of a bakery I’ve already reviewed, but it deserves its own post because it’s so completely different from what I tried before. That’s right, this is another Bywater Bakery review. There are several reasons that I stand by this decision. The first is that Bywater Bakery is consistently in my top three king cakes every year. It is always delicious and is worthy of our collective attention. The second is that they sell king cake by the slice, which not enough places do (although I understand why this can be challenging for a small business). The third is that they are a super local, Black-owned, neighborhood-focused small business (#welovetoseeit) and any business fitting that description deserves your support. The fourth and final reason is the thought and effort that brought this king cake to me! Another fantastic friend of mine, who also happens to be a coworker, announced earlier this week that she wanted to contribute to The Cause. She saw an announcement on Bywater Bakery’s Instagram that they were doing “past favorites revisited.” In short, this means that in addition to the regular ridiculous lineup of options, Bywater Bakery is doing a weekly special of cakes from prior years to “change things up.” The special for January 12-18 was the Brownie Bomb king cake. Yes, you read that right. Brownie. Bomb.

Y’all, the brownie bomb was something serious on a number of levels. My friend cut me a giant piece, and I’m a bit embarrassed to admit that, by the time I got to it, it was 4:30pm on my Very Busy Workday (on which five people brought me king cakes) and I had neither the self restraint nor the good sense to pace myself. I should have cut this into three pieces and saved two. Instead, I cut it into two pieces and ate them both in rapid succession. I do not recommend this. I’m not going to lie, I did not feel great after this. But that was my fault. I knew better. Especially considering that I had ALREADY EATEN THREE PIECES OF KING CAKE THAT DAY. So if you get this, consider pacing yourself. Learn from my mistakes. Or don’t.

The brownie part is so decadent. Like, should be illegal decadent. The Bywater Bakery website describes it as follows. “If a brownie and a chocolate lava cake had a baby, that would be our brownie bomb. That inside a king cake is a chocolate fan’s dream.”

Let’s discuss. This is hilarious because they didn’t need many words to explain this. Brownie, chocolate lava cake, baby. Got it.

It’s accurate. The consistency is more of a brownie batter than a brownie. It really did remind me of the brownie batter that used to be the best part of baking brownies (but without that tiny bit of fear that you might get food poisoning from the raw eggs). And there is SO much brownie. Be still my filling-loving heart. If you’ve ever wondered which cake has the maximum amount of filling of all time, it’s probably this one. It’s a lot. It’s the best kind of a lot.

I’m also genuinely impressed by the sheer physics of how this cake was even accomplished. The dough of the king cake was not compromised, not one bit. I might call Chaya Conrad herself and ask what sorcery this was. I’ll take this opportunity to once again sing the praises of Bywater Bakery’s dough. I previously used the word “breadiness” but after further reflection, that just doesn’t quite do it justice (although I stand by it, both as a word and as an accurate descriptor). The word I have decided is most appropriate to describe this dough, and I’ve been thinking about it a lot, is pillowy. This dough is pillowy, plain and simple. The consistency is just wonderful.
Finally, once again, I’m impressed by the sheer physics of how I’ve eaten this much king cake. I wish I were kidding.

I’m giving this cake 4.5 stars because it’s seriously impressive for what it is, and because if you’re going to try one Bywater Bakery king cake, it should be the Chantilly King Cake. But you’re not going to try just one because they sell them by the slice. So live a little. If I can eat ten slices of king over two days, you probably can, too.