Can you take your king cake on an airplane or do you need to finish it before you fly?
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- TSA allows pies and cakes in carry-on or checked baggage; officer has final say.
- Unfrosted king cakes pass; extra frosting in carry-on must meet 3.4 oz liquid rules.
- Carry cakes as personal item, stow under seat to protect frosting from shifts.
After the parade-watching, bead-catching, mask-wearing festivities in Louisiana this season, you may want to sneak away a treat or two back home.
But, bringing your favorite slice of king cake with you on your flight back is not as difficult as it seems.
Whether you can’t get enough of it yourself, or you need to bring evidence of the best king cake you’ve ever tasted to a tragically non-Mardi Gras state, bringing it on a flight with you can be done.
Here’s how:
TSA checkpoint
According to the Transportation Security Administration’s website, under ‘What Can I Bring? Pies and Cakes,’ you can carry your sweet treat on as a personal item, or even check it in your luggage (yes, this counts for international flights too).
If you choose to bring it with you on the flight, a TSA agent will X-ray your cake. So, if you have more than one, don’t be surprised if you are asked to unpack your carry-on and re-pack it after security – so get there a little early.
The notice also comes with a warning that ‘the final decision’ whether your cake is allowed through the checkpoint, rests with the TSA officer. So be nice!
King cakes, filled or plain, should pass through the checkpoint. However, if you choose to travel with a king cake un-frosted, any extra frosting for later must be under the liquid 3.4 oz regulations to bring in your carry-on.
Note, if you’re superstitious about the little baby hidden in your dessert, you can gently remind the TSA officer to not spoil the surprise for you while they X-ray the cake.
Storing your treat on the plane
Reddit has debated the best ways to store a king cake so that it retains its frostingly-delicious beauty by the end of the flight.
Most recommend that you carry on your cakes, to avoid the over-jostling of checked baggage.
If you have elected to carry your king cake as a personal item, storing it under the seat in front of you is the safest for frosting maintenance during the flight.
Luggage in the overhead compartment is likely to shift during the flight, and we wouldn’t want that to smash your king cake flat.
One Reddit user suggested bringing an extra cake for the flight attendants onboard in the hopes of convincing them to store it with the food and drinks on the plane, ‘if you ask nicely.’
While a bright idea, under your seat is a perfectly good option.
If you can’t get enough of the sweet cinnamon taste, and you need to bring more than one cake home, some suggest packing them tightly in boxes between clothes in your carry-on (to avoid the loss of frosting, oh the horror).