The season of Carnival (which some call the season of Epiphany) ushers in the practice of offering a king cake at parties and gatherings in south Louisiana. The king cake or gateau du roi is a tradition associated with the celebration of feast of the Epiphany in south Louisiana, French Canada, and France. The local cake is actually a loaf twisted into a circle and then iced and sprinkled with sugar colored purple, green, and gold, the official colors of Mardi Gras.
At king cake gatherings, whoever gets the small baby Jesus hidden somewhere in the cake must provide the king cake at the next scheduled gathering. The bakers no longer put the baby in the cake because of concerns about litigation by people who choke on it, swallow it, or break a tooth. The buyer assumes the liability of putting the baby in the cake...or not.
The funniest commentary I've seen on the baby as choking or swallowing hazard is from blogger Blondius Maximus.
