If you like the Joe's fried ... hit up Zuppardo's - $21.99. I am not sure what Joe's sells them for in their stores. There's one close to me, but they don't make the fried ones.
You're right about how rapid the increase has been. Something else the house might have noticed is that king cake sizes are kind of coalescing around a common size -- what used to be the grocery-store "medium" king cake.
In some ways like size, king cakes offerings have been homogenizing over the past decade or so. It seems that this year, more brands are trying to distinguish themselves by offering more boutique special flavors (e.g. the Rouses flavors detailed above).
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If anyone hankers for those old-school McKenzies king cakes -- brioche and colored sugar, no white icing or fillings -- the answer today is Hi-Do bakery on Terry Pkwy & Stumpf in Terrytown. Hi-Do still makes them. Curious whether or not there is a close East Bank analog.