I get a monthly newsletter from Susan Wittig Albert, who among 
other things writes the "China Bayles" mysteries, about a herb 
shop owner (& lawyer), with a lot about herbs, which is probably 
the main reason I like the series above those I don't read, and 
the below is lifted directly from the newsletter.

From Susan W. A.:

We had a great cake made, in which was put a bean for the King, 
a pease for the Queen, a clove for the Knave, a forked stick for 
the Cuckold, a rag for the Slut. —Henry Teonge, 1676 

In many English and European households, it was traditional to 
celebrate the end of the holiday season with a merry feast, 
including a special Twelfth-Night Cake. The cake was baked a day 
or two ahead of time and required a great deal of work, as you 
can see from Elizabeth Raffald's famous eighteenth-century recipe. 
Cakes like these were mostly baked in the kitchens of the gentry. 
Villagers (most of whom had no oven) usually made puddings instead 
of cakes, and boiled them in a pot hung over the fire.

To Make a Twelfth-Night Cake
Printer version of this recipe 

Put two pounds of butter in a warm pan 
  and work it to a cream with your hand: 
then put in two pounds of loaf sugar sifted; 
a large nutmeg grated; 
and of cinnamon ground, allspice ground, 
ginger, mace and coriander each a quarter ounce. 

Now break in eighteen eggs by one and one, 
meantime beating it for twenty minutes or above; 
stir in a gill of brandy; 
then add two pounds of sifted flour, 
and work it a little. 

Next put in currants four pounds, 
chopped almonds half a pound; 
citron the like; 
and orange and lemon peel cut small half a pound. 
Put in one bean and one pea in separate places, 
bake it in a slow oven for four hours, 
and ice it or decorate it as you will.

—Elizabeth Raffald,
The Experienced English Housekeeper, 1769

The Twelfth-Night Bean
The tradition of the bean and pea came from medieval France. 
If you got the bean, you were crowned King of the Bean and 
everyone had to do as you directed. It's said that Mary Queen 
of Scots brought the custom to England, and added the pea. 
Whoever got the pea shared the throne with the king. Other 
items were also be hidden in the cake: if you got a clove, 
you were a rogue; if a twig, you'd best look to your spouse's 
virtue; if a bit of rag, your morals might be in question. 
The finding of these items sparked plenty of jokes and laughter.

Easy Twelfth-Night Cake
If you don't have time to bake a traditional Twelfth-Night cake 
with 18 eggs and a gill of brandy (plus beating it for twenty 
minutes!), buy a fruitcake, insert whatever items you choose, 
and frost it to conceal your skullduggery. Wreathe your cake 
with rosemary and bay, traditional holiday decorations.

From: Sibyl Smirl  
Subject: [Anglican] Epiphany Cake
Date: Mon, 04 Jan 2010

---------------------------------------------
From: Ellen Rains Harris 
The New Orleans version is a yeastbread, braided and made into 
a circle, and the baby Jesus is hidden in the crevices underneath.

It's frosted or sugared in purple, green and gold, and occasionally 
filled with flavored cream cheese.

See http://www.haydelbakery.com/