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After Christmas, it's time for Epiphany! Discover the recipe for the authentic "Galette des Rois" (French King Cake), delicious with its puff pastry and frangipane (a delicious almond cream with crème pâtissière). This flavorful family recipe is super-easy to make and much cheaper than store-bought.
The French King Cake, also called "Galette des Rois" in French has its origins in Antiquity. It was distributed at Roman festivals. It was the youngest who went under the table to distribute the shares randomly. And whoever found the bean became King for a day. If he was a slave, he could fulfill all his desires for 24 hours, before returning to his life as a slave or sometimes being put to death. That's why we put a gem in the Galette des Rois.
For Christians, it's linked to Epiphany, the arrival of the three wise men before Jesus. This is how the Galette des Rois has survived the centuries.
If you want to vary the pleasures, you'll love this Apple King Cake or the traditional King Brioche (from South of France).
💙 Why you'll love it
- It's really easy to make!
- It costs so much less than in the bakery or in the shops.
- It requires only ahandful of ingredients.
- It is vegetarian and can easily be made gluten-free and dairy-free.
🧈 Ingredients
- Butter: good quality butter, with at least 82% of fat.
- Almond powder: to make the almond cream, which forms part of the frangipane.
- Sugar: white.
- Eggs - ideally pasture-raised organic. You can refer to the Eco Tips I've written on eggs to help you choose the right ones.
- Milk
- Flour: all-purpose flour
- Puff pastry: pure butter. Don't overlook their quality, which is a crucial element of this recipe.
✅ Gluten-free and dairy-free version
- To make this recipe gluten-free, use gluten-free puff pastry (it exists) and replace the flour with cornflour.
- To make this recipe dairy-free, replace the butter with vegetable margarine and the milk with dairy-free milk (yes, there is such a thing!) or plant milk.
✨How to make the best French King Cake?
Recipe details and quantities are in the recipe card below.
- Mix softened butter with the sugar.
- Add the almond powder and eggs, mix well and set aside.
- Sift the flour and set aside. Beat the eggs in a bowl and set aside too.
- Bring the milk to a gentle boil and, as soon as it begins to boil, place over low-medium heat and add the sugar, stirring constantly with a whisk.
- Then add the beaten eggs.
- And finally the flour.
- Whisk constantly until the mixture thickens.
- Remove the crème pâtissière pan from the heat and leave to cool for 2 minutes.
- Then add the almond cream and mix well until smooth.
- On an baking tray lined with parchment paper, place the 1st puff pastry. Add the content of the pan on it and spread with the back of a tablespoon, but leave a few inches without anything on the sides.
- Place the gem (optional).
- Press the edges together with your fingers so that the two puff pastries don't separate when baking.
- Leave to rest in the refrigerator for 20 minutes.
- Preheat your oven to 355°F/180°C on natural convection/static heat high and low.
- Take the King Cake out of the fridge, turn it upside down and draw your decorations (here I brushed first, then made the decorations, but it's much better and easier to decorate then brush).
- Using a silicone brush, brush with a mixture of one egg yolk and two tablespoons of milk.
- Chisel the edges of the King Cake with a knife and make a few small holes in the top.
- Place in the middle of the oven at 355°F/180°C for 40 minutes.
🥰 Chef's tips
- As European, I'm used to working in grams and milliliters. For savory dishes, the American measuring system can work just perfectly most of the time. But for anything sweet, I really recommend using a digital scale, which is much more precise. That way, you'll be sure to succeed with your recipes.
- Sift your flour well before adding it to the milk when you prepare your pastry cream, otherwise there's a risk of lumps.
- Don't neglect the resting time in the fridge: it will firm up your dough, and make it much easier to make your decorations afterwards.
- Turn your galette over once you've taken it out of the fridge: this will allow you to get the smooth side on top, and above all it will allow the gluten network to develop better during baking, so the King Cake will puff up much better.
- Chisel the edges of the two doughs after they have rested in the fridge, so that they don't separate during cooking.
- Don't apply too much pressure with the knife when making your decorations: otherwise the frangipane will escape during baking.
- Once you've made your decorations, make a few small holes in the top with a knife: this will allow the dough to breathe and swell evenly during baking.
💡 Frequently Asked Questions
Epiphany is celebrated on January 6. As this day can fall in the middle of the week, depending on the year, it can be celebrated from the first Sunday of the month, this year on January 1. And French King Cake is eaten throughout the whole month January.
In France, we usually drink apple juice, cider or Prosecco. You can also try with in champagne or port.
It's a mix of almond cream and crème pâtissière. Traditionally, the ratio is ⅔ almond cream and ⅓ crème pâtissière are used.
Either you didn't let your crème pâtissière cook long enough, or it was too hot when you added the almond cream, causing the butter to melt? Don't panic, you can make up for it by adding 1 tablespoon cornstarch, putting it back on a low heat and stirring constantly until it reaches the desired consistency.
❄️Storage
Store: in aluminum foil at room temperature for the first 24 hours. If you have leftover after this, cut into slices and refrigerate in an airtight container up to 3 days..
Reheat, as it will be much softer and crispier. For this, place it in a pre-heated oven (320°F/160°C) for 8-12 minutes.
I don't recommend freezing!
😋 Other comforting snacks
If you make this French King Cake, it would be so nice to leave me a comment and rate the recipe ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️. You can also tag me on Instagram, Pinterest, Facebook or Tik Tok, or even send me a photo, I love seeing my little dishes in your homes!
📖 Recette
French King cake
Ingredients
For the almond cream
- 5 ½ tablespoons softened butter (80g)
- 1 ½ cups almond meal (160g)
- ½ cup sugar (95g)
- 2 eggs
For the pastry cream
- 1 cup milk (240g)
- 2 eggs
- ¼ cup sugar (40g)
- ¼ cup all-purpose flour (30g)
For the "Cake"
- 2 puff pastry
- 1 charm optional
- 1 egg yolk
- 2 tablespoons semi-skimmed milk
Instructions
Almond cream
- Mix softened butter with the sugar. Add the almond powder and eggs, mix well and set aside.
Crème pâtissière
- Sift the flour and set aside. Beat the eggs in a bowl and set aside too.
- Bring the milk to a gentle boil and, as soon as it begins to boil, place over low-medium heat and add the sugar, the beaten eggs and the flour, stirring constantly with a whisk until the mixture thickens.
The King Cake
- Remove the crème pâtissière pan from the heat and leave to cool for 2 minutes. Then add the almond cream and mix well until smooth.
- On an baking tray lined with parchment paper, place the 1st puff pastry. Add the content of the pan on it and spread with the back of a tablespoon, but leave a few inches without anything on the sides. Place the gem (optional).
- Press the edges together with your fingers so that the two puff pastries don't separate when baking. Leave to rest in the refrigerator for 20 minutes.
- Preheat your oven to 355°F/180°C on natural convection/static heat high and low. Take the King Cake out of the fridge, turn it upside down and draw your decorations.
- Using a silicone brush, brush with a mixture of one egg yolk and two tablespoons of milk. Chisel the edges of the King Cake with a knife and make a few small holes in the top.
- Place in the middle of the oven at 355°F/180°C for 40 minutes.
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