Discover the French King’s cake recipe
Right after New Year, each gourmand knows how to start well the year : The Galette des rois !
The delicious king’s cake is made of a puff pastry and a frangipane cream (mix between pastry cream and almond cream).
Are you ready to learn easily how to bake yours ?
Don’t forget to hide the lucky charm inside 😉
Servings
For 6/8 people
Prep time:
30min
Cook time:
45min
Resting time:
1h30
Introduction
About this Recipe
The Epiphany is celebrated on the 6th of January or on the first Sunday of the year. It’s a religious celebration representing the night when the three wise men brought their presents to the crèche where Jesus was born.
The tradition of the king cake is not religious. It comes from the Roman who celebrated the “Saturnes,” which is a truce day between the kings and their slaves.
They celebrated by sharing differents meals, including this cake in which a lucky charm was hidden inside, to make someone the king of the day.
In France, the first mention of the king’s cake was around the 13th/14th century.
Ingredients
Pastry cream
- 1/3 cup + 1 tbsp (100g) of milk
- 2 tbsp (25g) of sugar
- 1 bag of vanilla sugar
- 1 egg yolk
- 2 tbsp (20g) of all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp of vanilla extract
Almond cream
- 1/3 cup (70g) of sugar
- 7 tbsp (100g) of room temperature butter
- 1 cup (100g) of almond powder
- 2 eggs
- 1 tbsp of rum
Set up
- 2 puff pastry
- 1 egg
- 1 lucky charm
Step by Step Instructions
Pastry cream
Step 1
Pour your milk in a sauce pan and place it on medium heat.
Place in a mixing bowl the egg yolk with the sugar, the vanilla sugar and the vanilla extract. Whisk until it becomes whiter.
Step 2
When the milk is warm, pour it in your eggs mix and stir carefully to combine all the elements. Pour back the mix in your pan, and place it back on the heat.
Whisk continually until your pastry cream become thick. Don’t stop to whisk to avoid your cream to stick on the bottom of the pan.
Step 3
When it’s cooked, pour your cream in a mixing bowl and place some plastic wrap directly on the top (it needs to touch the cream : “au contact” in French).
Let aside until it’s completely cool.
Almond cream
Step 4
Stir with a spatula the room temperature butter to make it smooth.
In a bowl, place your sugar and the butter, stir with your spatula until it’s well combined.
Step 5
Then, add the rum and the eggs. Stir with your spatula until everything is combine as well. Finally, add the almond powder and mix. Your almond cream is done now. It’s really important to keep it at room temperature the time your pastry cream cool completely.
Set up
Step 6
Once the pastry cream is ready, place it inside your almond cream to create your frangipane. Mix until everything is well combine.
Step 7
Take your two puff pastry. Take back your cream to spread it on the first puff pastry. I personally prefer to pipe my frangipane cream with a pastry bag to have a regular result, but you could also spread it with a spatula if you prefer. Always let enough space all around to avoid the frangipane cream to go out of the galette. I’m used to letting around 4/5cm (I check the space with two fingers).
Step 8
Once it’s done, spread some whisk egg all around the cream. Be careful to not put eggs on the edge of your puff pastry to allow it to grow correctly when it will cook. Place on the top the second puff pastry and carefully stick the two with your fingers all around the frangipane cream. Not too much to not press the puff pastry which could damage it and avoid it to grow correctly.
Place your galette in the fridge for an hour at least. If you prepare your galette in advance, you could let it in the fridge all night or all day if needed and continued the next steps later.
Step 9
Then, flip your galette. Spread on the top some whisk egg with a pastry brush. Place it back in the fridge the time you preheat your oven.
Preheat your oven at 170°C (338°F). When it’s done, take back your galette and brush another layer of egg on the top. Take a knife, and create nice marks on the top of your galette with it.
Step 10
Place it in the oven preheated and let it cooks for approximately 45min. Don’t hesitate to check after 30min how looking your galette. If the top is too brown, don’t hesitate to place some aluminium on the top to stop it to brown, but continue to cook.
Take it off from the oven once it’s cooked. Let aside to cool a little bit. It’s really delicious to serve your galette just warm.
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