Galette Des Rois: Traditional French King Cake Recipe
This traditional Galette Des Rois of northern France is an original king cake. It's a simple, easy-to-make pâtisserie made with golden, buttery puff pastry. The filling is a creamy frangipane tucked with a hidden prize and full of meaningful symbolism.
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Galette Des Rois Original King Cake
In France, the beloved Epiphany is celebrated on January 6 by bringing a freshly baked Galette des Rois, or King cake, to friends and family.
This celebration is the 12th day of Christmas (sound familiar?) and commemorates the day the three kings, or wise men, brought their gifts to baby Jesus. Although scripture doesn't specify how many kings there were or whether Jesus was still a baby when the gifts arrived at his house, this tradition is a sweet reminder worth celebrating.
The classic French pastry is a sweet dessert with a hidden nut, bean, or little charm (la fève) tucked inside. Whoever finds it is considered royalty for the day and crowned with a paper crown.
The rich tradition of this French-inspired king cake continues in New Orleans, throughout Louisiana, and other parts of the world. We begin seeing the famous green, purple, and gold-colored frosted king cakes after Christmas and into the Mardi Gras season until Lent.
This is the Fat Tuesday dessert descended from the French galette des rois.
The Mardi Gras rendition also commemorates the gifts brought to the King by hiding a tiny plastic baby figurine in the cake. You can purchase king cakes in stores or online, but consider making your own. You'll find easy instructions for delicious results in my King Cake Recipe, A Traditional Version.
Also, 25 Mardi Gras Food Recipes To Help You Celebrate is packed with dishes for a royal feast during the Epiphany, the Mardi Gras season, or any time of year.
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Ingredients
The frangipane filling is an almond cream made with almond flour and traditionally flavored with almond extract. This homemade galette des rois is surrounded by layers of buttery pastry.
Well, semi-homemade when using frozen puff pastry. But they won't know if you don't tell them!
- Almond flour - is made from ground almonds and used for the almond frangipane filling.
- All-purpose flour - just enough to help bind the cream ingredients together.
- Granulated sugar - only a half cup to lightly sweeten the filling.
- Table salt - to enhance all flavors.
- Unsalted butter - a rich, buttery, unsalted flavor to manage the amount of salt in the filling.
- Whole eggs - the eggs and flour set up the cream like a custard filling when baked.
- Extract - an almond filling is the traditional filling for the Galette Des Rois, but vanilla or rum may be used instead of almond extract.
- Puff Pastry - 2 sheets of store-bought puff pastry, one for the top and one for the bottom layers.
- Whole egg - for the egg wash, resulting in a beautiful brown galette after baking.
- Table salt - helps break down the protein in the egg wash, making it easier to spread over the dough.
- Granulated sugar - a small amount of granulated white sugar for the simple syrup to glaze the galletttes top after baking.
- Syrup - adds flavor and shine to the glaze.
- Water - a small amount is needed to thin and moisten the glaze.
- Whole almond or favorite nut, fava bean, or small trinket (like a tiny plastic baby) - hide it in the cake. Whoever finds the la fève is considered royalty for the day. This ingredient is optional. Be sure your guests know about the object in the cake so they won't bite down on it.
See the recipe card for quantities.
Instructions
There are quite a few steps to making this galette des rois original King cake, but they are very simple. Follow the instructions as closely as possible for the best results. It'll be fun!
For the almond frangipane filling, combine the almond and all-purpose flours, sugar, and salt in a medium bowl. Cut the softened butter into the flour mixture with a pastry blender until the mixture resembles cornmeal.
Beat the eggs in a separate bowl, then stir them and the extract into the flour-butter mixture. (Small bits of butter will be present in this filling.) Place the bowl of frangipane cream in the refrigerator to chill. A filling at room temperature may spread too close to the edge and leak out of the galette during baking.
Place two pieces of parchment paper on two baking trays. Place each sheet of puff pastry on a sheet of parchment and roll it into a 10-inch square using a floured rolling pin.
Fold one puff pastry square in half and lay it over the other. Place a 9.5-inch bowl over it, then cut away the excess pastry to form two large circles. Store excess pastry for another use. Fold the top layer of the pastry over in half, then remove it and place it back on its parchment paper in the baking pan.
Beat the remaining egg with salt, then brush a 1-inch border along the bottom of the pastry layer with a pastry brush.
Remove the filling from the refrigerator and spread it over the bottom layer of the pastry, leaving a 1-inch margin along the edge. Randomly place the nut, bean, or tiny baby on top of the frangipane.
Fold the second circle of dough in half, then unfold it over the bottom layer and filling, and crimp the edges with a fork; go around twice or thrice to ensure the edge is sealed and the filling won't leak out during baking. Freeze the galette for 30 minutes. After about 20 minutes of freezing, place the rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 375°F.
After 30 minutes, remove the galette from the freezer and brush the remaining egg wash over the top of the dough. Use an ice pick or toothpick to poke a hole in the center of the top layer of the galette, then make about 8 to 10 additional small holes evenly spaced across the top of the cake to allow air to escape while baking.
Use an ice pick or the back of a knife to draw curved lines from the center to the edge across the top, spaced about ¼ to ⅛ inch apart. The design will look like the spokes of a wheel or a pinwheel.
Bake for 20 minutes; the cake will rise into a golden crown.
While the galette bakes, make the glaze (simple syrup) in the microwave by combining the sugar, water, and syrup in a small microwave-safe bowl. Microwave for 60 seconds on high, stirring once after 30 seconds.
After the galette is baked, remove it from the oven and turn off the oven. Brush the glaze onto the top of the cake with a pastry brush, then return it to the oven for 10 more minutes to let the glaze dry.
Remove the Galette Des Rois from the oven and let it cool on a rack before serving on a cake plate.
HINT: The frangipane and the assembled galette will work best when they are as cold as possible. A room-temperature filling will leak out of the galette during baking. Refrigerating the filling also helps prevent it from reaching the 1-inch border at the edge when spreading it over the bottom pastry layer.
Substitutions
You may use a homemade puff pastry instead of store-bought.
Variations
Cut the puff pastry into smaller circles for individual servings of this traditional French pastry.
Storage
Store in an airtight container in a cool, dry place for up to 3 days, or in the freezer for up to 3 months. The pastry warms well in the microwave and pairs well with a cup of coffee.
Top tip
It is essential to crimp the two filled pastry rounds together with the tines of a fork along the edges. Do this twice or thrice to ensure the filling does not leak out during baking.
FAQ
The cake originated in northern France and is a classic golden buttery puff pastry filled with creamy frangipane, a hidden prize, and symbolic meaning. This galette is given around January 6, Epiphany, and throughout January, to commemorate the three kings' visit to the baby Jesus. The king cake is the Fat Tuesday dessert descended from the French galette des rois.
After the cake is prepared, poke holes in the top for the air to escape during baking. Then, freeze the galette for 30 minutes. Place the cake on the rack in the middle of the oven for even baking and golden-brown results. Preheat the oven to 375° F. Bake the galette for 20 minutes, until it is golden and has risen like a crown.
Related
Looking for other French-inspired recipes like this? Try these:
Pairing
These are some of my favorite dishes to serve with Galette Des Rois:
📖 Recipe
Galette Des Rois: Traditional French King Cake Recipe
- Prep Time: 2 hours
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Total Time: 2 hours 20 minutes
- Yield: 8 slices 1x
- Category: sweets
- Method: Bake
- Cuisine: French
Description
A classic French, golden buttery puff pastry filled with creamy frangipane, a hidden prize, and symbolic meaning.
Ingredients
Frangipane
- 1 cup almond flour
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- .5 cup sugar
- .25 teaspoon salt
- 6 tablespoons softened unsalted butter, cut into one-half-inch pieces
- 2 large eggs
- 2 teaspoons of your choice of extract, such as almond, vanilla, or rum.
Galette
- 2 sheets of ready-to-bake puff pastry, thawed (about one hour)
- 1 whole almond, pecan, walnut, dried bean, or tiny plastic baby, optional
- 1 large egg
- pinch of table salt
Glaze
- 1.5 tablespoons of granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon water
- .5 teaspoon cane syrup
Instructions
- Mix almond and all-purpose flour, sugar, and salt in a medium bowl for the almond frangipane filling.
- Cut the softened butter into the flour mixture with a pastry blender until the mixture resembles cornmeal.
- Beat the eggs in a small, separate bowl, then stir them into the flour-butter mixture along with the extract. (Lumps of butter will be present in the filling.)
- Place the bowl of frangipane cream in the refrigerator or freezer to chill. You don't want the filling to be at room temperature, or it will leak out of the galette during baking.
- Place two pieces of parchment paper on two baking trays, place each pastry sheet on the paper, and roll it into a 10-inch square using a floured rolling pin.
- Fold one puff pastry square in half and lay it over the other. Place a 9.5-inch bowl over it, then cut away the excess pastry around the bowl with a sharp knife to form two large circles. Store excess pastry for another use.
- Fold the top layer of the pastry over in half, then remove it and place it back on its parchment paper in the baking tray.
- Beat the remaining egg with salt, then brush the egg wash along the edge of the pastry, leaving a 1-inch border, all around the bottom layer of pastry.
- Spread the cold filling over the bottom layer of the pastry, leaving a one-inch margin of egg wash at the edge of the circle. This acts like glue, helping the pastry stick together.
- Randomly place the nut, bean, or tiny baby on the frangipane.
- Fold the other pastry round in half, unfold it over the bottom layer and filling, and crimp the edges with a fork; go around twice or thrice to ensure the edges are sealed, and the filling won't leak out during baking.
- Freeze the galette for 30 minutes.
- After about 20 minutes of freezing, place the rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 375° F.
- Remove the galette from the freezer and brush the remaining egg wash all over the pastry.
- Use an ice pick or toothpick to make a hole in the center of the top layer of the galette, then make about 8 to 10 more holes evenly spaced across the top so air can escape while baking.
- Take the pick and make curving lines from the center to the edge over the top for a decorative pattern, spaced about ¼ to ⅛ inch apart. The design may look like the spokes of a wheel or a pinwheel.
- Place in the oven and bake at 375° F for 20 minutes.
- While the galette is baking, make the glaze (simple syrup) in the microwave by combining the sugar, water, and syrup in a small microwave-safe bowl. Microwave for 60 seconds on high, stirring once after 30 seconds.
- Turn the oven off after the galette finishes baking, remove the pastry from the oven, brush the glaze on with a pastry brush, and then set it back in the oven for 10 more minutes to let the glaze dry.
- Remove it from the oven and let it cool on a rack before serving on a cake plate.
Notes
- The frangipane and the assembled galette will work best when they are as cold as possible. A room-temperature filling will leak out of the galette during baking. Refrigerating the filling also helps keep it from reaching the 1-inch border around the edge when spreading it over the bottom pastry layer.
- It is essential to crimp the two pastry rounds together with the tines of a fork all around the edges. Do this twice or thrice to ensure the filling does not leak out during baking.
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"Let God's promises shine on your problems.
Corrie Ten Boom
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