This traditional Galette Des Rois of northern France is an original king cake. It's a simple and easy-to-make pâtisserie of golden buttery puff pastry. The filling is a creamy frangipane tucked with a hidden prize and full of meaningful symbolism.

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In France, the beloved Epiphany is celebrated on January 6th by bringing a freshly baked Galette Des Rois, or King cake, to friends and family during January.
This celebration is the 12th day of Christmas (sound familiar?), commemorating when three kings or wise men brought their gifts to baby Jesus. Although scripture doesn't say how many kings there were and if Jesus was still a baby when the gifts arrived at his house, this tradition is a sweet reminder worth celebrating.
The classic French pastry has 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.
The Mardi Gras rendition also commemorates the gifts brought to the King by having a tiny plastic figure of a baby hidden in the cake. You can purchase king cakes in stores or order them online, but try 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 feast of the Epiphany, Mardi Gras season, or any time of year.
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 of ground almonds 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, unslated 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.
- Flavoring - an almond filling is the traditional flavor of the Galette Des Rois, but vanilla or rum may be used instead of an 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 so it can easily spread over the dough.
- Granulated sugar - a small amount of granulated white sugar for the simple syrup to glaze the top of the galette 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, but very simple ones. Follow the easy instructions as close as you can for the best results. It'll be fun!
For the almond frangipane filling, mix both almond and all-purpose flour, 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 eggs in a separate bowl and stir them and the flavoring 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 onto two baking trays, put each sheet of puff pastry onto the paper, and roll 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, and cut away excess pastry to make two large circles. Store excess pastry for another use. Fold the top layer of the pastry over in half and remove it, placing it back on its parchment paper in the baking tray.
Beat the remaining egg with salt, then with a pastry brush, brush a 1-inch border all around the edge of the bottom layer of pastry.
Take the filling from the refrigerator and spread it over the bottom layer of the pastry, leaving a one-inch margin at the edge. Randomly place the nut, bean, or tiny baby on top of the frangipane.
Fold the other pastry round in half, unfold it on top of the bottom layer over the filling, and crimp the edges together 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 middle of the oven and preheat to 375° F.
After 30 minutes, remove the galette from the freezer and brush the rest of the egg wash all 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 about 8 to 10 more small holes evenly spaced all over the top of the cake so air can escape while baking.
Take the ice pick or the back of a knife, 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 will look like the spokes of a wheel or a pinwheel.
Bake in the oven for 20 minutes; the cake will rise into a golden crown.
While the galette is baking, make the glaze (a simple syrup) in the microwave oven by combining the sugar, water, and syrup in a small microwave oven-proof bowl. Microwave for 60 seconds on high, stirring once after 30 seconds.
After the galette is baked, remove it from the oven and turn it off; brush the glaze over the top of the cake with a pastry brush, then set it back in the oven for ten more minutes for the glaze to 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 it is 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 into the 1-inch border around the edge when spreading it over the bottom pastry layer.
Substitutions
You may use a homemade puff pastry instead of a store-bought one. According to this recipe from The Spruce Eats, making your own puff pastry isn't difficult but takes time.
Variations
Cut the puff pastry into smaller circles for individual servings of this traditional French pastry.
Storage
Store in an air-tight container for up to 3 days in a cool, dry place or the freezer for up to 3 months. The pastry warms in the microwave oven quite nicely and is perfect with a cup of coffee.
Top tip
It is very important to crimp together the two filled pieces of pastry rounds 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.
FAQ
The king 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 6th, Epiphany, and throughout January to recognize when the three kings brought gifts to the baby Jesus.
After the cake is prepared, poke holes on 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 in a preheated oven at 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:
Galette Des Rois: Traditional French King Cake Recipe
A classic French, golden buttery puff pastry filled with creamy frangipane, a hidden prize, and symbolic meaning.
- Total Time: 2 hours 20 minutes
- Yield: 8 slices 1x
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 flavoring of your choice, such as almond extract, vanilla extract, rum, etc.
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 tablespoon 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 eggs in a separate small bowl and stir them and the flavoring into the flour-butter mixture. (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 onto two baking trays, put each pastry sheet onto the paper, and roll 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, and cut away excess pastry around the bowl with a sharp knife to make two large circles. Store excess pastry for another use.
- Fold the top layer of the pastry over in half and remove it, placing it back on its parchment paper in the baking tray.
- Beat the remaining egg with salt, then with a pastry brush, brush the egg wash into a 1-inch border on the edge, 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 to help the pastry stick together.
- Randomly place the nut, bean, or tiny baby on the frangipane.
- Fold the other pastry round in half, unfold it on top of the bottom layer over the filling, and crimp the edges together with a fork; go around twice or thrice to ensure the edge is sealed and the filling won't leak out when 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 rest of the 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 about 8 to 10 more holes evenly spaced all over the top so the air escapes 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 (a simple syrup) in the microwave oven by combining the sugar, water, and syrup in a small microwave oven-proof bowl. Microwave for 60 seconds on high, stirring once after 30 seconds.
- Turn the oven off after the galette is finished baking, remove the pastry from the oven, brush the glaze over it with a pastry brush, and then set it back in the oven for 10 more minutes for the glaze to 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 it is 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 together the two pieces of pastry rounds 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.
- Prep Time: 2 hours
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Category: Sweets
- Method: Bake
- Cuisine: French
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Have a nice day!
"Let God's promises shine on your problems.
Corrie Ten Boom
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