Galette des Rois Recipe (French King Cake)

Galette des Rois Sliced on white decorative plate with crown, knife and serviette.

5 from 1 vote

Galette des Rois Recipe (French King Cake)

Crisp, flakey puff pastry filled with a sweet almond filling makes this Galette des Rois (King Cake) desirable all year round, not just for Epiphany in January! Make it all the more fun by hiding an almond or fève inside so that the recipient becomes King or Queen for the day!

Prep Time30

Cook Time30

Chill Time30

Course: Cakes

Cuisine: French

Servings: slices

Calories: 398kcal

Author: Emma Duckworth

Ingredients

500 g ready-made puff pastry block or x2 sheets pre-rolled puff pastry
115 g unsalted butter room temperature
100 g granulated sugar
1 orange zest
1 large egg
1 large egg, yolk
1 tablespoon cognac (optional) or Whiskey, Rum, Frangelico or 1 teaspoon of orange blossom water or vanilla extract
100 g almond meal (ground almonds)
½ teaspoon salt
1 large egg plus 1 tablespoon water for egg wash

Sugar syrup (optional)

30 ml water
30 g sugar

Metric - US Customary

Instructions

Prepare the Puff Pastry

Roll out the puff pastry and cut into discs. Cut the puff pastry block in two. Roll out one piece of pastry on a lightly floured surface to a 25cm/10-inches wide square or circle. Place the base of a 23cm/9-inch cake pan and cut around the edge to form a disc. This is the base for your Galette des Rois. Transfer the disc to a parchment paper lined baking tray.
Roll out the second piece of pastry to the same size. Using the cake pan base as a guide, make this disc slightly larger and cut the circle approx 25cm/10 inches wide. Transfer to a parchment paper lined baking tray and refrigerate both discs whilst making the almond cream.

Make the Almond Cream Filling

Cream butter, sugar and orange zest. Rub the orange zest and sugar together to release the oils. Cream the butter and orange sugar until pale and creamy in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment.
Add in eggs and alcohol if using. Add the whole egg, egg yolk and cognac, and beat them together. It may look curdled, but it will come together in the next step.
Add the ground almonds and salt. Pour the ground almonds and salt into the bowl and beat again until smooth and combined.
Place in a piping bag (optional). Spoon the mixture into a piping bag and twist it closed.

Assemble

Pipe almond cream onto the pastry base. Remove the puff pastry discs from the fridge. Pipe or spoon the almond cream onto the smaller disc, leaving a 2.5cm/1 inch border all the way around. Level with a palette knife.
Whisk egg and water together and brush the exposed border with egg wash.
Add the fève or nut. It's totally optional, but it's so fun for kids to have a hunt for it later on! Add the plastic of ceramic fève, whole almond or other nut or bean into the cream.
Cover the cream with the second pastry disc. Lay the second, larger disc over the top, gently pressing it over the mound of cream to remove air.
Seal edges. Scallop the edge with two fingers and use the back of a knife to push the edge in between your two fingers as you go around (see post for image).
Brush the egg wash all over the top (but don't let it run down the sides, as this can inhibit the rise of the pastry).
Refrigerate. Now chill the Galette on the baking tray for at least 30 minutes. This helps give you a super crisp pastry.
Preheat the oven to 200℃/390℉ whilst waiting.
Decorate the pastry, then bake. Remove the cake from the fridge. Brush the egg wash all over the top again.
Using a sharp pairing knife, score a design on top. I've done it in radiating arcs, starting from the centre and faning out to the edge. But you can score it in a herringbone or leaf design, too. Just make sure you do not cut all the way through the dough. Cut a small hole in the centre to act as a steam vent.
Bake. Bake in the preheated 200℃/390℉ oven for 15 minutes, then reduce the oven to 180℃/350℉ and continue to bake for another 15-20 minutes until the pastry is deep golden. Remove from the oven and transfer to a cooling rack. This galette is best enjoyed warm or at room temperature.
Brush with sugar syrup. (Optional extra for a professional finish). Whilst the galette is baking, boil sugar and water together until the sugar is dissolved. Pour into a bowl and allow the syrup to cool. Once the galette is removed from the oven, immediately brush it with the syrup. Set the galette to one side to cool until warm.

Notes

Step-by-Step Photos: My blog post includes helpful step-by-step photos to help guide you through making this recipe.

To Store: The Galette des Rois is best eaten on the same day. Store it in an air-tight container at room temperature and re-crisp the pastry by baking the galette in a 180C/350F oven for 10 minutes.

To Freeze: Make the King Cake up to the point of sealing and scalloping the edges (before brushing with egg wash. Wrap well in plastic wrap and freeze for up to 2 months. Thaw for 15 minutes for brushing with egg wash and scoring the top with a design. Bake as per the recipe.

TIP 1. Temperature is so important. If the puff pastry is too warm when it goes into the oven, you'll be left with a greasy mess. If in doubt - refrigerate it!!

TIP 2. Careful of the fèves. It goes without saying that hiding any hard object, whether a whole nut or porcelain charm, in a baked cake, can be a choking hazard. Because this tradition of finding the fève is aimed at kids, please be cautious and use your discretion! Omit the fève if you are worried!!

TIP 3. Measure out your ingredients. I'm a huge advocate for weighing your ingredients in grams rather than cups. It's far more accurate and dispels any discrepancies that could cause the recipe to fail.

TIP 4. Use anything round as a template. To cut your round pastry discs, I suggest the base of a cake pan, but use anything on hand, such as a pot lid, spring form pan base, or upturned cake plate.

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