Galette des Rois

France's Epiphany cake: golden puff pastry hiding a frangipane of almond cream, and a lucky charm for the crowned king

Origin: Paris and Northern France

From the journey of Almond.

The galette des rois, the 'kings' cake', is eaten across France through January to mark Epiphany, the feast of the three kings, and it is the great showpiece of the almond in French pâtisserie. Two discs of golden puff pastry enclose a generous layer of frangipane, the almond cream of butter, sugar, egg, and ground almond that is the foundation of so much French baking, and the top is scored in the radiating curved pattern that is the cake's signature and glazed to a deep shine. Hidden inside is the fève, once a real bean, now a small porcelain charm; whoever finds it in their slice is crowned king or queen for the day with the paper crown that comes with every galette. The custom is old, descending from the Roman Saturnalia and the medieval Twelfth Night cake, but the almond frangipane that fills the modern galette is the work of French confectionery, which took the medieval almond-milk-and-marchpane inheritance and refined it into the architecture of creams and pastes that defines the craft. The name frangipane is traditionally linked to a Roman nobleman, the Marquis Frangipani, but the cream itself is simply the French perfection of the ancient almond paste. The northern half of France keeps to this flaky, frangipane-filled galette; the south prefers a brioche crown studded with candied fruit. Light, buttery, and rich with almond, crowned with a paper crown and a porcelain charm, the galette des rois turns a January afternoon into a small coronation.

Ingredients

Pastry

  • 500 g all-butter puff pastry (2 sheets, or 1 block halved)

Frangipane

  • 125 g unsalted butter, softened
  • 125 g caster sugar
  • 125 g ground almonds
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 tbsp rum or 0.5 tsp almond extract (optional)
  • 1 porcelain fève or a whole blanched almond

To finish

  • 1 egg yolk beaten with 1 tsp milk, to glaze

Method

  1. Make the frangipane: beat the softened butter and sugar until creamy, beat in the eggs one at a time, then fold in the ground almonds and the optional rum or almond extract until smooth. Chill for 20 minutes.
  2. Roll out the puff pastry and cut two discs about 24cm across. Set one on a lined baking tray and chill both.
  3. Spread the frangipane over the base disc, leaving a clear 3cm border all round. Push the fève or whole almond into the cream, off-centre.
  4. Brush the border with water, lay the second disc on top, and press the edges firmly together to seal. Crimp or scallop the rim with the back of a knife.
  5. Brush the top with egg glaze (avoid the cut edges, which would stop the rise). Chill 15 minutes, then glaze a second time and score the top in a curved, radiating sun pattern. Pierce a small steam hole in the centre.
  6. Bake at 190°C (fan) for 30 to 35 minutes, until puffed, deep golden, and cooked through. Cool a little and serve warm or at room temperature.

Notes

Tradition has the youngest child hide under the table and call out who gets each slice, so the king is chosen by chance. Warn your guests there is a hard charm inside. The galette is best the day it is baked but reheats well. A spoonful of pastry cream folded into the frangipane (making a crème frangipane) gives a softer, richer filling.

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