Galette des Rois

How to make the best French Galette des Rois recipe, a traditional dessert very popular in France on Epiphany day. This King cake is made of a homemade puff pastry and filled with delicious and creamy almond cream.

The galette des Rois is a traditional dessert in France, usually prepared during the festivities of the month of January on the occasion of the celebration of the Epiphany day (January 6th) which corresponds to the coming of the Three Kings to see the baby Jesus.

But this dessert with the original shape of a sun and encloses a porcelain bean would also have Pagan origins in connection with the saturnal celebrations.

But above all, it is a delicious dessert that everyone loves with its 2 layers of crispy and buttery puff pastry and a creamy almond paste filling that we call frangipane cream.

Filled with Frangipane

There are different recipes and variations of recipes that are made on Epiphany day, such as the brioche des Rois, the galette Comtoise made with choux pastry, the almond pithivier cake, or other king's cakes that can be flavored with apples, pears, chocolate, pistachio, raspberries, citrus fruits and more.

But the most popular is the one stuffed with almond paste, a mixture of ground almonds, butter, egg, and sugar, flavored with rum that is generally used in pastry to fill a tart shell.

But this recipe I'm sharing with you here is the traditional version, made with a real frangipane cream, which is a blend of vanilla pastry cream recipe used to fill the choux pastry and the almond filling cream.

The frangipane filling is more light, creamy and flavorful and if you have some time to make the chef's inverted puff pastry recipe then you will certainly have the best galette des Rois to serve to your loved ones and to choose the king or queen for the day.

>> See all the recipes of galette des rois of the blog

Composition

Puff pastry

Always made with a classic puff pastry dough which is a rather technical pastry preparation that consists of layering butter and dough, then fold them following a tourage technique (call folding).

And this superposition of layers of dough and layers of butter gives after baking a super crispy flaky texture.

Tip: to go faster you can use a store-bought puff pastry or make the quick rough puff pastry recipe ready in just 10 minutes.

Frangipane cream

This authentic French pastry recipe is made with a frangipane cream which is simply the mixture of two recipes, almond cream and pastry cream. The filling is then lighter, creamy and smooth.

Tip: Add in the filling fruits, like raspberries, or a layer of spread like Nutella, praline paste, pistachio paste, or orange blossom.

How to make Galette des rois

Puff pastry

Follow the recipe for homemade puff pastry, quick puff pastry, inverted puff pastry or use direct 2 discs of store-bought puff pastry.

Almond filling

1. Make the almond cream by mixing together in a bowl all the ingredients, the softened butter, sugar, eggs, and ground almonds, then set aside in a cool place.
2. Then prepare the pastry cream, heat the milk with the vanilla bean and let it infuse for a few minutes.
3. Whisk the sugar with the egg yolks then add the flour and mix again.
4. Add the hot milk to the yolk mixture, then return to the heat and cook the cream until it reaches a thick consistency.
5. Place the pastry cream in a dish and cover it with plastic wrap and let it cool completely in the refrigerator.
6. Combine the almond cream and pastry cream with an electric mixer for 2 minutes to make the frangipane.
7. Set aside in a cool place until ready to assemble.

Assemble

1. Roll out the dough with a rolling pin on a large square about 3 mm thick.
2. Place the first disk of puff pastry on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
3. Fill the inside with a layer of almond filling, leaving a 2-inch / 5 cm border.
4. Place your bean inside.
5. With a pastry brush moisten the edges with water to stick the second disc.
6. Cover with the second disk of puff pastry and press the edges together to weld them.

Tip: You can turn the galette over before scratching, this method prevents the galette from puffing up too much during baking.

Scratch

1. Use a small knife or special bakery blade and score in the pattern of your choice. (Be careful not to press too hard or the filling may leak out during baking)
2. Apply the egg wash with a pastry brush (you can also apply the egg wash before scratching).

Tip: You can apply a second layer of egg wash just before baking for a golden effect

Baking

1. Place your galette des Rois in the refrigerator for 30 minutes or 10 minutes in the freezer while the oven is preheating.
2. Preheat the oven to 350°F/ 180°C and bake the galette des Rois for about 45-50 minutes until it is golden brown on top.
3. Let the cake cool down a bit before serving it a little warm with a good coffee.

Tip: For a bright golden color, sprinkle powdered sugar on top of the cake and place it in the oven at 240°C for 2 to 5 minutes.

Conservation

At room temperature: The frangipane galette des rois can be kept at room temperature, covered with a cloth, under a cloche or plastic wrap for about 3-4 days.

You can slightly reheat it in the microwave on low power or place it in the oven for a few moments to give it some more freshness.

How to freeze it?

When the king cake is completely cooled, place it in a storage box or large tart dish and cover with plastic wrap and store in the freezer for up to 3 months.

Just let it thaw gently at room temperature.

More recipe for king day

• Nutella stuffed galette des Rois
• Chocolate galette des Rois
• Pear chocolate galette des Rois
• Almond Pithivier

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