GALLETTE DES ROIS Traditional French puff pastry CAKE with FRANGIPANE CREAM prepared for EPIPHANY

The KING’S CAKE (Galette des Rois) is a traditional sweet from northern France with a puff pastry base filled with frangipane cream and is prepared for Epiphany on the occasion of the arrival of the MAGI KINGS, from whom it takes its name.

According to tradition the Galette des Rois should contain a surprise (once a fava bean) that can be an almond or a sugared candy; whoever finds it in their slice wins the right to be King for a day!

A cake with a crisp puff pastry shell that holds an almond frangipane filling for a final result that is super crunchy on the outside and delicately soft on the inside.

The recipe to make the King’s Cake is within everyone’s reach, especially if you buy ready-made puff pastry sheets at the supermarket. Although the classic version of the Galette des Rois uses frangipane as we will see in the preparation today, you can easily fill the pastry instead with a classic pastry cream, chocolate pastry cream, hazelnut cream or even jam.

Whatever filling you decide to use for this typical EPIPHANY cake, don’t forget to put the “surprise” inside: it can be a sugared candy, an almond or another dried or candied fruit.

Now let’s discover together how to make the GALLETTE DES ROIS, the traditional French puff pastry CAKE with FRANGIPANE CREAM prepared for EPIPHANY.

Difficulty: Very easy
Cost: Medium
Preparation time: 15 Minutes
Cooking time: 30 Minutes
Portions: 6–8 servings
Cooking methods: Oven
Cuisine: Italian
Seasonality: Epiphany

744.92 Kcal

calories per serving

Info Close

Energy 744.92 (Kcal)
Carbohydrates 57.09 (g) of which sugars 23.67 (g)
Proteins 14.55 (g)
Fat 50.97 (g) of which saturated 14.24 (g)of which unsaturated 26.50 (g)
Fibers 3.13 (g)
Sodium 236.40 (mg)

Indicative values for a portion of 175 g processed in an automated way starting from the nutritional information available on the CREA^* and FoodData Central^** databases. It is not food and / or nutritional advice.

^* CREATES Food and Nutrition Research Center: https://www.crea.gov.it/alimenti-e-nutrizione https://www.alimentinutrizione.it ^** U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. https://fdc.nal.usda.gov

Ingredients

2 rolls puff pastry
1 egg (for brushing the surface)
1/2 cup butter (at room temperature)
2 eggs
1 cup powdered sugar (confectioners' sugar)
1/3 cup + 1 tbsp all-purpose flour (or cornstarch)
1 1/4 cups almond flour
1 tsp almond extract
3 tbsp + 1 tsp water
1/4 cup granulated sugar

Preparation

Place the butter at room temperature and the powdered sugar in a bowl. Beat the butter and the sugar with an electric mixer until it becomes pale and fluffy (this will take about 2–3 minutes). Add the eggs one at a time, continuing to beat; only add the next egg when the previous one has been completely absorbed.
At this point add the almond flour and the all-purpose flour (or cornstarch) and the vial of almond extract. Work until you obtain a homogeneous cream. Keep it chilled in the fridge until ready to use.
Gently unroll the two puff pastry sheets so that no cracks form; if necessary, let them rest a little at room temperature.
Cut out each circle using a removable round mold about 8 2/3 – 9 1/2 inches (22–24 cm) in diameter and brush a 1 cm (about 3/8 in) border with beaten egg yolk.
Spoon the frangipane cream into the center of the pastry and level it with a spoon. Cover with the second sheet of pastry, press lightly around the edges and seal by pressing with the back of a fork. Turn the cake over onto a baking tray lined with parchment paper and brush with beaten egg yolk.
Gently press your finger in the center of the pastry, then, with a sharp knife, very lightly trace small lines from the center outward creating gentle curves, being careful not to cut through but only to score the surface. Let rest in the refrigerator for about 20 minutes before baking.
Take the cake out of the refrigerator, prick the surface in several places with a toothpick, then bake at 392°F (200°C), conventional oven, for about 25 minutes. The puff pastry should be nicely risen and golden. As soon as it’s baked, remove from the oven and brush with a sugar syrup (just heat equal parts water and sugar in a small saucepan for 2 minutes until the sugar is completely dissolved).

VARIATIONS

The classic frangipane can be enriched with melted chocolate: simply add 3.5 oz (100 g) of melted dark chocolate. This will give you an even more indulgent and distinctive cake. If you make a chocolate version you can decorate the surface with chocolate shavings.

STORAGE

Once ready, the puff pastry and frangipane cake keeps in the refrigerator, sealed in an airtight container, for up to 2 days.

TIPS

To flavor the frangipane you can use a liqueur such as rum or Cointreau; 1 tablespoon is enough.

Follow A Tavola con Tea on Instagram by clicking the following link https://www.instagram.com/atavolacontea_/?hl=it

To browse other recipes return to the home page by clicking here https://blog.giallozafferano.it/atavolacontea/