KING’S CAKE Traditional French puff pastry cake with FRANGIPANE CREAM, prepared for the EPIPHANY
The KING’S CAKE (Galette des Rois) is a traditional dessert from Northern France with a puff pastry base filled with frangipane cream, prepared for the Epiphany on the arrival of the THREE KINGS, from which it takes its name.
According to tradition, the Galette des Rois should contain a surprise (once a bean), which can be an almond or a candy, and whoever finds it in their slice wins the right to be the King for a day!
A cake with a crispy puff pastry shell that encloses a frangipane almond cream filling for a result that is super crunchy outside and delicately soft inside.
The recipe for preparing the King’s Cake is accessible to everyone, especially if you buy ready-made pastry bases at the supermarket. Even if the classic version of the Galette des Rois involves frangipane cream, as we will see in today’s preparation, you can easily fill the pastry with instead a classic PASTRY CREAM or with CHOCOLATE PASTRY CREAM, hazelnut cream, and even jam.
Whatever filling you decide to use for this typical EPIPHANY Cake, do not forget to insert the ‘surprise’ inside: it can be a candy, an almond, or even another dried or candied fruit.
And now let’s discover together how to make the KING’S CAKE, a Traditional French puff pastry cake with FRANGIPANE CREAM, prepared for the EPIPHANY.
- Difficulty: Very easy
- Cost: Medium
- Preparation time: 15 Minutes
- Portions: 6/8 people
- Cooking methods: Oven
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: Epiphany
- 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 (to brush the surface)
- 1/2 cup butter (at room temperature)
- 2 eggs
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 1/3 cup all-purpose flour (or cornstarch)
- 1 cup almond flour
- 1 vial almond aroma
- 3 1/2 tbsp water
- 1/4 cup sugar
Preparation
Place the butter at room temperature and the powdered sugar in a bowl. Whip the butter and sugar with an electric mixer until it becomes light and fluffy (it will take about 2/3 minutes). Add the eggs one at a time, continuing to whip; only when the mixture has completely absorbed one egg, add the next one.
At this point, add the almond flour and all-purpose flour, along with the almond aroma vial. Mix until you get a homogeneous cream. Keep it in the fridge until ready to use.
Unroll the two rolls of puff pastry gently so that no cracks form; if necessary, leave them slightly at room temperature.
Cut each circle with a 9″ round cutter and brush a 1 cm edge with the beaten yolk.
Pour the frangipane cream in the center of the pastry and level it with a spoon. Cover with the second roll of pastry, lightly pressing the edges and seal them by pressing with the back of a fork. Flip the cake by turning it onto a baking sheet previously lined with parchment paper and brush it with the beaten egg yolk.
Gently press your finger into the center of the pastry, then, with a sharp knife, gently trace small lines from the center outwards creating semi-curves, being careful not to cut but just to score. Let rest in the refrigerator for about 20 minutes before baking.
Remove the cake from the refrigerator, prick the surface with a toothpick in various points, then bake at 390°F (200°C), static oven, and bake for about 25 minutes. The puff pastry should be nicely puffed and golden. As soon as it is cooked, take it out of the oven and brush it with a syrup made of water and sugar (just put equal doses of water and sugar in a saucepan for 2 minutes and wait for the sugar to completely dissolve).
VARIATIONS
The classic frangipane cream can be enriched with melted chocolate: just add 3/4 cup of melted dark chocolate. You will have an even more delicious and special cake. If you make a chocolate version, you can decorate the top with chocolate shavings.
STORAGE
Once ready, the puff pastry and frangipane cream cake can be stored in the refrigerator in an airtight container for a maximum of 2 days.
TIPS
To flavor the frangipane cream, you can use a liqueur such as rum or Cointreau; just 1 tablespoon is enough.
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