French king cake (Galette des rois)

The tradition in France is that the person who bites into the feve is made King for the day and wears the crown.

Preparation time: 30 min + resting time 2h30 – Cooking time: 30 min

Ingredients for 6 people. For 450g of puff pastry (2 rolls of pastry):

  • 400g flour
  • 100g melted butter
  • 200g cold butter
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 20cl cold water
  • 1 egg yolk + 1 tablespoon water (to seal the edges of the cake)

For the glazing: 

  • 5cl of milk + 1 tablespoon of icing sugar

For the almond cream:

  • 100g almond flour
  • 100g butter
  • 100g sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 tsp bitter almond extract

Preparation of the french king cake

Preparing the puff pastry:

  1. Mix the flour with the melted butter, the water and the salt. Form into a ball and leave to rest in a cold place for half an hour.

Layering the puff pastry:

  1. Flour your work surface and your pastry.
  2. Stretch the pastry into a rectangle then spread the butter into the centre of the rectangle using a rolling pin.
  3. Fold the lower half of the pastry, then the upper half over the butter. Turn the pastry a quarter turn to the right. Roll it again until it’s about a centimetre thick, still in a rectangle.
  4. Once again fold the pastry in on itself so that the two edges meet. Leave to rest for an hour in a cold place.
  5. Start again and roll out once more.

Preparing the almond cream:

  1. Start by mixing the butter with the sugar.
  2. Add the almond powder, then the eggs one by one. Mix well and finish with the bitter almond extract.
  3. Keep in the fridge.

Making your French king cake

  1. On a floured work surface, spread out your pastry with a rolling pin and make two circles of about 24cm, using a plate to help you get the right size.
  2. Place one of the circles on a baking dish lined with baking paper. Garnish with the almond cream, taking care to keep a margin of 3cm from the edges and put in a feve (a small ceramic figurine).
  3. Mix in the egg yolk with the water, and then coat the edge of the pastry with it using a brush.
  4. Carefully decorate the surface of the other pastry circle using the point of a knife, then place the pastry to cover the first circle and seal by pressing the edges.
  5. So that the galette will be properly glazed, coat it with the mixture of milk and icing sugar.
  6. Wave the edges of the galette and make a little hole in the middle so that the steam can escape. Also prick little holes in four different places to stop the pastry rising during baking.
  7. Leave to rest for an hour in the fridge so that the edges are well sealed.
  8. Preheat the oven at 400°F then bake the galette for 25 to 30 minutes.