On January 6, many Catholics celebrate Epiphany, the day the Magi, or three wise men/kings visited baby Jesus. The French tradition is to enjoy a Galette des Rois, or king cake, on this day. It’s made with an almond filling, puff pastry crust, and presented with a paper crown. The lucky person to find a bean or charm called la fève baked in the galette gets to wear the crown and be king for the day!

Here’s my interpretation of Galette des Rois

an egg and measuring cups, one with a happy face formed by vanilla extract
baking makes me smile, too

Ingredients

  • 2 rolls of pre-made puff pastry
  • 1/2 cup of almond flour
  • 1 Tbsp of all-purpose flour
  • 1/4 cup of granulated sugar
  • 3/4 tsp of vanilla extract
  • 3 Tbsp of softened butter
  • 2 eggs (1 for the filling and the other for egg wash)

Directions

  • Heat oven to 425°F
  • Mix the flours, sugar, vanilla extract, butter, and one egg
  • Unroll the rectangular pre-made puff pastry dough onto a baking sheet. Take a lid of a pot and press lightly on the dough to get a nice outline of a circle. Cut along the outline. Repeat these steps with the second roll of puff pastry dough. (Save the excess dough to make other treats, like croissants!)
  • Add the almond filling to the center of the puff pastry, leaving a border of about an inch all around
  • Gently brush some egg wash along the border of the dough
  • Top it with the second roll of puff pastry dough
  • Using a small sharp knife, carve a design on the top, then brush egg wash on top to make the crust shiny
  • Bake for 20 minutes. Let it cool for 20 minutes before serving

I found the almond flavor too mild (maybe I’ll leave out the vanilla extract next time!) Overall, it was fun making a Galette des Rois. The pre-made, store-bought puff pastry dough was definitely a time saver!

Bon appétit ! Bon week-end !