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French king cake galette des rois.
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5 from 19 votes

French King Cake (Galette des Rois)

Try making this French King Cake (Galette des Rois) to sample a French delicacy traditionally served for the Epiphany (Jan 6th). Made from classic puff pastry and an almond frangipane filling, there is nothing like the taste and texture of homemade French king cake, it's one of my favorite French cake recipes.
Prep Time4 hours
Cook Time1 hour
Waiting Time18 hours
Total Time23 hours
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: French
Servings: 6
Calories: 683kcal
Author: Katalin Nagy

Ingredients

For the Puff pastry

For the Frangipane filling

Egg wash

  • 1 Egg
  • Splash of milk

Instructions

DAY 1

    Prepare the puff pastry dough

    • Mix water with vinegar and chill it for a few minutes in the freezer
    • Mix flour with salt and melt butter (the smaller amount). Once the butter is not too hot mix it into the flour
    • Melt butter (smaller amount) and once butter is not too hot mix with white vinegar. Pour melted butter (not hot!) & vinegar mixture into the flour
    • Start adding the water-vinegar mixture to the dough while your mixer is at the lowest speed. Once water is added, knead the dough for another minute at low speed just until it comes together. Then, using your hand, gently knead the dough for another minute just until it becomes smooth. Do not overwork the dough
    • Wrap the dough into a plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight
    • Prepare a 20cm / 8 inch square butter block and refrigerate

    Day 2

      Lamination process

      • Use Silicone baking mat to make the rolling and folding easier. Start rolling the dough into 25x45cm / 10x18inch, which is 2x bigger (plus some extra) than the size of the butter. Take butter out of the fridge and when it is pliable, place it onto the bottom part of the dough, fold the dough over the butter block and carefully seal all 4 sides.
      • Prepare a 6-fold puff pastry; Roll dough into 25x45cm / 10x18inch, fold the top third into the middle, then fold the bottom third into the middle. Now you will get an envelope shape that has an "open edge" on the top and a "closed edge" on the bottom. Rotate by 90 degrees to the right so you will get the "open edge" on the right and the "closed edge" on left.
      • Repeat the above 6x with resting the dough for 1-2 hours either in between each fold or in between 2 folds. After the 6th fold, cut the pastry into two and refrigerate them for a minimum of 4 hours before using it.

      For the Frangipane cream

      • Cream room temperature butter and sugar until fluffy, for about 3 minutes then whisk egg lightly and slowly incorporate into the almond mixture while the mixer is on.
      • Fold in the rest of the ingredients then fill a piping bag with the almond cream and pop it into the fridge to slightly thicken.

      Assemble

      • Roll out one of the puff pastry disks and cut out a 22 cm / 8.5 inch circle - this will be the bottom of the French King Cake.
      • Pipe the almond cream on top. Make sure you leave a min 2,5cm / 1 inch around the edge. Place the bottom circle with almond cream on it into the fridge for 30 min
      • Roll out the other puff pastry disk and cut out a circle that is just slightly bigger than the bottom eg. 23cm / 9 inch - this will be the top of the pastry. Place the top circle also into the fridge to chill for 30 min
      • Carefully apply a small amount of very cold water on the edge of the bottom part of the pastry (where there is no almond cream) and using your hands carefully but firmly seal the the bottom and top parts of the pastry together
      • Apply your first egg wash then place the pastry into the fridge again for another 30 min
      • Apply a second layer of egg wash and decorate according to your preference eg. curve lines starting from the center. Make sure to apply the decoration carefully with the help of the back of a knife and flute the edge around with a fork
      • For the last time, pop the pastry again back to the fridge while pre-heating your oven to 190C/374F (no fan)

      Baking

      • Bake for 20 min at 190C / 374F (no fan) then decrease oven temp to 170C / 338F (no fan) and bake for another 20 minutes. Carefully monitor the pastry and judge the oven temp accordingly. The bottom should be well baked, and the top should be shiny by the end of the baking time
      • Serve the pastry the same day. Any leftovers can be stored at room temperature for 2-3 days.

      Notes

      1. Make sure to measure the ingredients using a digital scale
      2. Use a silicon baking mat to turn and fold the puff pastry dough. The mat not only prevents the dough from sticking but also acts as a ruler while rolling
      3. Try to work in a cold kitchen environment under 18C / 64F. If at any point the pastry is too sticky, pop it back to the fridge to chill before proceeding with the next step in the recipe
      4. When sealing the top and bottom together, try to be precise so the pastry won´t open up and leak during baking
      5. Check the bottom of the pastry - whether it is well baked - before removing it from the oven

      Nutrition

      Calories: 683kcal | Carbohydrates: 47g | Protein: 11g | Fat: 51g | Saturated Fat: 28g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 12g | Trans Fat: 2g | Cholesterol: 198mg | Sodium: 224mg | Potassium: 78mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 14g | Vitamin A: 1414IU | Calcium: 60mg | Iron: 1mg