Galette des Rois (French King Cake with Almond Cream)

The Epiphany cake of northern France: two rounds of puff pastry sealed around an orange-scented almond cream, with a fève hidden inside for whoever becomes king for the day.

Untested: not yet made in this kitchen. It is part of the collection’s French batch and is adapted from the source named in the Notes.

Ingredients

• 1 cup (100 g) almond flour
• ½ cup (100 g) sugar
• 1 pinch salt
• Finely grated zest of ½ orange, preferably unsprayed
• 3½ ounces (100 g; 7 tablespoons) unsalted butter, cubed, at room temperature
• 2 large eggs, at room temperature
• 2 teaspoons rum
• ⅛ teaspoon almond extract
• 1 pound (450 g) puff pastry, in two pieces, chilled
• 1 whole almond or a piece of candied fruit, as the fève

Glaze

• 1 egg yolk
• 1 teaspoon milk

Directions

1. Mix the almond flour, sugar, salt and zest. Mash in the butter completely, then stir in the eggs one at a time with the rum and almond extract (it may not look smooth). Cover and chill.
2. On a lightly floured surface, roll one piece of pastry to about a 9½-inch (23 cm) round, trim it neatly against a template and set it on a parchment-lined sheet.
3. Cover with parchment, roll and trim the second round, and lay it on top. Chill 30 minutes.
4. Slide off the top round with its parchment. Spread the filling over the bottom round, leaving a 1-inch (3 cm) border, and push in the fève.
5. Brush water generously around the border, lay on the top round and press to seal very well. (It can be chilled now, up to overnight.)
6. Heat the oven to 375 °F (190 °C). Flute the edge and score a design on top. Brush with the yolk and milk, keeping the glaze off the sides, and poke 5 steam holes.
7. Bake 30 minutes, until browned on top and up the sides, poking again if it puffs dramatically. Slide onto a rack; it deflates as it cools. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Notes

Source Adapted from David Lebovitz, “Galette des Rois,” davidlebovitz.com. The source prints the oven as “375ºF (180ºC)”; 375 °F is about 190 °C, and the Fahrenheit figure is kept.

The tradition Sold in Paris from late December for Epiphany, 6 January; the finder of the fève is king for the day. The south of France prefers a yeasted ring with candied fruit. The same puff-pastry cake is called a Pithiviers, after the town. Lebovitz suggests a whole almond rather than a porcelain fève, which can break a tooth.

The photo The photograph shows a scored galette des rois.