Galette Des Rois | French King Cake (With A British Twist)

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A classic French recipe served on the day of Epiphany, Galette des Rois translates to the "Cake of Kings". This simple recipe uses a shop-bought puff pastry and easy-to-make almond frangipane filling. We have also used some mincemeat in the cake to add a Great British twist to this French Epiphany Cake!

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The Last Cake of The Season

Every year, there is such a huge build-up to Christmas for me. I start anticipating and getting excited about Christmas at the beginning of December. And then... Christmas passes all too quickly. New Year's Eve is normally the final day for overindulgence and merrymaking before I go into the new year: chess puffed, jaw clenched in determination to turn my life around, a list of New Year's resolutions firmly in my hand.

But there's one more day to indulge - the 6th of January - or Epiphany. And on this day, the French make the most delicious puff pastry pie with almond filling!

And if you enjoy this almond filling, try our Apple Frangipane Tart (French Apple and Almond Tart) and Almond Croissants!

What is Galette Des Rois?

A widespread French tradition is to serve Galette des Rois on the 6th of January - the day when three wise men visited baby Jesus. However, these days, French King Cake is enjoyed over the whole Christmas and New Year season! You will definitely start seeing Galette des Rois in the window displays of boulangerie throughout December if you're travelling in France (Seb said he saw a few at the beginning of November when he was visiting earlier this year)!

Traditionally, this Epiphany Cake was made into a game at a table. A fève (typically, a small porcelain figurine or a bean) was placed in the almond filling of the cake. When serving, a child would hide under the table and shout out the names of the people around the table to announce who gets the next slice. The person who finds the bean in their cake would either become the king (or queen) for the day or get the right to choose who should be crowned.

We made ours with a whole almond hidden in the filling, instead of the bean (purely for health & safety reasons!). We have also added a British twist to this otherwise French classic - some traditional British Christmas mincemeat on the base of the cake and then proceeded as usual, with almond cream and the top layer of puff pastry. Feel free to skip the mincemeat, if you want to make a more traditional Galette des Rois this Christmas!

Method: How to Make French Kings Cake?

Dust a kitchen surface with flour and roll out the pastry to about 2-3mm thick. Using plates as templates, cut out two circles, a 20cm (for the bottom) and a 22cm circle (for the top). Place the circles in between two baking parchment sheets (we highly recommend using Bacofoil baking paper) and refrigerate while you make the filling.

Beat the softened butter and icing sugar together until smooth using an electric handheld mixer. Add ground almonds (we use Stock'd), and an egg and beat until combined. Cover and pop it in the fridge for 20 minutes.

Place the 20cm circle of pastry on a baking parchment-lined sheet. Spread the mincemeat leaving a 2cm gap from the edge. Then spread almond filling on top, again avoiding the 2cm edge.

Hide one whole almond somewhere in the almond filling - whoever finds it is the winner (more on the game in the text above).

Using a pastry brush, brush the beaten egg yolk around the 2cm edge (reserve the rest of the yolk). Then cover with the 22cm circle of puff pastry, pressing down carefully to get rid of any air pockets around the filling and to seal.

Place the galette in the fridge for at least 1 hour, or up to 8 hours to chill.

Preheat the oven to 160°C Fan.

When ready to bake, take the epiphany cake out of the fridge and score the pastry in a spiral pattern using a blunt knife, taking care not to go through the pastry. Make a small hole in the middle of the galette for the steam to escape. Brush the top with the reserved egg yolk.

Bake the galette for 35-40 minutes, until golden brown.

Once cooked, leave the French king cake to cool down for 10-15 minutes and serve warm.

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Christmas Baking Recipes

For various other ideas for your Christmas baking, have a look at the recipes below:

• Spiced Oat and Cranberry Cookies
• Christmas Cake Cheesecake
• Black Forest Gatteau Mousse Cake
• Sourdough Panettone

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