Galette des Rois: the delicious French recipe of Kings’ Cake for the Epiphany

Galette des Rois or Kings' cake is a beautiful French dessert recipe made for Epiphany, the day the Three Kings visited the baby Jesus, on January 6th.

It's a delicious dessert you'll find in French bakeries all throughout January. Galette des Rois is made with a frangipane filling – creamy, rich almond filling – and sandwiched between two discs of flaky, buttery golden brown puff pastry.

It contains a small trinket called a fève, which is baked inside the bake. It can be an almond, fava bean, or small plastic figure. Whoever finds the fève in their slice of cake is crowned king for the day.

Delicious and easy to make, galette des rois is a great make-ahead recipe.

How to Make Galette des Rois

Making this beautiful French Epiphany cake is incredibly easy. Start by lining a baking tray with parchment paper, and preheat your oven to 400F. Shape the puff pastry into two discs, then pop one of the discs onto the tray and brush the edges with a beaten egg.

To make the frangipane, beat the butter and sugar until it turns light and airy. Whisk in the eggs, then mix in the almond flour and salt. Add in the rum, if using, and vanilla extract. Spread the frangipane in the center, making sure to leave space around the edges.

Place the fève in the frangipane, then gently dap the edges of the puff pastry with the beaten egg. Place the second pastry disc on top of the almond layer and seal it. Chill the galette des Rois for about 20 to 30 minutes before baking.

When it's time to bake, brush the top with the beaten egg. Next, score the top of the pastry with a sharp knife in a decorative pattern of your choosing. Bake the cake for 30 minutes, or until the pastry is golden brown. Remove from the oven and allow to cool slightly for a few minutes, then cut and serve.

Tips for the Best Galette des Rois

If you don't have rum, you can leave it out or you can use cognac or brandy instead. Dark rum, almond liqueur, or amaretto can also work as a substitute.

You can also use almond paste instead of almond flour.

Galette des Rois is best when enjoyed on the same day, but you can make it up to one day ahead. To reheat any leftover galette des Rois, bake it for 10 minutes at 300°F.

Don't cut through the pastry all the way when making the design, apart from the few small slits to allow the steam to escape.

Galette des Rois can be enjoyed warm or cold.

For a more decadent galette des rois, you can also add two tablespoons of jam to the almond paste filling.

How to Store French Galette des Rois

Cover and keep your galette des Rois at room temperature for two to 3 days.

Can You Freeze Galette des Rois?

Absolutely! Wrap and freeze your galette des Rois for up to one month.

Instructions

Preheat your oven to 400F. Line a baking tray with parchment paper.

Roll out the sheets of puff pastry and cut them into two 9-inch discs.

Brush the edges of the puff pastry with the beaten egg.

Beat the butter and sugar until fluffy and light.

Whisk in the eggs.

Beat the almond flour and salt. Add in the rum, if using, and vanilla extract. Mix.

Spread the frangipane in the center of the puff pastry making sure to leave space around the edges.

Place the bean or almond in the frangipane. Put one of the discs onto the baking tray. Place the second pastry disc over the top and crimp the sides to seal. Put in the fridge for 20 to 30 minutes.

Brush the top with the beaten egg.

Lightly score the top of the pastry with a sharp knife. Make a few slits so steam can escape.

Bake for 30 minutes, or until the pastry is golden brown. Remove from the oven and allow to cool slightly for a few minutes, then cut and serve.

Notes

Use room temperature ingredients to make your galette des rois.