King's Cake (Galette des Rois)
Crisp, deeply golden puff pastry wrapped around a rich almond frangipane, baked until the layers shatter at the first cut. A hidden charm inside turns dessert into a little coronation — just as it has for centuries at Epiphany.
Servings
Ingredients
Nutrition
Per serving
Steps
Make the almond cream
Beat the softened butter with the sugar until pale and creamy. Add the eggs one at a time, mixing just until combined, then stir in the ground almonds, cornstarch, rum, vanilla and salt. Mix only until smooth — overbeating adds too much air and can make the cream puff up unevenly in the oven. Cover and chill for 30 minutes so it firms up enough to spread.
- 100 g butter
- 100 g sugar
- 2 eggs
- 100 g ground almonds
- 1 tbsp cornstarch
- 1 tbsp rum
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 pinch salt
✅ Done when: the cream is smooth, pale and thick, and firm enough to hold its shape when spread
Fill the base
Lay one pastry round on a parchment-lined baking tray, keeping the second round in the fridge. Spread the chilled almond cream over the base in an even layer, leaving a bare border of about 2 cm all around — this clean edge is what lets the two layers seal and puff properly. Push the into the cream off-centre, so it isn't easy to guess where it is, and make sure it's fully covered.
- 1 sheet puff pastry (base)
- 1
✅ Done when: the cream is spread in an even dome and the fève is hidden inside it
Seal and chill
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Score and vent
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Bake the galette
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Glaze and serve
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Make the almond cream
Beat the softened butter with the sugar until pale and creamy. Add the eggs one at a time, mixing just until combined, then stir in the ground almonds, cornstarch, rum, vanilla and salt. Mix only until smooth — overbeating adds too much air and can make the cream puff up unevenly in the oven. Cover and chill for 30 minutes so it firms up enough to spread.
- 100 g butter
- 100 g sugar
- 2 eggs
- 100 g ground almonds
- 1 tbsp cornstarch
- 1 tbsp rum
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 pinch salt
✅ Done when: the cream is smooth, pale and thick, and firm enough to hold its shape when spread
Fill the base
Lay one pastry round on a parchment-lined baking tray, keeping the second round in the fridge. Spread the chilled almond cream over the base in an even layer, leaving a bare border of about 2 cm all around — this clean edge is what lets the two layers seal and puff properly. Push the into the cream off-centre, so it isn't easy to guess where it is, and make sure it's fully covered.
- 1 sheet puff pastry (base)
- 1
✅ Done when: the cream is spread in an even dome and the fève is hidden inside it
Seal and chill
This step is part of Foodie Premium. Subscribe to unlock the full method, cooking mode and every recipe in the library.
Score and vent
This step is part of Foodie Premium. Subscribe to unlock the full method, cooking mode and every recipe in the library.
Bake the galette
This step is part of Foodie Premium. Subscribe to unlock the full method, cooking mode and every recipe in the library.
Glaze and serve
This step is part of Foodie Premium. Subscribe to unlock the full method, cooking mode and every recipe in the library.
The Story Behind the Dish
The galette des rois is baked every January to celebrate Epiphany, the feast marking the visit of the Three Kings to the infant Jesus. A dried bean, and later a small porcelain or plastic charm called the fève, is hidden inside; whoever finds it in their slice is crowned king or queen for the day and wears a paper crown, often sold folded inside the box from the bakery.
In the north and centre of France, the galette is this puff pastry filled with almond frangipane, while in the south it is more common to find a brioche des rois, a soft, ring-shaped bread studded with candied fruit. Both share the same custom, but it's the flaky almond version that has become the one most people picture nationwide.
⭐ Why It's Famous
Its crisp, high layers and rich almond filling turn a simple winter dessert into a small yearly ritual, with the fun of the hidden charm bringing families and offices together around the table.
💡 Fun Fact
The tradition is so woven into French life that bakeries bake many thousands of galettes every January, and even the French presidency receives one each year — though by custom, that particular galette is served without a fève, since the republic has no king to crown.
France, especially Paris and the Île-de-France region, though eaten all over the country
48.86°N, 2.35°E
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