Almonds and puff pastry, what a beautiful and dare we say tasty combination. Traditionally speaking, this is a Galette des Rois or King's Cake served on the 12th day of Christmas when the Three Kings arrived. But we think it's just perfect for any special occasion.
In this French classic, delectable almond fringipane is sandwiched between two layers of buttery puff pastry for a decadent and incredibly easy to make treat. Best of all? One tiny dried bean is hidden in the cake before baking, and who ever finds it in their slice gets to wear the golden crown and is king for a day!
There are many versions of a kings cake out there, but we just couldn't resist the simplicity of this delicate galette.
Nor could we resist diving right in once it came out of the oven!
Whether it's the 12th day of Christmas or a birthday, or a Tuesday for that matter, this sweet little cake is just the ticket.
Galette des Rois Ingredients (original recipe found here)
For the pastry:
1 to 2 packages frozen puff pastry dough
Frangipane Cream (makes enough for 2 galettes):
1 cup soft butter
1 cup ground blanched almonds
4 Tablespoons flour
3 eggs
3/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon almond extract (we added 1/2 a teaspoon more, but be careful, almond extract is strong!)
Pinch of salt
Powdered sugar for dusting
Egg yoke mixed with a 1 tablespoon of water
1 dried bean (for the king or queen!)
Directions:
Preheat oven to 450 degrees. With an electric beater (or you could mix by hand if you don't have one), cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Then add the eggs and almond extract and mix until incorporated. Add remaining ingredients and mix until the frangipane just comes together.
Place the thawed pastry dough (either thaw in the refrigerator over night or simply on the counter at room temperature for about 40 min) on a floured surface and cut out two circles about 8-9" in diameter. We used a cake pan to function as our template and cut around the edges with a knife. Once you have your rounds, brush one side of one round with a bit of water and place that side down on your parchment lined baking pan (this suggestion is from the Cordon Bleu and helps to keep the gallette from buckling and losing its shape). Once this is done, brush one inch around the edge of the side facing up with the egg wash
Spread half of the frangipane cream on the center and place the second circle on top matching the edges of the circles. Press all around the edges firmly to to glue them together. You may either use a fork to decorate the edges or fold them as pictured above. After the edges are secured, press softly in the center to evenly spread the filling. There is enough frangipane for two galettes if you would like to make another, or you could also make almond croissants with the remaining puff pastry and filling (that's wat we did and they were lovely!). Once your galette is complete, brush the surface with egg wash being careful no to get any on the sides.
Bake the galette in the center of a preheated 450 degree oven for 15 minutes then 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Decorate with powdered sugar and serve warm with gold paper crown on top.
And don't forget... who ever gets the bean is king for a day!
Enjoy!
~Sarah and Jordan
*Last time in Recipes: Coal Cookies