I was today years old when I discovered there’s more than one type of king cake! While I knew the New Orleans version—a ring-shaped sweet bread adorned with icing and yellow, green, and purple sprinkles—I was intrigued to learn about its French cousin, the Galette des Rois, which combines two of my favorite things: puff pastry and almond cream.
Even better, I found a recipe in Molly J. Wilk’s “French Pastry Made Simple” and knew she wouldn’t steer me wrong!
While store-bought puff pastry is fine, I opted for Molly’s rough puff recipe, which is surprisingly easy to make and a fraction of the cost.
In New Orleans, it’s tradition to hide a small plastic baby in the cake, while the French call for a fève—a small porcelain figurine. Since I didn’t have either on hand, I improvised with two hazelnuts. Whoever finds the hidden item is king (or queen) for the day!
The top is decorated with whatever pattern you’d like before baking until golden brown. The result was a perfectly balanced dessert—not too sweet, with beautifully layered puff pastry and heavenly almond cream that bakes into a delicate almond sponge.
It just so happened that my first cut revealed the hazelnuts, so we crowned our dog as king for the day—truthfully, no different than any other day in this apartment.
I’m still planning on making a New Orleans version (thanks again for all your recommendations), so stay tuned!
Book: French Pastry Made Simple, page 150
Rating: 5/5
How Easy Is That: Intermediate
Store-Bought Is Fine: puff pastry
Pricey Ingredients: —
Hard-to-find: —
Recipe here.
