Name: Galette Des Rois (Cake of the Kings)
Cuisine: French
Ingredients: With a spatula lift up an edge of the dough and then pick up the dough by placing your hands on the top and bottom, avoiding the cut edges. Put dough upside down (smaller side down) on dampened cooky sheet. Place a kidney bean under the dough and press down on top to push it into the dough. With the back of a knife, push the slanted dough in at 1-inch intervals (see step 4).; Brush the top surface with a mixture of 1 egg yolk and 2 tablespoons water. Avoid letting it run down the sides. With a pointed knife make designs over the top through the egg coating and into the dough. Do not cross the cuts; that would drag yolk mixture over the cut surfaces.; Refrigerate 20 minutes and then bake in a 450-degree oven for 15 minutes. Reduce heat to 350 degrees. Bake another 30 minutes. Sprinkle with confectioners’ sugar, increase heat to 450 degrees, and set cake on upper rack to glaze. When done, cool on cake rack. Cut in wedges to serve. He who gets the bean is king.

Preparation info

Difficulty
Easy

Appears in

Hows and Whys of French Cooking

By Alma Lach

Published 1974

About

Galette des Rois is a puff pastry cake as traditional for Epiphany, or the Twelfth Night celebration, as is plum pudding for Christmas. Hidden within each cake is a small treasure. He who gets the treasure in his piece of cake is king for the day. Paris pastry shops sell a gold or silver crown with each cake.

In and around Paris feuilletée pastry is the traditional dough used to make these cakes. In the provinces to the south and west a brioche dough is used and the cake is baked in