The traditional French galette des rois with two layers of buttery puff pastry filled here with applesauce compote and apple chunks, to change from the classic almond cream frangipane feeling.
The traditional French galette des rois with two layers of buttery puff pastry filled here with applesauce compote and apple chunks, to change from the classic almond cream frangipane feeling.
The traditionnal galette des rois king cake eaten for epiphany varies from one region to another in France but the most common is a galette à la frangipane; This sweet treat is made of two delicate, buttery layers of puff pastry filled with a generous (and rich!) homemade almond cream filling called frangipane sandwiched between two delicate, buttery layers of puff pastry.
Epiphany is supposed to be on January – (or the first Sunday after New Year Eve), but actually the tradition of sharing a galette des rois and get the cute little lucky charm to become the king (and choose your Queen) is so strong that in France we do eat galette des rois days after days, sometimes even until the end of January. And for those who don’t like the almond frangipane filling (or who are on a diet after Christmas), it tend to be sort of a nightmare!
So for those who don’t like almond, or for those who love apples and applesauce (compote as we say in French), this year’s galette des rois is with a generous apple sauce and apple chunks filling, here flavoured with cinnamon but this can be optional. Kind of a huge chausson aux pommes if you know this French pastry.
There is another galette des rois recipe on the blog, with a chocolate frangipane filling see here.
The story behing French galette des rois
Do you know where the tradition of eating a king cake – called galette des rois in French – at Epiphany day comes from? Why drawing a bean or a lucky charm? Will you have a galette or a brioche?
I tell you all about this lovely French tradition.
French Galette des Rois King Cake with Apple Filling
Ingredients
- 8 apples
- 2 discs puff pastry
- 3 tablespoons brown sugar
- 1 large teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 egg
lucky charm and 1 crown or 2!
Instructions
- Start by peeling, seeding and chopping 5 apples. Cook in a saucepan with a little bit of water, 3 tablespoons of brown sugar and if you like it a large teaspoon of cinnamon. Once cooked (about 15 minutes later, more if your pieces of apple are large) mix, even roughly, the applesauce.
- Meanwhile, peel, seed and slice the remaining 3 apples.
- Lay on the oven tray the first disc of puff pastry. Pour the applesauce on top, keeping a 2 cm strip on the outside without filling. Arrange the apple quarters on the applesauce.
- Wet the outer circle (thus where there is no filling) with water. Cover the preparation with the second disc of puff pastry. Press all around to seal the two dough. With the help of a knife make small squirrels all around in the thickness of the two puff pastries. Make a drawing on the top of the dough if you wish with a knife.
- Beat the egg and brush to glaze the whole surface of the cake.
- Bake at 180 °C for 30 to 40 minutes until puff pastry is golden brown.
Notes
Bon appétit !
