Pastry Cakes

Galette Des Rois Recipe (French King’s Cake)

It’s January 6th, Epiphany! which means, King Cake or galette des rois! In France, it’s celebrated all month long with two specific cakes – the brioche with lots of colored sprinkles or a puff pastry almond cream contraption. See below for a recipe for galette des rois with puff pasty!

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Galette Des Rois Recipe (French King’s Cake)

Galette des Rois (King’s Cake) is a classic French pastry served in January to celebrate the Epiphany. Made of buttery puff pastry filled with almond frangipane and hiding a small fève (or trinket) inside, it’s both dessert and party game – and one of the most quintessential French holiday desserts.

While Epiphany is officially held on January 6, in France it’s celebrated all month long. Each pastry shop in Paris has its own king’s cakes and tries to use something unique for the fève.

One shop in Versailles, for example, has thick fogged glass squares as fèves that are etched with the kings of Versailles and the palace outline. A shop I interned with after graduating from Le Cordon Bleu used little pigs dressed as pirates, painters, construction workers… they were hilarious!

It’s also common to make your own king’s cakes at home in France. I always find myself making them a lot in the month after Christmas because it’s Francois’ favorite dessert. (He says it’s the best thing about January.)

Today, I’m sharing my favorite homemade galette des rois recipe so you can start (or continue) this fun tradition in your own home – no matter where you are in the world.

What is Galette Des Rois?

Galette des rois is the traditional French pastry served to celebrate the Epiphany – the day marking the visit of the three kings to baby Jesus.

The pastry itself is pure perfection: two layers of flaky, buttery puff pastry filled with a rich, almond-scented frangipane (or almond cream). When baked, it puffs up beautifully and turns a deep golden brown with a crisp, delicate crust. For extra fun, a fève is hidden within each cake for one lucky person to find.

The Galette Des Rois Tradition

Traditionally, the fève was a simple dried bean (the word fève literally means “bean” in French), but over time it’s evolved into a tiny collectible charm. Today, fèves come in all sorts of designs – from miniature teacups and cartoon characters to tiny porcelain kings, queens, and even little pastries. Some prefer to use an edible fève, opting for a piece of dried fruit or a whole nut.

The tradition is that before serving the cake, the youngest person goes under the table so they can’t see a glimpse of where the feve might be. The galette is cut into slices, and then the “youngest person” says the name of a guest to get each slice. Whoever finds it becomes the king or queen of the day, complete with a shiny paper crown that’s usually included with the galette when you buy it from the bakery. Also, another tradition says that whoever finds the feve is in charge of buying the galette next year!

Types of French King’s Cakes

There are two traditional kinds of king’s cakes in France: one is layers of puff pastry filled with almond cream (that’s the kind we’re talking about today), mostly seen in Northern France. The other is a circular brioche cake, which is more popular in the south of France. This type is often decorated with colorful sprinkles or candied fruit, similar to the New Orleans-style King’s Cake.

Galette Des Rois Ingredients

The beauty of a galette des rois lies in its simplicity. A few humble ingredients come together to create something utterly elegant. Each one plays an important role in building those delicate, buttery layers and that irresistibly rich almond filling.

Flour: This is the foundation of your puff pastry! Use all-purpose flour. It provides just enough structure to support all those flaky layers without making the pastry tough. Need help choosing flour? Read our French vs American flour guide.
Unsalted Butter: Butter is the heart and soul of puff pastry. Use a high-quality, European-style butter with a higher fat content if possible. It creates a more flavorful, flaky pastry and beautiful, golden layers when baked. Make sure it’s cold to help the dough puff properly.
Cold Water: A small but mighty ingredient, cold water brings the puff pastry dough together without melting the butter. The colder your water, the better your puff pastry will turn out.
Ground Almonds (Flour or Meal): This is what makes the filling truly divine. Ground almonds form the base of the frangipane, giving it a classic nutty flavor and slightly dense, creamy texture. Whether you use almond meal or almond flour, it’s what transforms this pastry into something unmistakably French.
Powdered (Confectioners’) Sugar: Powdered sugar sweetens the frangipane while keeping it light and smooth. It blends effortlessly into the almond mixture and helps give the filling its soft, melt-in-your-mouth consistency.
Egg: Eggs help hold the almond filling together and give it a lovely, custard-like texture. You’ll also use another egg for the egg wash, which gives the pastry its signature shiny, golden top.
Rum: A little splash of dark rum is classic in traditional French recipes. It deepens the almond flavor and adds a warm, slightly caramelized note to this dish.
Vanilla Extract: Vanilla rounds out the flavors beautifully and brings warmth and balance to the almond filling. You can buy extract in the store or try making your own with my recipe.
Almond Extract: Just a touch of almond extract amplifies the nutty flavor of the king’s cake frangipane filling.

Can you use store-bought puff pastry for king’s cake?

Yes, you can. If you use pre-made, make sure it’s the best quality you can find as this is a major part of this dessert. Look for an all-butter puff pastry at the store if possible.

How to Make French King’s Cake

This gorgeous French king’s cake might look fancy, but it’s truly approachable. Here’s how to make your own flaky, sweet galette des rois at home.

Step One: Make the Puff Pastry (or use store-bought!)

If you’re making your own puff pastry, start by tossing flour and cold cubed butter together, gently breaking the butter up a bit, but not too much – those chunks create all the beautiful flaky layers. Slowly add cold water just until the dough holds together. Wrap and chill for about 30 minutes.

Next, roll and fold the dough a few times to build the layers. Chill between folds to keep the butter cold. If it’s a warm day, don’t be afraid to pop it in the fridge often! Once done, let it rest for another 20–30 minutes in the fridge.

If you’re using pre-made puff pastry, skip right ahead to the filling and assembly steps below – no judgment here!

Step Two: Make the Almond Cream (Frangipane)

In a bowl, cream together butter and powdered sugar, then mix in flour and ground almonds. Add the egg, rum, vanilla, and almond extract, and stir until smooth and fluffy. If it looks a little too soft, add a touch more flour. Transfer the filling to a piping bag or just use a spoon to assemble the dish if that’s easier.

Step Three: Assemble the Galette

Roll out your puff pastry into a rectangle and cut out two circles about the size of a dinner plate. Place one circle on a parchment-lined baking sheet and brush the edges with a little water. Lightly score a smaller circle in the center as a guide, then pipe or spoon the almond cream inside that circle.

Don’t forget to hide your fève before baking, too! Place it somewhere within the almond cream filling when you’re assembling the cake.

Place the second pastry circle on top, smoothing gently around the filling to seal. Trim the circle into a neat round shape, if needed.

Step Four: Decorate and Bake

Brush the top with egg wash, chill briefly if you can and then brush the egg wash on a second time to get a gorgeous golden shine. Using a sharp knife, cut a small hole in the center (this helps steam escape) and score a decorative pattern on the top of the cake. Swirls, diamonds, or sun rays are traditional and fairly simple to create.

Bake at 200°C / 400°F for 40–45 minutes, until puffed and beautifully golden brown.

Step Five: Serve and Enjoy

This galette des rois recipe is best served slightly warm. If you’ve made it in advance, then warm it up again just before serving. About 10–15 minutes at 190°C / 375°F does the trick.

Pro Tips for Making Galette Des Rois

You can make this dish as finicky or not as you like. A few small details make all the difference when baking your French king’s cake. Here are my go-to tips for getting that bakery-perfect look and texture every time:

Keep Everything Cold

The key to flaky puff pastry is cold butter. If your dough ever starts to feel soft or sticky, pop it back in the fridge for 10–15 minutes. Cold dough = beautiful layers when baked.

Keep Butter Chunks Large

Another key to successful puff pastry is having big chunks of butter in the dough. Keeping everything cold makes this easier, but it’s also important not to break the butter up too small when you’re making the dough. As the puff pastry bakes, the melting butter creates steam that also helps the dough puff up nicely.

Seal the Edges Well

To keep the almond cream from leaking out, make sure to leave a 1” border around the edge so the almond cream doesn’t get too close and leak out.. A light brush of water helps everything stick beautifully, then gently smooth the two layers together. If you press too firmly, you will have a border around the edge instead of a flat top.

Suggested Variations for Galette Des Rois

While French king’s cake is very traditional, that doesn’t mean you can’t make this dish your own. Try one of these twists on the classic galette des rois recipe:

Chocolate Frangipane

Try adding a couple of tablespoons of cocoa powder or a bit of melted dark chocolate to the almond cream filling. The result is deeply rich and elegant – like a cross between a pain au chocolat and an almond croissant.

Fruit Flavors

Try a layer of thinly sliced apples or pears (or even a fruit compote or jam) on top of the frangipane before sealing the pastry. The fruit adds natural sweetness and keeps the filling wonderfully moist. It’s perfect with a little dusting of powdered sugar before serving.

Pistachio or Hazelnut Frangipane

Swap the ground almonds for pistachios or hazelnuts for a unique twist! Pistachio gives a lovely green hue and delicate flavor, while hazelnut makes for a cozy, Nutella-like vibe that pairs beautifully with the buttery pastry. If you’re having king’s cake more than once this season, you’ll appreciate a little variety!

Mini Galettes

For a fun party version, make individual galettes instead of one large one. They bake more quickly, look adorable, and are perfect for sharing. The best part? No slicing required! Although you’ll have to sneak a fève into one of them for tradition’s sake!

How to Serve and Store Galette Des Rois

According to tradition, the entire cake should be sliced so that each guest gets a piece. Usually, an extra slice is also cut – a tradition that’s meant to be symbolic for any unexpected visitor or person in need who may pass by.

Galette des rois is best served the day it is made, but you can store any leftover slices at room temperature for up to 2 days. Re-crisp it before eating in a 350°F (160°C) oven for about 10 minutes.

Can you make galette des rois in advance?

The puff pastry can be made in advance. You can also fill and assemble the galette des rois, stopping before egg washing and scoring the design and chill it overnight if you’d like, or even freeze!

And don’t forget that the cake is reheated before eating, so making and baking it the day before is totally fine.

Can you freeze galette des rois?

Yes, you can! If you’re going to freeze your king’s cake, it’s best to do it after it’s assembled but before it’s baked. Follow the instructions up to the point of sealing the edges and stop before brushing it with egg wash. Wrap it in plastic wrap and free for up to 2 months.

When you’re ready to bake it, thaw at room temperature for about 15 minutes. Then follow the rest of the recipe instructions, starting with the egg wash and then scoring the top with a design before baking normally.

Make Homemade French King’s Cake

Ready to make galette des rois in our own kitchen? Read my guide to finding the perfect galette des rois fève and get baking! Be sure to tag me in the photos of your finished product on Instagram and TikTok.

Galette Des Rois – King’s Cake

Use homemade or pre-made puff pastry. If you use pre-made, make sure it's the best you can find as this is a major part of this dessert. The puff pastry can be made in advance. You can also fill and assemble the galette des rois, stopping before egg washing and scoring the design and chill it overnight if you'd like, or even freeze!

Assembly tips… you can make this as finicky or not as you like. The multiple chilling points will certainly help with the layers and design but in general make sure your dough remains cold to the touch throughout the process.

To understand the whole cake, you are simply filling two circles of puff pastry with almond cream! So don't overthink it! There are some extra steps like turning the dough an extra quarter turn before placing it on top… that are not essential and can be cut out or disregarded… but for the perfectionist might be something you'd like to do.

Have fun! Add in a feve (porcelain figurine) or something else that will identify the winner as the king or queen for the night.

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Ingredients

Rough Puff Pastry

2 cups (250g) flour
2 sticks/16 tbsp (228g) unsalted butter, cut in big cubes and cold
8-12 tbsp (120-180 ml) cold water to bind

Creme d'Amande (Almond Cream)

1 cup (95 g) ground almonds (flour or meal)
2/3 cup (80 g) powdered or confectioners sugar
5 tbsp (70 g) unsalted butter, cubed, room temp
2 tbsp (14 g) flour
1 large egg, room temp
1-2 tbsp rum
1 1/2 tsp vanilla
1/4 tsp almond extract

For the top

1 egg beaten to make an egg wash

Instructions

Make the Rough Puff Pastry

*If using pre-made puff pastry, skip all the below and skip to the almond cream and assembly!*
Toss the flour and cold cubed butter together and then work it in just a bit, pressing the butter between your fingers. Tip: This will not take long! You want LOTS of big pieces as this is how you create your layers.
Add cold water slowly, 1 tablespoon at a time. After each addition, toss with the flour/butter. Add slowly, when just a bit of flour is left in the bottom of your bowl, start scrunching the mixture together to see how well it holds a ball. Add tiny bits of water until it comes together.
Wrap in plastic wrap and chill at least 30 minutes.
Flour your surface, rolling pin, and top of the dough and roll into a long skinny rectangle. Make a single fold. Bring the bottom third up, and then the top third over to cover it. Chill (if you have time, or move on to the next folds).
Turn the dough a quarter turn so the folds are on the left and right. Roll out again into a long skinny rectangle. Tip: If any butter shows through, pat some flour on it. Make a double fold (book fold). Fold the ends up to meet in the middle, then fold it in half to meet and make a book. Chill again if you have time (especially if it's getting warm). And turn so the folds are on the side, just like before. Repeat the above steps to do another double fold.
Chill 20-30 minutes.

Make the Almond Cream

Cream together the butter and powder sugar. Then mix in the flour and ground almonds.
Add the egg, rum, vanilla, and almond extract and mix to combine. If it seems too soft, add another tablespoon of flour (this will depend on if maybe we lost track of how much rum was added).
Transfer to a piping bag.

Assemble!

Roll out into a large rectangle, big enough to where you can cut out two big circles (about the size of a dinner plate).
Cut the dough in half. Brush the top of one half with water- just around the edges.
Using a smaller ring or plate, indent a circle on the half that's brushed with water to act as a guide for where to put the almond cream.
Pipe in the almond cream, doing two circles one on top of the other, if you like.
Turn the other puff pastry half a quarter turn and place on top, smoothing around the cream and pressing slightly to seal.
Cut in a circle using the plate or a large ring that you used to measure the dough earlier as a guide.
Transfer to a parchment lined baking sheet and brush with egg wash (1 egg beaten).
Chill (if you have time). Then brush with egg wash again.
Preheat your oven to 200C/400F.
Using a sharp knife make a hole in the center, making sure to cut all the way through to the filling to release steam as it bakes.
Then score the top in whatever design you'd like!
Bake at 200C/400F for 40-45 minutes or until very golden.
Serve warm! (Usually the cake is reheated for 10-15 minutes at 190C/375F before serving)

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