Pithiviers (galette des rois)
A buttery French classic of flaky puff pastry filled with rich almond frangipane—galette des rois, also known as pithiviers, is traditionally shared to celebrate Epiphany, complete with its hidden fève and a crown for the lucky slice. Elegant, cozy, and deeply indulgent.
Recipe inspired from France Vegetalienne.
Ingredients
- 2 sheets of puff pastry (275g x 2)
- 90g raw cashews
- 185g almond meal
- 185g cane sugar
- 36g neutral coconut oil, melted
- 27g rum
- 1 tsp almond extract
- 1 fève + 1 paper crown (optional, if you want to play the tradition with your friends and family!)
Instructions
- Soak cashews until they are nice and soft.
- Heat up the oven at 180°C (fan on).
- Drain them, and put them in a mini blender with the melted coconut oil and the rum.
- Blend until smooth. The consistency should be similar to fluid cream.
- Transfer to a mixing bowl, and add cane sugar, almond meal, and almond extract. Mix well. The consistency should be like very spreadable cookie dough.
- Optional: add the fève to the mix.
- Line a puff pastry sheet and cover it with the filling. Cover with the other puff pastry, and seal the borders.
- Cut a few incisions on the top puff pastry to let the air out during baking so the cake doesn't puff up too much.
- Bake for ~30 min.
- Take out of the oven, let it cool down a bit, and cut it according to the tradition, or not! (In France, the galette des rois is cut according to a charming ritual: the youngest person hides under the table and decides who receives each slice, ensuring chance—and fairness—rule. Whoever finds the hidden fève becomes king or queen for the day and wears the paper crown