I’m finally back in the kitchen. After a course of antibiotics that thankfully helped, I’m relieved to be cooking and experimenting with recipes again. The cupboards are still full of leftover holiday foods we were too ill to use earlier, so it felt great to start the year with something simple and seasonal.
January light is never kind for photography, but that doesn’t affect the flavour. For my first recipe of the year I made an Epiphany Cake. There are two main styles: I chose the Northern French version, which uses puff pastry filled with frangipane or apples. The alternative—more common in Spain and New Orleans—is a brioche-style cake studded with candied fruit and sugar.
The French version, known as gâteau des rois or French King Cake, celebrates the Epiphany when the Three Wise Men visited the baby Jesus. It’s a lovely way to mark the end of the festive season and, if you haven’t already, time to take the decorations down. (Ours stayed up until December 27th—my first trip to the recycling centre that year!)
Puff pastry is simple, but I decorated the top with a pastry crown, which the girls loved. Traditionally a small token or toy is hidden inside the Epiphany cake; whoever finds it is crowned the “king” of the table. I plan to include that surprise next year—it’s such a fun tradition.
EPIPHANY CAKE – KING CAKE – GATEAUX DE ROIS
| Serves | 8+ |
| Prep time | 1 hour, 15 minutes |
| Cook time | 1 hour |
| Total time | 2 hours, 15 minutes |
| Meal type | Dessert |
| Misc | Child Friendly, Serve Cold |
| Occasion | Casual Party, Christmas |
| Region | European |
INGREDIENTS
- 2 packets puff pastry (typically 500g per packet)
- 130g butter, chopped into small cubes
- 130g caster sugar
- 120g ground almonds
- 2 egg yolks
- 1 large whole egg
- 1 teaspoon almond extract
- 1 lemon – zest and juice
- 1 orange or tangerine – zest and juice
- 2 teaspoons Disaronno or another almond liqueur
DIRECTIONS
| 1. | |
| Make the frangipane first so it has time to chill. Using an electric mixer, beat the sugar and cubed butter until pale and smooth. | |
| 2. | |
| Add the whole egg and the two yolks one at a time, mixing until combined. Fold in the ground almonds. | |
| 3. | |
| Continue mixing while adding the citrus zests, almond extract, liqueur and the citrus juices until evenly incorporated. | |
| 4. | |
| Remove the frangipane from the bowl, wrap it in a double layer of cling film and chill in the refrigerator for at least one hour. | |
| 5. | |
| Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F) and line a flat baking tray with parchment paper. | |
| 6. | |
| Roll out one packet of pastry to about 1/2 cm thickness. Use a 10″ bowl or similar to cut a circle and place it on the lined tray. | |
| 7. | |
| Shape the chilled frangipane into a round disc and place it in the centre of the pastry, leaving a 1.5 cm border of visible pastry all around. | |
| 8. | |
| Brush the pastry border lightly with milk or boiled water to help seal the layers. | |
| 9. | |
| Roll out the second packet of pastry to roughly a 12″ diameter circle. Lay it on top of the frangipane and press the edges to seal. Trim any excess if needed. | |
| 10. | |
| If you like, use pastry crimpers or a fork to decorate the edge and cut a small crown from leftover pastry to place on top. | |
| 11. | |
| Brush the entire top with milk and bake in the preheated oven for about 1 hour, or until golden and puffed. | |
| 12. | |
| Remove from the oven and allow the cake to cool completely before serving. Optionally, hide a small token inside before sealing the two pastry layers to continue the traditional surprise. | |