Vegan galette des rois (Three King's Cake or Epiphany Cake)
In France it's traditional to eat this delicious frangipane cake on the 6th of January to celebrate epiphany. In the south of France and Spain, there's an alternative version of this cake, called the couronne des rois, a brioche studded with fruits and nuts. Toulouse, being in the far south, has the best of both worlds - the bakeries there serve both the galette and the couronne for the entire month of January. Most people buy a galette the first week and third week, and a couronne the second and fourth (or vice versa), meaning you have an entire month of delicious cake to look forward to after Christmas!
Naturally, this tradition appealed to us, and since each cake has a fève (literally broad bean, but here used to refer to a small item that can be hidden inside the cake) we've amassed a reasonable collection...
The idea is to hide a fève inside the cake, and when it is being sliced, the youngest person there sits under the table (or is blindfolded) and directs who gets which piece. The person who gets the fève is crowned the King for the day, and gets to wear the paper crowns which the bakery always supplies.
This year we didn't have a crown, but we did have a wreath, so when I got the fève I had to wear that instead!
This is a very simple recipe, but absolutely delicious. It's rich and creamy, but not cloying. I can and did eat four pieces in one sitting! To mix things up a bit, I've added a layer of crème de châtaigne which is not necessarily traditional, but is definitely delicous!
Vegan galette des rois (Three King's Cake or Epiphany Cake)
Total time: 1 hour
Serves: makes 8 slices
For the frangipane:
125g sugar
1 tbsp oil (I used sunflower, but 1/2 tbsp melted coconut oil would be nice as well)
2 tbsp ground flax seed
200g ground almonds
1 tsp vanilla
2 tbsp rum
200ml almond milk, unsweetened.
For the rest:
200g creme de chataigne or marron (optional)
Vegan puff pastry - I used one package of ready rolled puff pastry, but as this is supposed to be fully enclosed, I recommend using two.
1 tbsp melted vegan margarine
Preheat your oven to 180C/350F. Mix
the sugar, flax seed, and almonds well in a large bowl. Stir in the
liquids until you have a runny paste - don't forget the fève (you can subtitute anything that will withstand baking temperatures here - a real broad bean, coin, etc.)!
Unroll the pastry and cut to fit your pie dish (mine is approx 10inches in diameter). Spread the pastry with an even later of creamer de chataigne and top with frangipane. Cover the top with your remaining pastry. Traditionally, a flower-type design is cut into the top of the pastry before baking - a quick search for galette des rois photos will show you the many possible designs.
Brush your pastry lid with melted vegan margarine
Bake for 35 - 45 minutes, or until the top is nicely browned. Let cool for 5 minutes before serving, to give the frangipane time to set.
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