The crown or king’s cake is a pastry associated with Epiphany during the Christmas season in a large number of French-speaking countries such as France, Belgium and Switzerland, but also with variations in Portugal (Bolo Rei), Spain (Roscón de Reyes or Tortell), Greece and Cyprus (Vasilopita) or Bulgaria (Banitsa). Epiphany is a Christian celebration of the visit of the Magi to the Christ Child on January 6th In the United States, where Carnival is celebrated, this cake is more associated with the traditions of the Mardi Gras season.
In France, this traditional, soft, orange blossom-scented brioche is usually decorated with sugar pearls and colorful candied fruit. With a Lucky charm* hidden inside, it is used to “pull the kings” on January 6, in other words, to crown the king or queen of the day! This festive brioche is perfect for a convivial moment with family and friends. If you’re not a fan of the galette frangipane for Epiphany, the crown of kings is a delicious substitute…
Here’s a simple, tasty recipe from Christophe Felder, one of France’s best-known pastry chefs and chocolatiers. So, you can make your own crown of kings at home…
Ingredients
Recipe for 8 people
For dough :
- 250 g Gruau T45 flour
- 2 eggs
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 25 g caster sugar
- 2 tablespoons milk
- 15 g fresh baker’s yeast
- Zest of one lemon and orange
- 2 teaspoons orange blossom water
- 1 tablespoon rum
- 125 g butter
- 50 g candied fruit, finely diced (orange, lemon, cherry, etc.)
For topping :
- 1 egg
- 1/2 teaspoon milk
- Granulated sugar
- Whole candied fruit
Preparation
Place the flour, eggs, powdered sugar, salt, milk, lemon and orange zests, orange blossom water and rum in the bowl of a food processor fitted with the hook.
Crumble the baker’s yeast into the bowl, taking care not to let it come into contact with the salt and caster sugar.
Knead with the hook at minimum speed, until the dough forms a ball that pulls away from the sides of the bowl.
Cut the butter into small pieces and gradually add to the bowl while kneading with the hook on medium speed. Make sure the butter is well incorporated before adding more.
Dough should be supple and elastic, forming a ball that pulls away from the sides of the bowl.
Add the diced candied fruit and knead for 30 sec at medium speed to incorporate well.
Cover the bowl and leave the dough to rise at room temperature until doubled in size (about 2 h).
Remove the gas from the brioche dough on a lightly floured work surface and shape into a ball.
Place a “lucky charm”* inside the brioche (or insert “lucky charm”* through bottom of the brioche once baked).
Cover a metal plate with parchment paper and place dough ball in the middle.
Press two fingers into the center of the dough ball and rotate to enlarge the hole.
Place a 10 cm diameter round cookie cutter, greased in advance, in the middle so that the crown hole doesn’t close up during baking.
Let dough rise again at room temperature until doubled in volume.
Add a little milk to an egg yolk and, using a brush, gently brown the surface of the brioche. Sprinkle with granulated sugar.
Preheat the oven to 180° C (356° F) and bake the brioche for 20 min.
Check for bake time by pricking the center of brioche.
Once out of the oven, carefully remove the cookie cutter and place brioche on a wire rack to cool to room temperature.
Decorate with whole candied fruit.
* Lucky charm or token made of porcelain and hidden in “galette des Rois”
To order your Farine de Gruau T45 (Bagatelle – Label Rouge), click here
(Photo credit: Wikipedia, freepik, Laurence Rousselot – Mots en Tête, Léa Grandvalet – Image Me Photography)