Only a few days to go before Epiphany… And this year, the famous Fête des Rois that brings everyone together falls on Tuesday, January 6, 2026. After all the festive feasting, you’ll still have a little room left over for the famous galette des Rois? This year, how about getting your hands dirty and making your own galette from scratch? And not just any galette, but Cyril Lignac’s Galette des Rois! After making gourmets’ mouths water with his Marshmallow Teddy Bear Bar, then delighting young and old alike with the recipe for his Chocolate Galette, Cyril Lignac puts everyone in agreement with this authentic recipe for the traditional Frangipane Galette des Rois. We don’t know who’ll get the bean, but we do know who’s in for a treat!
Cyril Lignac’s easy galette des rois recipe
Serves 4:
- 2 rolls pure butter puff pastry
- 2 egg yolks to brown the galette
Ingredients for the pastry cream :
- 2 eggs
- 50g sugar
- 30g flour
- 25 cl milk
- 1 vanilla pod
Ingredients for the almond cream :
- 3 egg yolks
- 125g almond powder
- 125g softened butter
- 100g caster sugar
And for the frangipane :
- Pastry cream + almond cream + 1 capful of rum
Making the galette des rois
- Prepare the crème pâtissière. Whisk the eggs with the sugar until the mixture whitens.
- Add the flour, mixing gently to create a smooth dough.
- Split the vanilla pod in half. Remove the seeds and add them to the milk in a saucepan.
- Thicken over low heat. Cover with cling film and leave to cool for an hour.
- Prepare the almond cream by mixing the softened butter and sugar until the mixture whitens. Add the egg yolks one by one, then the almond powder.
- Mix the crème pâtissière with the almond cream, adding a capful of rum, then pour the mixture into a piping bag.
- Using the piping bag, pipe a first layer, starting from the center in a spiral, and stop about 2cm from the edge.
- Insert your bean into the cream, then brush the edge of the pastry with your egg yolk. If you don’t have a real bean, you can also use a red or white bean (uncooked).
- Place the second pastry on top, closing the edges tightly. Gild the top with a brush dipped in egg yolk. Then draw ridges with a knife.
- Place the galette in the fridge for 1 h.
- Preheat your oven to 200°C, place the galette in the oven for 10 minutes, then lower the temperature to 180°. Continue baking for approximately 30 minutes.
- Serve warm and enjoy!
Why do we eat galettes during Epiphany? A little history…
Have you ever wondered why we eat such a cake on this date? The tradition dates back to the Romans, who celebrated the winter solstice with a round, golden cake reminiscent of the sun.
Back then, a real bean was randomly placed in the cake, to represent fertility. Like today, whoever found it became king for a moment. Today’s galette may be more sophisticated, but certain codes (such as the bean and its golden color) remain unchanged.