Galette Des Roi—King Cake ⋆ Design Mom

In France throughout the month of January (and into February too), pretty much every bakery carries Galettes des Roi, which translates to King Cake. I’m told January 6th is the official King Cake day, but it was also made clear to me that you can enjoy a King Cake celebration any day, all month long.

Though the tradition stems from the Catholic Day of Epiphany and is tied to the Nativity Story and the Three Kings, we’ve attended several King Cake gatherings over the years and we’ve never heard anyone mention Epiphany or the Three Kings, so it seems like one of those traditions that has become pretty secular.

The way it works in France (at least in Normandy), starts with the baker, who bakes a “fève” into the cake, and includes a paper crown with each purchase of Galette des Roi. Fève translates as bean, but they don’t really use beans. Instead, they use tiny ceramic figurines. The fèves can be anything — people, symbols, Pokemon, animals, etc.. Whoever gets the fève in their slice of cake, is crowned King.

The tradition we were taught is that the youngest person gets under the table. As the cake is sliced, they call out who gets each slice. The idea is to prevent any cheating, in case one slice seems to be likely to have the fève. (Though really, it’s to make sure the youngest wins the fève.) Tradition also says that whoever wins the crown is in charge of buying the next Galette des Roi.

In the spring, summer, and fall, towns all over France host Vide Greniers (community tag sales). If you visit one, it’s easy to find someone with a jar full of fèves they’ve collected over the years. It’s fun to comb through the jar and pick out a favorite. Each fève typically costs just a few centimes and they make a happy little souvenir. You can see some of the fèves we’ve collected in the image above.

Galettes des Roi are pretty to look at, and they’re flaky and delicious too. Galettes des Roi traditionally have Frangipane (almond) filling, but in Normandy, you can also find Pomme (apple) filling — pomme will sometimes have leaves on the top. I’ve heard other regions offer other varieties.

Have you ever eaten Galette des Roi? Or perhaps you live in a region/country outside of France where they eat some version of King Cake? This tradition is not something I grew up with at all. In fact, I wasn’t aware of King Cake until we moved to France the first time. But I sure like it. It’s simple and sweet and fun.