Not quite a Gallete des Rois but just as delicious!

January 6th - the Christian Feast of the Three Kings or the Epiphany - is coming. Traditionally this is a day when a "Galette des Rois" is consumed 'en masse' in France. It is a puff pastry filled with almond-based cake or frangipane and a 'bean' hidden inside, typically in the form of a small golden crown or a genie lamp. French bakeries and super markets sell this typical delicacy with a golden crown. The person who gets the bean, gets to be King and wear the crown. My mother's Frangipane doesn't have the puff pastry but it is super delicious, my personal fav to serve with afternoon coffee or tea. I bake it often because typically I have the ingredients at hand and what's more, the preparation is quick and easy, and you can't really mess it up either! My mother calls it the cake that always works. Let's bake!

Ingredients and preparation - My mother's Frangipane

Serves 8

Needed: a regular tart or cake form

150g butter - softened or nearly molten (not hot though!)
150g or 1 cup of sugar
150g or 1 cup of self rising flour
4 eggs (large is terrific!) separated:
- egg yolks
- egg whites beaten to form stiff white peaks
75g of almond powder
2 tablespoons of dry/ shredded coconut
1 teaspoon of almond essence
1 lemon OR an orange OR you can use hot water in a pinch (I prefer a citrus topping for this cake rather than plain icing!)
icing sugar

Method

Preheat oven
Butter and flour a tart or cake form (NOT a spring form as it will leak!)
Combine flour, sugar, coconut, almond powder, egg yolks and almond essence
Add softened or nearly molten butter and incorporate well
Beat egg whites to stiff peaks
Spoon by spoon, fold egg whites into the dough
- do not use an electric mixer for this. Please use a spatula or a wooden spoon
Pour dough into the buttered/floured form and give it a shake to divide evenly
Bake for about 1 hour at 180c (350F) - ovens really vary though. In a hot air oven it may only take 40 minutes. Please set a timer and check by inserting a toothpick to check of the cake is ready.
Let the cake cool and place onto cake plate or serving dish
Combine 1.5 tablespoons of lemon juice to 5 tablespoons of icing sugar.
- You can also use juice of an orange, or you can use some hot water.
- Make enough to cover the whole cake with icing - how thick this layer is, is entirely up to you.
Serve with coffee or tea!