gateau des rois (en pate cougnou)

On January 6th,  in Belgium and France, we celebrate Epiphany by eating the "gateau des rois". In general, the cake is a "galette" with almond cream inside (frangipane). In my hometown though, the  recipe for this cake is different: it is exactly the same as for the cougnou I already wrote about. We all love it. Do not forget to hide a "trinket" inside the dough before baking it. Usually it is a porcelain figure, but a dried bean will equally do the work. The person who picks the part of the cake with the trinket inside will be king or queen for a day (and wear the crown). 

Cougnou (Belgian Christmas Pastry)

Imagine my deception at my first Californian Xmas when I realized I wouldn't get my typical Belgian "cougnou"*. Unthinkable! So I started looking for a recipe to bake my own. I found one on Marmiton (in French) and another one here (still in French). My final recipe is a mix of those two. Every year in December I bake these pastries for my family... but also for our friends. Everybody loves them, especially the kids.  I enjoy sharing my pastries and my traditions with them.

* It tastes a little like a French "brioche", but less buttery.