Walnut and chocolate king cake

To change from the traditional cake with almond powder, I decided to innovate a little and replace the almonds by walnut kernels and then I thought that with a little chocolate powder it would be nice! So here is my new recipe for the galette des rois noix et chocolat 🙂

You can of course find my previous recipe – lighter than the frangipane version – here.

For lack of time, I bought the puff pastry but you can make it if you wish.

A little reminder about the size of the cake :

• Ø22cm = 4-6 persons
• Ø26cm = 6-8 persons
• Ø28cm = 8-10 persons

You can cut the pastry using the contour of a round dish (salad bowl, mould, etc.).

Ingredient:

• 2 puff pastry sheets
• 200g of milk ( almond milk for me)
• 150g of walnut kernels
• 70g of sugar
• 30g flour / cornstarch
• 30g unsweetened chocolate powder
• 3 eggs (2+one white for cream, one yolk for gilding)
• 30g of butter
• 4cl of rum
• a charm (that’s better!)

Preparation:

Take the puff pastry out of the fridge to warm it up a bit.

The pastry cream with walnut powder.

1/ At first, put the walnut kernels in your food processor and blend until a homogeneous powder is obtained, then set aside in a salad bowl.

2/ Put the milk, flour, 2 eggs + white and sugar in a saucepan (or your food processor), and mix well with a whisk. Heat gently while stirring for 7 to 10 minutes.

3/ Once the cream has thickened a little, add the walnut powder, butter, chocolate powder and rum. Mix everything well with the whisk, its texture changes and thickens even more. The cream is ready, it will thicken a little more as it cools.

Assembly of the Kings’ Cake.

Preheat the oven to 200°c. (392°F)

4/ Cut the dough discs to the diameters you want (I made Ø24cm for the base and 25cm for the top). It is advisable to make the top a little larger because of the filling. Then place it on a baking sheet.

5/ Spread the walnut cream, leaving 2-3cm around the edge.

6/ Place the charm on the outside of the cake in the cream (easier to cut)

7/ Brush the free edge with some of the remaining egg yolk and then cover with the second disc of dough.

8/ Press with your fingers (thumb + forefinger & middle finger of one hand) on 1 cm to weld the edge of the wafer.

9/ Using a toothpick (or the tip of a fork stick), tuck in a little dough on the inside between each thumbprint.

10/ Use the remaining yolk for gilding, and spread it on top of the cake.

11/ Carefully use a knife to create patterns. Be careful not to pierce the dough to avoid leakage.

12/ Make a few holes in the pancake with the knife to let steam escape during cooking.

13/ Put the cake in the oven (if possible on convection heat) for 20 to 30 minutes. The cake is ready when the puff pastry is golden.

You can eat this walnut and chocolate king cake lukewarm or cold 🙂