OF ALL THE culinary benefits of growing up in Baton Rouge, king cake was certainly the most colorful. In bakeries and grocery stores, it was always easy for me to spot this buttery, yeast-risen ring adorned with purple, green and gold sprinkles. During the Carnival season leading up to Mardi Gras, from Girl Scout meetings to church picnics, king cakes were ubiquitous.

Not until I studied abroad in Paris did I discover the king cake’s cousin, the galette des rois, baked for the feast of the Epiphany (Jan. 6). It actually looked...

OF ALL THE culinary benefits of growing up in Baton Rouge, king cake was certainly the most colorful. In bakeries and grocery stores, it was always easy for me to spot this buttery, yeast-risen ring adorned with purple, green and gold sprinkles. During the Carnival season leading up to Mardi Gras, from Girl Scout meetings to church picnics, king cakes were ubiquitous.

Not until I studied abroad in Paris did I discover the king cake’s cousin, the galette des rois, baked for the feast of the Epiphany (Jan. 6). It actually looked more like a breakfast pastry to me than a cake—flaky layers of puff pastry filled with frangipane, the same combination of ground almonds, sugar and eggs found in almond croissants.

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These two desserts bookend the Carnival season between the Epiphany and Mardi Gras, and they both make a game of dessert. The fève—originally a bean, now often a porcelain trinket—hidden inside a galette des rois makes a winner of the lucky one to receive the slice containing it. He or she becomes king or queen for the day and gets to wear a paper crown (which typically comes with a galette des rois purchased in a bakery). The Epiphany, after all, commemorates the arrival of the biblical three kings in Bethlehem. Though Jan. 6 is the most popular date for French households to serve the galette des rois, you’ll find it throughout the month of January and even up until the beginning of Lent.

A tiny plastic baby just like this one could be inside your slice of king cake.

Photo: Getty Images

Inside a king cake, a tiny plastic baby waits to determine who has the honor of providing the next celebration’s king cake. And at this time of year, there is always another celebration. For Louisianans, Jan. 6 marks the day bakeries start to sell king cakes, and production will continue through the two weeks leading up to Mardi Gras, replete with balls, parties and parades, and, finally, Fat Tuesday itself—the last chance to feast before the 40-day Lenten season, when many people swear off such indulgent treats.

Though we call both of these desserts “cake,” neither one is a true cake—no layers of tender crumb, no frosting in between. A king cake is more akin to a brioche or a giant cinnamon roll shaped into a circle (the king’s “crown”). The classic filling consists of cinnamon and sugar, though fruity fillings such as strawberry and apple are common, as is cream cheese or a combination of that and fruit. In the recipe at right, I’ve opted for a tangy blackberry-lemon center.

Thanks to the quality and wide availability of frozen puff pastry throughout France, you’re more likely to find homemade galettes des rois there than you are home-baked king cakes in Louisiana. When I returned to France for a gap year following law school, my French roommates taught me to sketch the curved sunburst or chevron design onto the puff pastry before baking—my favorite part.

The truth is, a home cook can easily pull off either of these recipes, and have a good time doing it, too.

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