French Traditions - Galette des Rois (King’s Tart)

Wow! It’s been forever since I posted anything I know! I somehow spent the last two months in LaLa land between work, a bunch of Christmas projects, way too much volunteering and… a new boyfriend! I don’t know why but every holiday season, I have the urge to take on as much as I can more than I can handle and end up having to pay the price. I feel like I’ve outdone myself in that department this past year so I decided that 2013 would have to be about me taking back control of my time including focusing on what is really important for me and learning to say NO! Well, I can say that I already failed and it’s only January 7 so I’m obviously going to need some practice.

Last Sunday was a traditional one for my family. We celebrate La Fête des Rois every year for a reason I can’t remember but I know it’s a French tradition that marks the end of Christmas. We bake an awesome cake, we hide a pea and a bean in it and whoever gets the bean is the Queen for the day and the pea is for the King. When I was a kid, my mom made those really fun crowns and we were so excited to know who would get to wear them for the day! However, after my hectic last two months I was thinking about skipping the tradition and since I didn’t have a vegan recipe of the cake I had an easy way out. I’m sure you’ve already figured out that I did make the cake of course! Lol But, this is a really important but, this recipe is not from me… It’s from my mom! Yes, that’s right. A few days after hearing that I was skipping the tradition, my mom texted me saying she had been trying some recipes since 6 am that day, trying to come up with a vegan cake that would taste just as good as the original (I guess the apple didn’t fall far from the tree!) and it turned out to be even better! I have to say I’m really proud of my mom for trying to learn more about veganism and healthy foods in general even if it sometimes hurt to learn the truth. I love it when she talks to me about a new ingredient that I don’t already know, or when she finds a new recipe book that I have to have. I figured if I can only help 3 or 4 people making a change then I’m already making a difference.
Ok so about the cake, I have to specify that it’s not a regular kind of cake. We call it a Galette. It’s pretty much just bread with icing on it, and that’s all we need. I have to say I’ve had 5 slices of it already (some would argue that each slice I cut for myself already counts for 2) so I think I’m just about ready to leave for the CAI (Cake Abuse Institution).

This cake seems like it’s a lot of work but it’s mostly just a lot of waiting around (which I always love!). You’ll need a bread machine and a little bit of patience for this recipe but not that much work at all.

Since it’s not my recipe, I feel like sharing with you the original version in French and the English version will follow.

                                                                                                           Galette des Rois (King’s Tart)

Ingrédients: 

Galette:
1 tasse de lait d'amande à 120*F/50C.
(Faire chauffer la moitié 40 secondes au four à micro-ondes et ajouter l'autre moitié froide dans la tasse)
2c. à table de beurre végétalien Earth Balance
1 1/2c. à table sucre
3/4c. à thé de sel
2 1/4 tasses de farine
1 1/2c. à thé de levure pour machine à pain
Une fève et un pois
Une couronne de Reine et de Roi

Glaçage :

1/2 tasse d’huile de noix de coco Biologique
4c. à Table de lait d’amandes
4 tasses de sucre en poudre
Colorant alimentaire au choix
 
1.  Ajoutez tous les ingrédients dans l'ordre dans la marmite du four à pain. Choisissez la programmation pour pâte et commencer à pétrir.

2. Couvrez un grand bol d’une mince couche d’huile d’olive. Lorsque la pâte est terminée, placez- la dans le bol et tournez-la pour couvrir uniformément et former une boule.  Couvrez le bol d'un emballage de plastique et laissez reposer 20 minutes.
 
4.  Après 20 minutes, frappez la pâte d'un coup de poing au milieu et transférez la sur une surface enfarinée pour lui donner la forme d'une galette et placez la dans un moule à gâteau graissé.  Couvrez d’une pellicule de plastique et d'un linge de coton et laissez la pâte lever dans un endroit chaud pendant 40 minutes.
 
Préchauffez le four à 375*F et cuisez la galette de 20 minutes à 25 minutes, ou jusqu’à ce qu’elle soit dorée.  Sortez la du four et laissez-la reposer 10 minutes avant de la démouler et de la laissez refroidir sur une grille.

Pendant ce temps, préparez le glaçage.

Battez l’huile de noix de coco au mélangeur pendant 2 à 3 minutes ou jusqu’à ce qu’elle devienne crémeuse. Ajoutez graduellement le sucre en poudre tamisé et le lait d’amandes. Continuez de battre jusqu’à consistance d’un glaçage épais. Pour avoir de différentes couleurs divisez le glaçage avant d’ajouter le colorant alimentaire.
 
Une fois la galette refroidie, renversez-la et insérez la fève et e pois. Étendez le glaçage et décorez à votre goût! Mioum!

Ingredients:

Tart:
1 cup Almond Milk at 120*F/50C.

(Heat up ½ cup in the microwave and mix with ½ cup of cold milk to get to the right temperature)
2Tbsp Earth Balance
1 ½ Tbsp Brown Sugar
¾ Tsp Sea Salt
2 ¼ cup Organic all-purpose Flour
1 ½ Tsp Yeast (Buy the one for the bread machine)
A Bean and a Pea
King and Queen Crowns
 

Icing:

1/2 cup Organic Coconut Oil
4 Tbsp Almond Milk
4 cup Icing Sugar
Food Colorants

1.  Add all the ingredients to the bread machine in the order above, except the bean and pea (and the crowns). Select dough mode for the kneading process.

2. Coat the bowl with olive oil. When the dough is ready, transfer in the bowl and rub it against the sides to coat it and form a big ball. Cover with a plastic wrap and let it sit for 20 minutes.

3. Punch the dough in the center and transfer into a cake mold. Cover with a plastic wrap and cloth and leave it to rise in a warm place for 40 minutes.

4. Pre-heat the oven a 375F and bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until the top is golden. Let it sit for about 10 minutes and cool off on a rack.

While the cake is cooling down get the icing ready!

With a hand mixer, mix de coconut oil for 2 to 3 minutes or until you get a creamy consistency. Gradually add the icing sugar and almond milk. Continue mixing until you get a thick icing. If you want different colors, divide the icing and add food colorants of choice.

Once the cake is cooled, turn over and add the bean and the pea. Ice it and decorate it!