Chocolate & Candied Orange Galette des Rois

Before starting this Chocolate and Candied Orange Galette des Rois recipe, organise the necessary ingredients for the chocolate frangipane.
I strongly encourage you to make your own puff pastry from scratch. I guarantee you won't want to go back to store-bought puff pastry! It is really worth the effort.

For the chocolate frangipane: In the food mixer recipient, place the castor sugar and softened butter.

Blanch the ingredients using a whisk.

Add the almond powder...

... and the eggs. Combine well.

When the almond cream is smooth, add the pastry cream to obtain a frangipane. Beat at high speed for a few seconds to incorporate air in the preparation.

Melt the milk chocolate in the microwave and combine well.

Add the candied orange cubes to the frangipane cream...

... and add the melted chocolate.

Combine with the stand mixer...

... and beat until homogeneous.

Transfer the chocolate frangipane into a piping bag...

... and lay it flat on a baking sheet. Refrigerate. Fold back the end of the piping bag to make sure the chocolate preparation doesn't leak out.

Assembling the cake: Ideally, you should prepare the puff pastry the day before, or refrigerate it for at least 2 hours before making the galette. This will ensure the pastry doesn't shrink while baking.
Divide the dough in half.

Place one half on a floured surface.

Roll out the pastry into a square shape, to a thickness of 4 mm.

Wrap the pastry around the rolling pin...

... and carefully place it on a perforated Silichef baking sheet.

Using a 24cm mousse ring as a guide, make sure the pastry square is big enough. The edges should be at least 2 cm outside the ring. Press down on the ring...

... to mark the pastry. Do not press too hard not to create a deep cut.

Glaze the pastry with egg wash (a beaten egg yolk with a little water). Brush the egg yolk all around the ring mark. Make sure you only glaze the rim and not the centre of the pastry.

Remove the chocolate frangipane from the fridge and cut the tip of the bag with scissors. Pipe the chocolate cream into a spiral...

... starting from the centre and making sure not to go outside the mark.

Even the surface with a cranked spatula.

Bury one trinket in the cream filling, preferably close to the outer edge rather than the centre.

Roll out the second portion of puff pastry. The square should be slightly bigger than the first one, with a thickness of 4 mm.

Wrap the pastry around the rolling pin and gently arrange it over the cream.

Make sure there are no air bubbles between the filling and the top pastry...

... and press firmly to seal both layers of puff pastry.

The glaze will work as an adhesive.

Place a large round cutter with handle (28cm) around the filling.

Press firmly on the cutter to cut both layers of pastry.

Discard the pastry scraps...

... and set the large cutter aside.

Crimp the edge of the pastry with the tip of a knife.

This operation should be done twice, in a clockwise and anticlockwise pattern.

Glaze the surface of the cake with egg wash. Apply a thin layer of glaze, making sure it doesn't drip. Too much glaze could affect the rise of the puff pastry while baking.

Score any shapes of your choice on the surface of the pastry. I created a lattice pattern for this recipe.

Arrange the candied orange strips over the surface.

The cake is now ready to go in the oven. To prevent the pastry from shrinking while cooking, I recommend storing the cake in the fridge for at least 2 hours (optional). If you have more time, refrigerate overnight and bake the following day.

Baking: Place small dariole moulds (height 4 or 5 cm) in the four corners of the baking sheet.

Place a baking sheet on top of the dariole moulds. I recommend using a heavy baking sheet, such as black steel. This will help control the rise of the puff pastry while baking.

Bake in a fan-assisted oven at 180°C (gas 4)...

... between 30 and 40 minutes. When puffed up and golden...

... remove the baking sheet on top.

Reduce the heat to 150°C (gas 2) and bake for a further 15 minutes.

When cooked, remove from the oven...

... and sprinkle with icing sugar.

Return to the oven for about 5 minutes, then take it out and leave to cool at room temperature.
This galette is delicious served warm. Enjoy!