King Cake with Chocolate and Salted Butter Caramel

Ingredients

• 385 g All-purpose flour (Sift before use)
• 48 g Unsweetened cocoa powder (Sift with the flour)
• 7 g Fine salt (Added to the dough)
• 200 g Water (Room temperature)
• 70 g Unsalted butter (Melt then let warm)
• 250 g Half-salted butter (for the turn) (Churned quality, very cold)
• 100 g Granulated sugar (For the caramel)
• 120 g Half-salted butter (caramel) (Added to the hot caramel)
• 60 g Whole milk cream (Bring to a boil then let warm)
• 100 g Almond powder (Base of the almond cream)
• 2 Egg yolks (At room temperature)
• 1 Whole egg (At room temperature)
• 1 Egg for glazing (Beat with a pinch of salt)
• 50 g Sugar (icing) (For the glaze syrup)
• 50 g Water (icing) (For the glaze syrup)

Instructions

1. Melt the unsalted butter

   Place the 70 g of unsalted butter in a small saucepan and melt over low heat, then let warm.

   Time: PT5M

   Temperature: low

2. Prepare the dough

   Sift the flour, cocoa powder and salt into the large bowl. Add the cold water then the melted warm butter. Mix with fingertips until a homogeneous dough forms but still slightly crumbly.

   Time: PT10M

3. Shape the dough and let rest briefly

   Form a ball, wrap in plastic film and let rest 5 minutes at room temperature.

   Time: PT5M

4. Prepare the butter block

   Place the 250 g of half‑salted butter between two sheets of parchment paper and flatten with a rolling pin to a square about 1 cm thick.

   Time: PT5M

5. Encase the butter in the dough and first turn

   Lay the flattened butter in the center of the dough, fold the corners to fully encase it. Lightly roll out, fold into three (single turn) then wrap in film and refrigerate 1.5 h.

   Time: PT5M

6. Two additional single turns

   Remove the dough, lightly flour, roll into a rectangle, fold into three, wrap and refrigerate 1.5 h. Repeat a second time to obtain two additional single turns.

   Time: PT10M

7. Two more single turns

   Repeat the operation from the previous point once more (two turns), then refrigerate 1.5 h.

   Time: PT10M

8. Final turn (quarter turn) and final rest

   After the last fold, turn the dough a quarter turn, wrap and refrigerate an additional 1 h to stabilize the layers.

   Time: PT5M

9. Prepare the hot liquid cream

   Bring the 60 g of whole milk cream to a boil in the small saucepan, then remove from heat and set aside.

   Time: PT5M

   Temperature: 100°C

10. Dry caramel

    In the medium saucepan, melt 100 g of sugar over medium heat until it turns golden, add the remaining sugar and continue cooking until a homogeneous amber caramel forms.

    Time: PT10M

    Temperature: medium

11. Incorporate the half‑salted butter into the caramel

    Add the 120 g of half‑salted butter to the caramel, mix until fully dissolved, then incorporate the hot cream. Stir until a smooth texture is achieved.

    Time: PT2M

    Temperature: low

12. Cool the butter‑caramel

    Pour the mixture into a bowl, let cool to room temperature then place in the refrigerator until about 15 °C (about 15 minutes).

    Time: PT15M

    Temperature: roomTemp

13. Mix the eggs into the cooled caramel

    Add the 2 egg yolks and the whole egg to the cooled caramel. Beat with the mixer at medium speed until homogeneous.

    Time: PT5M

14. Incorporate the almond powder

    Add the 100 g of almond powder and beat 5‑8 minutes until the cream becomes pale and slightly airy.

    Time: PT7M

15. Divide and roll out the puff pastry

    Divide the puff pastry into two equal parts. On a lightly floured surface, roll out the first part into a 26 cm diameter circle (thickness 3‑4 mm).

    Time: PT10M

16. Glaze the lower edge

    Brush the perimeter of the circle (about 2 cm) with the beaten egg (with a pinch of salt) to create the seal.

    Time: PT2M

17. Fill with almond cream and caramel

    Spread the almond‑caramel cream over the center of the disc, leaving a 2 cm margin around the glaze. Place the fève if desired.

    Time: PT5M

18. Prepare the top disc

    Roll out the second half of dough into a disc of the same diameter and thickness, then gently place it over the filling aligning the edges.

    Time: PT10M

19. Seal and decorate

    Seal the edges by pressing with fingers or the back of a knife. Make decorative incisions around the edge with the tip of a slightly angled knife to form the collar.

    Time: PT5M

20. Rest before baking

    Transfer the cake to a sheet, cover lightly and refrigerate at least 2 h (ideally overnight) so the layers relax.

    Time: PT2H

21. Preheat the oven

    Preheat the oven to 180 °C.

    Time: PT10M

    Temperature: 180°C

22. First glaze before baking

    Brush the edge again with beaten egg to obtain a nice color.

    Time: PT2M

23. Bake the cake

    Bake the cake for 35‑45 minutes until the surface is well browned and the layers have risen.

    Time: PT40M

    Temperature: 180°C

24. Prepare the glaze

    In a small saucepan, bring 50 g of sugar with 50 g of water to a boil, let boil 2‑3 minutes until a slightly syrupy glaze forms.

    Time: PT5M

    Temperature: 100°C

25. Glaze the cake

    Immediately after removing from the oven, brush the surface with the hot syrup to achieve a shine. Let cool on a rack.

    Time: PT2M

    Temperature: hot

Nutrition Facts

Calories

450

Protein

5 g

Carbohydrates

45 g

Fat

30 g

Fiber

2 g

Ingredient Substitutions

• Instead of All-purpose flour: Wheat flour T55
• Instead of Unsweetened cocoa powder: Dutch-processed cocoa
• Instead of Unsalted butter: Unsalted butter
• Instead of Half-salted butter (for the turn): Very cold unsalted butter
• Instead of Granulated sugar: White sugar
• Instead of Half-salted butter (caramel): Unsalted butter
• Instead of Whole milk cream: 30% cream
• Instead of Almond powder: Ground almonds

Equipment Needed

• Kitchen scale
• Large mixing bowl
• Small saucepan
• Medium saucepan
• Whisk
• Wooden spoon
• Electric mixer with whisk attachment
• Rolling pin
• Plastic wrap
• Parchment paper
• Baking sheet or tart pan
• Oven
• Kitchen brush
• Chef's knife
• 26 cm tart ring (optional)
• Cooling rack
• Tablespoon

Critical Steps — Do Not Skip

• Encase the cold butter in the dough without melting it
• Observe the refrigeration rest times between each turn
• Achieve an amber caramel without burning it
• Let the butter‑caramel reach ~15 °C before adding the eggs to avoid curdling
• Seal the edges properly to prevent filling leakage

Chef Tips from the Video

• Use high‑quality churned butter for a lighter puff pastry.
• Make a quarter turn at each fold to keep the same layer orientation.
• Apply the glaze syrup immediately after removing from the oven for optimal shine.

Troubleshooting

Storage

Refrigerator: Store the cake in an airtight container 2‑3 days.

Freezer: Wrap the cake tightly; it keeps up to 1 month. Defrost in the refrigerator before reheating.

Room temperature: Consume the same day, otherwise keep refrigerated.

Make-Ahead Tips

• The puff pastry can be prepared 2 days ahead and frozen.
• The almond‑caramel cream keeps 24 h in the refrigerator; preparing it the day before simplifies assembly.
• Assemble the cake the day before and keep it chilled before baking for a more stable layering.