Recipe for King Cake with frangipane, using store-bought puff pastry.

Prepare the pastry cream. In a bowl, whisk the egg yolks with half of the sugar until pale. Add the cornstarch and whisk well to achieve a smooth texture.

Pour the milk and the other half of the sugar into a saucepan. Bring to a boil, stirring with a whisk to dissolve it. Adding a bit of sugar to the milk helps prevent it from sticking to the bottom of the saucepan. Once the milk starts to boil, pour it over the egg mixture in a fine stream, while continuing to whisk to prevent the eggs from curdling. Pour the mixture back into the saucepan and heat over medium-low heat, stirring regularly. The cream should thicken.

When it's ready, remove the pan from the heat and add the butter cut into pieces and the vanilla extract. Mix well to incorporate them. Cover the cream directly to prevent a skin from forming on its surface. Allow it to cool completely.

While it cools, prepare the almond cream. In a bowl, mix the soft butter with the sugar. Add the eggs and vanilla extract and mix again. Then add the almond powder and mix to achieve a smooth texture.

Prepare the almond cream. In the almond cream, add the cold pastry cream and mix until smooth.

Prepare the pastry. Roll out the first sheet of puff pastry, keeping the baking paper underneath. Spread the cream evenly, leaving 2-2.5 cm free near the edge. Using a brush, moisten the edges with a little water to help the layers stick together. Place the charm in the cream and lay the second sheet on top of the first, pressing very lightly on the edges to seal them. Slide the sheet with the pastry onto a tray and place everything in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.

Prepare the egg wash. Mix the egg yolk with the milk. Brush the pastry with this mixture, being careful not to let it overflow onto the edges, as this will prevent the pastry from rising properly during baking. Place the pastry in the refrigerator for another 30 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 210°C, convection mode. Remove the pastry from the refrigerator and brush it again with the egg wash. Using the tip of a knife, without pressing too hard to avoid cutting the pastry, create a design on the surface of the pastry. Then poke it with a toothpick in several places across the entire surface (5-6 in the middle and about ten around where the filling stops, especially not on the edges). This will allow steam to escape during baking and help the pastry rise evenly on all sides.

Bake and cook for 8 minutes at 210°C, fan mode, then lower the heat to 180°C, fan mode, and cook for another 25 minutes or until it is nicely golden.