Vegan Chestnut King Cake (Amandel & Kastanje)

🛒 Ingredients

• #Vegan Puff Pastry;
• 300 g plain all‑purpose flour.. ¼ tsp fine sea salt
• 220 g very cold vegan block butter, cubed.. 100–130 ml ice‑cold water
• #Almond & Chestnut Filling;
• 100 g roasted chestnuts (vacuum‑packed works great), finely mashed or blended
• 100 g ground almonds.. 60 g coconut sugar or soft brown sugar
• 80 g vegan butter, softened.. 1 tbsp cornstarch.. 1 tsp pure vanilla extract.. ½ tsp almond extract
• 1 tbsp dark rum or plant milk (optional).. Pinch of cinnamon.. Pinch of salt
• #To Finish;
• Plant milk for brushing.. 1 tbsp maple syrup + 1 tsp water (glaze)
• 1 small chestnut or almond (the "fève" — hidden inside)

👩‍🍳 Instructions

1. 1

   Make the pastry: Mix flour and salt in a large bowl. Add cold cubed butter. Rub lightly into coarse crumbs — keep butter chunks visible for flaky layers. Gradually stir in ice‑cold water to form a rough dough. Do NOT knead. Shape into a rectangle, wrap, and chill 30 min.

2. 2

   Roll & fold: Roll dough into a long rectangle. Fold bottom third up, top third down (like a letter). Rotate 90°, roll, fold again. Wrap and chill 30 min. Repeat roll‑fold‑chill 2 more times for best results.

3. 3

   Make the filling: In a bowl, beat softened vegan butter and sugar until creamy. Stir in ground almonds, mashed chestnuts, cornstarch, vanilla, almond extract, cinnamon, salt, and rum/milk. Mix to a smooth, thick paste. Chill until firm enough to shape.

4. 4

   Assemble: Divide pastry in half. Roll one half into a 23–24 cm circle. Place on parchment‑lined tray. Spread filling evenly over the centre, leaving a 2 cm border. Hide the "fève" inside. Brush the border with water. Roll the second half slightly larger, drape over, press and crimp edges tightly to seal. Trim neatly.

5. 5

   Decorate: Score the top surface with a traditional decorative pattern — curved lines radiating from the centre, without cutting through the pastry. Chill 20 min before baking.

6. 6

   Bake: Preheat oven to 200 °C (400 °F). Brush top generously with plant milk. Bake 15 min, then reduce to 180 °C (350 °F), brush with maple glaze, and bake 20–25 min more until deep golden and crisp. If browning too fast, cover loosely with foil.

7. 7

   Serve: Cool at least 20 minutes before slicing — filling sets as it cools. Slice and enjoy warm! Whoever finds the chestnut/almond inside is king/queen for the day! 👑