For the fourth year in a row, a renowned Brussels bakery is once again offering its customers the chance to find a gold coin – but only in a specific cake on a certain day.
This Saturday 6 January marks Epiphany, the Christian festival celebrating the day when, according to the Bible, the three wise men Caspar, Melchior and Balthasar visited the manger of baby Jesus in Bethlehem.
In Belgium, people of all ages associate this day with a special cake: driekoningen taart in Dutch and galette des rois in French, translated as the (three) kings' cake. On this day, loved ones gather and share the treat, which typically consists of two circular layers of puff pastry with an almond filling.
The cake has to be eaten with caution, however, as a 'bean' or clay figurine is hidden inside it. For some, it represents the Christ Child; for others, the symbol of fertility. The person who finds the 'bean' in their slice of cake is crowned king or queen for the day, and they wear the golden paper crown that comes with the dessert.
One bakery in Brussels has taken this tradition to the next level by hiding something slightly more valuable in its cakes.
Digging for gold
Since 2020, pastry chef Luc de Weerdt, who owns a bakery in Saint-Gilles, not only treats customers to his delicious, hand-made galettes des rois, but promises potential kings and queens lucrative prizes.
De Weerdt will once again hide four golden coins – worth €500 and stamped with the bakery's logo – in his special cakes, he announced on the company's social media.
The prize-stuffed cakes will be chosen randomly from thousands. However, to have a chance at winning this prize, people must buy their cakes on 6 January itself. The cakes themselves will be sold all week.
It is advised to book a cake in advance, as people have previously queued for several hours to try their luck at winning the desired prize.
In 2022, the bakery sold as many as 2,500 of the traditional tarts thanks to the special offer. Lucky winners can contact the shop to get their prize money, while the coin can be kept as a souvenir.
