What is "pithivier"

n. A cake or dessert consisting of two puff pastry rounds enclosing frangipane and often fruit

A pithivier (; , ) is a round, enclosed pie usually made by baking two disks of puff pastry, with filling stuffed in between. It has the appearance of a hump and is traditionally decorated with spiral lines drawn from the top outwards with the point of a knife, and scalloping on the edge. It is named after the French town of Pithiviers, where the dish is commonly assumed to originate.

The filling is always placed as a lump in the middle of the bottom dough layer, rather than spread on it, to prevent it liquefying and leaking during baking. The pie is traditionally finished with a distinct shine to the top of the crust, by egg-washing beforehand, or by caramelising a dusting of confectioner's sugar at the end of baking, or both. Whilst the filling of the Pithivier is often a sweet frangipane of almond paste, (optionally combined with fruit such as cherry or plum), savoury pies with a meat or cheese filling can also be labelled as a Pithivier.