Roscón de Reyes | Spanish Kings’ Cake
The roscón de reyes is a light pastry that is traditionally eaten on Three Kings Day (Jan 6), but can be enjoyed before and after this date. It is a large ring of light, sweet bread, decorated with slices of candied or crystallized fruit of various colors.
The story says that the greatest promoter of this sweet was French King Louis XV. The Court cook, of Slavic origin, wanted to entertain the Monarch on Epiphany Day with a traditional donut from his land, but with a surprise inside: a diamond medallion that he bought thanks in collaboration with other members of the service.
Nowadays, some roscones contain cream and even chocolate. Somewhere inside the bun, hidden, there is a religious figurine. Whoever comes across it is supposed to pay for next year’s roscón. Watch your teeth!
Roscón de Reyes | Spanish Kings’ Cake
Ingredients
- 650 gr all-purpose flour or strong flour
- 250 ml warm milk
- 25-30 gr fresh yeast
- 120 gr sugar
- 120 gr butter melted
- 2 eggs
- 1 yolk
- 10 gr salt
- 1 lemon peel grated
- 1 orange peel grated
- 2 ½ tbsp orange blossom water optional
For decoration:
- frosted fruits or assorted candied fruit chopped in different sizes
- sugar
- 1 egg beaten
Instructions
- Begin by proofing the yeast. To do this, mix 2-3 tablespoons of flour with a splash of warm milk in a small bowl, then add the crumbled yeast and stir until dissolved.
- Cover the bowl and allow it to ferment in a warm spot in the kitchen for about 15-20 minutes.
- Once bubbles have started to form as the yeast starts to multiply, add the mixture to a larger bowl along with the rest of the flour and start incorporating the sugar, lemon and orange zest, milk, orange blossom water, 2 eggs and the melted butter.
- Combine until the dough becomes homogenous and begin kneading it by hand on a floured surface. Knead it for a few minutes, adjusting the consistency with either more flour or water if necessary.
- Finally, roll it into a ball and set it aside in an airtight container or covered with a damp cloth for about 2 hours, until the dough has doubled in size.
- When done resting, take the dough out and knead it again for a few minutes and begin shaping it into large donuts.
- Divide the dough (you can make the two halves equal or make one larger and the other smaller), and shape each of them into a doughnut-like shape, creating a hole in the middle with your fingers. The hole will shrink while baking so make it wider than you think necessary at this stage.
- Let the dough rest again for about 30 minutes. To speed up the process, you can heat the oven to 50° C/ 122° F, turn off the oven then place the cake dough inside to rise.
- Once the dough has risen, gently beat the remaining egg white and brush it evenly across the top. Cover the cake with frosted fruit, candied orange, blanche almonds, icing sugar.
- Place the Kings' cake in a preheated oven at 180° C/ 356 ° F and bake for 15-20 minutes, depending on the size of the cake.
- When the cake turned golden, take it out of the oven and let it cool. You can then cut them and fill with your favourite cream, truffle or whatever other filling you like.
Enjoy!
Notes
