Costa Blanca Magazin

Roscón de Reyes - The sweet royal wreath

Lichterglanz, Krippenträume und süße Könige

Christmas time is a time full of traditions, and in Spain the Roscón de Reyes is a firm favourite. This delicious yeast cake is traditionally served on 6 January, Epiphany. But it is more than just a cake: It contains two surprises - a little king figurine and a bean. Whoever finds the king becomes the wreath bearer, while the person with the bean owes a small favour.

Bring a piece of this festive tradition straight into your home with this recipe:

400 g wheat flour
25 g yeast
150 ml milk
120 g butter
100 g sugar
2 eggs
Zest of a lemon
Grated orange
100 g grated almonds
Some brown rum
1 egg yolk (for coating)
Candied orange and lemon slices
Caster sugar and flaked almonds
Optional: Freshly whipped cream, chocolate cream or vanilla buttercream as a filling

Lichterglanz, Krippenträume und süße Könige

 Mix the flour, yeast, a spoonful of sugar and a little lukewarm milk to make a yeast mixture. Cover and leave to rise in a warm place until the yeast bubbles and has visibly risen. Add the remaining milk, sugar, eggs, butter, lemon and orange zest, almonds and a dash of rum to the yeast mixture. Knead everything into a smooth dough. Cover the dough and leave to rest for about an hour until it has risen considerably. Knead the dough again and shape into a wreath. Place the wreath on a baking tray, cover lightly and leave to rest again for about 20 minutes. Then brush with egg yolk and decorate with candied fruit, caster sugar and flaked almonds.
Bake the wreath in a preheated oven at 200 °C (top/bottom heat) for about 25-30 minutes until golden brown. Leave to cool well afterwards.
Fill with a cream of your choice - whether classic cream, creamy chocolate cream or vanilla buttercream. There are no limits to your imagination!
Don't forget to place the little king figure and the bean in the dough before baking. This makes the Roscón de Reyes (sweet king's wreath) not only a delight, but also a little game full of excitement and fun.