Feliz Año Nuevo, today we’re making a traditional Rosca de Reyes from scratch!
What is a Rosca de Reyes?
Rosca de Reyes, or King’s Cake, is a traditional cake that we enjoy on January 6 (and in the days leading up to it), to celebrate Día de los Reyes Magos, or Three Kings’ Day. This is a yeasted cake in the shape of a round or oval ring. It is adorned with strips of a sweet streusel topping and dried fruits meant to represent the jewels of a crown.
If you’ve never had it before, beware! There’s usually a plastic doll representing baby Jesus hidden somewhere in the rosca de reyes. According to tradition, if you happen to get the slice with the baby in it, you have to host a get together and make tamales on February 2 for Día de la Candelaria!
Ingredients Needed to Make a Rosca de Reyes
Fr this recipe, you’ll need the following ingredients:
- Water: For this recipe, I like to bloom my yeast in hot water with a tablespoon of granulated sugar. Make sure the water is hot to the touch, but isn’t boiling, or it will kill the yeast.
- Sugar
- Yeast
- Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
- Ground Cinnamon & Nutmeg: I’m using ground cinnamon and nutmeg to spice the cake, but as you learn your way through the recipe, feel free to use whichever spices you’d like to use.
- Kosher Salt
- Buttermilk: Do not sub out the buttermilk. The buttermilk carries extra fat to yield a tender and moist crumb.
- Eggs
- Unsalted Butter
- Powdered Sugar
- Butter Flavored Shortening: I prefer to use shortening for the topping, but feel free to use butter if you’d like. Butter will give you a more snappy topping.
Tools
For this recipe, you’ll need the following tools:
- A Large Mixing Bowl: To mix the dry ingredients together.
- A Small Measuring Cup: To bloom the yeast.
- A Large Measuring Cup: To Mix the buttermilk and eggs together.
- Measuring Spoons: To measure out the spices. These are my favorite, and I love that they nest, and have a magnet to keep them together.
- A stand Mixer, to knead the dough.
- A large baking sheet to bake the rosca de reyes. Opt for lighter colored baking sheets. Baking sheets that come in darker colors will conduct more heat, making things bake a little quicker. Check your local restaurant supply store for them, I get them for much cheaper there!
Step By Step Instructions
- Start by Making the Dough:
- In a measuring cup, bloom the yeast by stirring together the yeast, tablespoon of sugar and hot water.
- While the yeast blooms, weigh out the flour and the rest of the sugar. Whisk in the spices and salt.
- In a separate measuring cup, whisk together the buttermilk and eggs.
- Fit the stand mixer with the hook attachment, then pour in the bloomed yeast mixture. Set the speed to low.
- Pour in the melted butter, then add in the buttermilk mixture.
- Gradually bump up the speed and let the dough knead for 3 to 4 minutes, until it comes together into a smooth ball. Let the dough rest and proof in a dark warm place.
- Make the Sweet Topping.
- Weigh out the flour and powdered sugar, then whisk in the salt and baking powder. Fit the stand mixer with the paddle attachment.
- Add the shortening to the stand mixer bowl, and set the speed to low. Gradually add in the flour mixture, then add in the vanilla extract. Beat together until the topping comes together. Add extra vanilla extract as needed, or add in food coloring at this time.
- Assemble the Rosca de Reyes.
- Form the dough rope into an oval on a lined baking sheet, then grab one end and use it to enclose the second end, pinching any seams to close. If you are hiding a plastic baby, press it into the dough at this time, making sure to pinch any seams closed.
- Brush the dough ring with egg wash, then adorn the ring with strips of the sweet topping.
- Bake until the cake is nice and golden brown. Let it cool completely.
- Before serving, brush and naked parts with melted butter, and finish with a sprinkle of cinnamon sugar.
Quick Tips to Keep in Mind While Making the Rosca
- Use a quick read thermometer to make sure the water is hot enough to bloom the yeast, the temperature should be between 100° to 110°F/38° to 43°C.
- If you are not grating your own nutmeg and are using ground nutmeg, make sure to only use 1/2 a teaspoon.
- Use a food scale to weigh out the ingredients. This recipe calls for 4 cups or 500 grams of flour. My cup of flour weighs 125 grams which is on the lighter side. If you’re only using measuring cups, chances are you’re packing extra flour into your cups, and it will make the cake much more dry.
- The recipe for the sweet topping gives you some extra room so you can add a couple of drops of gel food coloring without it becoming too sticky. If you aren’t using food coloring add up to an extra teaspoon of vanilla. You’re looking for the topping to have a soft playdoh consistency. Too much hydration will make it sticky, you can correct this by adding some extra flour about 1/2 teaspoon at a time. Keep in mind that the more extra flour you add, the less sweet it will be.
- Although the recipe has you form the dough into a rope and then shape it into oval, you can also divide the dough into 10 individual portions. Place the balls of dough side by side, arranged in an oval, the same way that I did for the pictures above. It takes the finished rosca up a notch!
That’s all I have for you today! For more pan dulce recipes make sure to pick up a copy of Chicano Bakes. I do hope you give this recipe a try! If you are looking for something to accompany your rosca de reyes, make sure to check out my recipes for atole de calabaza or champurrado. Stay warm, and stay safe y nos vemos pronto!
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Traditional Mexican Rosca de Reyes
Servings 10 Servings
Calories
Ingredients
For the Cake
- ¼ Cup Hot Water (59 grams)
- ⅓ Cup Sugar (67 grams) + 1 tablespoon
- 4 Cups Unbleached All-Purpose Flour (500 grams)
- 1 ½ Teaspoons Ground Cinnamon
- 1 Teaspoon Grated Nutmeg
- 1 Teaspoon Diamond Crystal Kosher Salt , or sub with ½ teaspoon Fine Sea Salt
- ½ Cup Buttermilk (115 grams), at Room Temperature
- 2 Large Eggs , at Room Temperature
- ⅓ cup Unsalted Butter (76 grams), at Room Temperature
For the Topping
- ¾ Cup Powdered Sugar (75 grams), Sifted
- ⅔ Cup Unbleached All-Purpose Flour (84 grams)
- ¼ Teaspoon Baking Powder
- ¼ Teaspoon Diamond Crystal Kosher Salt , or sub with a pinch of Fine Sea Salt
- ⅓ Cup Butter-Flavored Vegetable Shortening (64 grams), cubed
- 1 Tablespoon Vanilla Extract
For the Egg Wash
- 1 Large Egg , whisked with 1 tablespoon water
To Serve
- 3 Tablespoons Sugar
- ½ Teaspoon Ground Cinnamon
- ¼ Cup Unsalted Butter (57 grams), melted
Instructions
Make the Dough
- Make the cake: In a large measuring cup, stir the slightly hot water and 1 tablespoon of the sugar together, then stir in the yeast. Let the mixture sit for 10 minutes until bubbling and foamy.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, whisk together the flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, remaining ⅓ cup (67 g) sugar, and salt in a large bowl. Snap on the dough hook and turn the speed on to low. Pour in the yeast mixture and beat to incorporate. Beat in the buttermilk. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add the butter and let the dough knead until it comes together, about 2 minutes. Bump up the speed to medium and let the dough knead for a final 4 minutes.
- Transfer to a large greased bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Let the dough sit in a warm dark place to rise and double in size, about 2 hours.
- Punch the dough down and let it rest for 5 minutes. Line a 13 × 18-inch (33 × 46 cm) baking sheet with parchment paper. Transfer the dough to a lightly floured work surface and roll it out into a smooth rope 28 inches (70 cm) long. Form the dough rope into an oval on the lined baking sheet, then grab one end and use it to enclose the second end, pinching any seams to close. If you are hiding a plastic baby, press it into the dough at this time, making sure to pinch any seams closed.
- Let the dough rest in a dark and warm place until doubled in size, 45 minutes to 1 hour.
Make the Topping
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, whisk together the pow “powdered sugar, flour, baking powder, and salt. Snap on the paddle attachment, add the shortening and vanilla and beat on low speed until the dough starts to come together, about 30 seconds. Scrape the sides of the bowl and beat for a full minute, until the dough comes together in a smooth round ball. Cover with plastic wrap to prevent it from drying out.
- About 30 minutes before the ring of dough is done proofing, preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C).
- Brush the ring with the egg wash. Divide the topping into 4 equal portions, then line a tortilla press with two squares of plastic (a 1-gallon resealable plastic bag cut into two pieces is perfect for this). Place one of the balls of dough and press down until you have a 5-inch (12.5 cm) round. Use a knife to carefully slice 2 strips 2 inches (5 cm) wide from the center. Carefully remove the remaining dough and return it to the remaining topping dough. Gently peel the 2 strips of dough onto your hand and drape them crosswise over the ring of dough (going from the inner edge to the outer edge of the ring). Space the strips 1 to 1½ inches (2.5 to 4 cm) apart. Repeat this process with the remaining balls of dough, then knead all the scraps of extra topping together to make more strips if you need them. The texture of the topping should be soft, like playdoh. If you find it needs a little more hydration, add a little more vanilla extract, about ½ teaspoon at a time. Too muhc hydration will make it sticky.
- Bake the cake until the internal temperature reaches about 200°F (93°C) and the outside is golden brown and glossy, 24 to 26 minutes. Let the cake cool completely on the baking sheet.
Serve
- In a small bowl, stir together the sugar and cinnamon. Brush the golden brown sections of the ring (in between the strips of topping) with melted butter and sprinkle cinnamon sugar over these sections.
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