Rosca de Reyes – King’s Cake
Rosca de Reyes is one of the most beautiful traditions in Mexico for the Holidays, celebrated on January 6th, the day of the Three Kings or Holy Wisemen. It is shared by family and friends for supper accompanied by a delicious cup of Mexican Hot Chocolate (Ibarra or La Abuelita). The tradition is that when you cut your piece and eat it, you have to watch and see if you get the little baby Jesus figurine (No, I’ve never heard of anybody choking on it…). The lucky people to get the figurine in their slice have to throw a party on February 2nd -St. Brigits or Candelaria- and serve tamales for all those involved in the cutting of the Rosca.
Ingredients:
- 30g or 4 envelopes of dried yeast
- 5 cups of flour
- 200g of butter
- 4 eggs
- 8 yolks
- 1 can of sweet condensed milk
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 tbsp of rose water or a few drops of orange flavoring
- 1 cup of candied fruit, chopped (cherries, figs, orange peel, etc).
- 2-3 plastic baby Jesus figurines
- 1 beaten egg for glazing
Decoration:
- Various candied fruits and sugar
Process:
Preheat oven to 200 C or 390 F
Mix the yeast in about 1/4 of a cup of warm water and add 2 tbsp. of flour. Let rest until foamy and doubled in size.
Sift the rest of the flour on a table, make a pit in the middle and add half of the butter, the eggs, the yolks, the sweet condensed milk, salkt, flavoring and the yeast mix.
Slowly mix all the ingredients with fingertips and knead lightly until a paste is formed. Knead thoroughly and throw against the table top, as you incorporate the rest of the butter until the dough is soft and pliable. Form into a ball.
Rub a bit of oil around the dough and place in a large oiled bowl. Let rest in a warm spot loosely covered with some plastic wrap until about doubled in size. Punch the dough down, and roll into a thin long sheet on a floured surface, about 7 by 25 inches.
Distribute the fruit and the plastic figurines evenly throughout the sheet of dough, roll carefully length-wise. Place on a lightly greased and floured cookie sheet and shape it into a round or oval ring, pinching the seams and making sure it seals properly. Let the ring rest until it has about doubled its size again. Before putting into the oven, glaze with the beaten egg, decorate with the candied fruit and sprinkle with sugar.
Bake for about 30 minutes or until the ring takes a slight golden color.