A NON-TRADITIONAL ROSCÓN DE REYES

 

A cake to serve for Three Kings' Day (January 6)

For years now, I’ve stubbornly avoided buying or making the traditional roscón de reyes, the cake/bread served on the Twelfth Day of Christmas (January 6), for the holiday of Tres Reyes. I despise the candied fruit on the top and, although I’m crazy about whipped cream, I dislike the usual gloppy filling for the cake.

But, when a friend passed along several dozen packets of baker’s yeast, I figured I needed to start baking. With the upcoming holiday, the Kings’ Day cake was an obvious place to begin. But I was determined to reinvent the wheel.  

The cake, shaped as a large ring (roscón), is basically an egg-rich brioche dough with butter and quite a lot of sugar. The standard flavorings are dark rum, grated orange zest and orange blossom water. 

I cut the sugar to a minimum (yeast needs a little sugar to facilitate fermentation); swapped sweet PX wine for the rum; extra virgin olive oil for the butter; dried fig compote for the yucky candied cherries. I added some cardamom seeds, just because I like cardamom. Half of the ring I left “savory,” for toast or sandwiches, and half I split and filled with whipped cream and figs. And, because I didn’t have any harina de fuerza, high-gluten bread flour, I used all-purpose flour. I’m so pleased with the results that I think I’ll make it again! And, no need to wait for Reyes to roll around. The roscón is a fine bread for many occasions.

The basic Roscón de Reyes with almonds--does not reveal that it's way down with the sugar and has olive oil instead of butter!  I'm making half the ring as a fairly traditional "cake" with filling. The other half is for breakfast toast.

Not cake. Slices of the roscón are toasted, "buttered" with olive oil and served with fig compote and orange marmalade.

Sliced roscón is topped with cream cheese and smoked salmon. Gorgeous. (A medium-dry Sherry would go nicely with this.)

To finish as cake, the roscón is split and filled with whipped cream. Instead of candied fruits on the top, I've filled the layers with fig compote. On top, a few red currants for pretty and a sprinkling of powdered sugar. (As pictured at the top, the cake is served with raisiny-sweet PX wine. For the kids, accompany with hot chocolate.)

Kings’ Day Cake with Variations

Roscón de Reyes con Variaciones

½ cup milk

Strip of orange zest

2 tablespoons sugar

1 ½ tablespoons (0.5 ounce) active dry yeast

1 teaspoon grated orange zest

6-8 cardamom pods, husks removed (optional)

3 ½ cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon salt

3 eggs

1 tablespoon PX (sweet) wine

1 teaspoon orange blossom water

1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil

Options

Almond, dry bean or oven-safe trinket 

Sliced almonds

Pine nuts

Candied fruits

Whipped cream

Sherried fig compote (recipe follows)

Powdered sugar

Red currants

Place the milk and strip of zest in a small saucepan and bring to a boil. Remove and discard the strip of orange zest. Pour half the milk into a small bowl and add 1 tablespoon of the sugar. Allow the milk to cool to warm (you can comfortably stick a finger in it). Sprinkle the yeast over the milk and stir to combine. Allow the yeast to proof for 15 minutes, until it is foamy.

Put the remaining 1 tablespoon of sugar in a small bowl. Add the grated orange zest and cardomom seeds, if using. Stir to mix.

Mix wet ingredients into the flour.

Reserve ¼ cup of the flour. Place the rest in a large mixing bowl. Add the salt and mix. Make a well in the center. Beat 2 of the eggs and add them to the flour. Pour in the remaining warm milk, the yeast mixture, the sugar with zest, the PX, orange blossom water and oil. 

Using a large wooden spoon, begin mixing the fluid ingredients into the flour. When all the ingredients are combined, sprinkle some of the reserved flour on a work surface. Turn the dough out onto the board and knead it, adding additional flour, as needed. The dough will be very sticky at first, but gradually becomes smooth. Use as little added flour as possible. Knead the dough about 8 minutes. (Use a mixer with a bread hook, if you have one.)

Gather the dough into a ball. Put it in a clean, lightly oiled bowl. Cover with a dampened kitchen towel. Place the bowl in a warm, draft-free place (turned-off oven is perfect) to rise until the dough has doubled in size, about 2 ½ hours.

Shape dough into a ring.

Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured board. Knead it again briefly. Shape into a ball, flatten it slightly. Insert a thumb in the center. Gradually, using the fingers, widen the center hole and stretch the dough to form a ring approximately 10 inches in diameter. 

Transfer the dough ring to a baking sheet lined with parchment. (If using the optional almond, bean or trinket, insert it into the dough from the bottom and pinch the dough closed.) Place the baking sheet with the ring in a draft-free place to rise again, 2 hours.

Preheat oven to 350ºF.

Beat the remaining egg in a small bowl (you will only need half of the egg). Use a pastry brush to brush the top and sides of the ring. Scatter the top with sliced almonds and pieces of candied fruits, if using.

Place the baking sheet on a rack in the bottom third of the oven and bake 15 minutes. Turn the baking sheet back to front and bake 5 minutes more or until the ring is golden-brown.

Remove and cool on a rack.

To fill the roscón, split it in half horizonatally. I have inadvertently revealed the almond hidden in the dough. The person who finds the "prize," almond, dry bean or trinket, is assured of good luck for the coming year. 

To finish the roscón in the traditional way, split it horizontally. Spread the bottom with whipped cream (sweetened or not) and, if desired, fig compote. Replace the top. Sprinkle with powdered sugar. Add red currants, if desired. 

If not to be served within a few hours, the roscón with cream should be refrigerated.

Sherried Fig Compote

Compota de Higos con Vino Dulce

Fig compote is almost like jam. 

This thick fig compote is almost like jam. Use it on toast or as a filling for layer cake. Or just serve it with a dollop of whipped cream or Greek yogurt. (I used a spoonful of the fig compote to sauce rare-cooked duck breast. Wow.)

I used Pedro Ximénez sweet wine from Montilla-Moriles—not actually a Sherry, which comes from Jerez de la Frontera. But a sweet Sherry or sweet Málaga wine could be used just as well. 

Small Málaga figs.

12 ounces dry figs

Strip of orange zest

3 allspice berries

2-inch cinnamon stick

2 cups water

4 tablespoons PX wine or sweet Sherry

Wash the figs. Remove stems from figs and, if they are large, cut them in half. Place in a saucepan with the strip of zest, allspice, cinnamon, water and 2 tablespoons of the sweet wine. 

Bring to a boil and simmer, covered, until the figs are very soft, 30 minutes. Stir occasionally and make sure the figs don’t scorch.

Remove and discard zest, allspice and cinnamon. Place the figs and any liquid remaining in a food processor with the remaining 2 tablespoons of sweet wine. Pulse to process until figs are desired consistency.  

Keeps, covered and refrigerated, up to a week.

Recipe for Spanish hot drinking chocolate is here.