Recipe: Rosca de Reyes - Spanish Epiphany Cake

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4.89 from 26 votes

Recipe: Rosca de Reyes - Spanish Epiphany Cake

Rosca de Reyes, a Spanish Epiphany cake flavoured with rum, fruit and spices, is a tasty treat to mark the end of the Christmas holidays.

Servings: slices

Author: Helen Best-Shaw

Prep Time2

Cook Time40

Total Time2 40

Ingredients

200 g dried fruit
100 ml rum
100 g unsalted butter - softened
100 g caster sugar
500 g strong white flour
7 g quick yeast
1½ tsp salt
2 tsp powdered cinnamon
100 ml water
1 tbsp vanilla extract
zest of 1 orange & 1 lemon
3 eggs + 1 for egg wash
icing sugar to decorate

Instructions

Soak 150g of the dried fruit in the rum, preferably overnight.
Cream together the butter and sugar. Mix in the eggs, adding one at a time. Mix in the orange and lemon zest. If using a stand mixer, transfer this mix to another bowl.
Mix the dry ingredients: flour, yeast, salt, and cinnamon.
Add the water, vanilla extract and butter and egg mix to the flour. Mix well, and then knead for a few minutes until smooth and elastic.
Knead in the dried fruit, adding a little at a time. Place the dough back in the bowl, cover, place somewhere warm and allow to rise until doubled in size.
Once risen roll out into a sausage shape, and form into a ring. Decorate the top with the remaining dried fruit, pressing them well into the dough.
Place on a baking tray, place in a warm spot, and allow to rise again until doubled in thickness - this will take about an hour.
After about 45 minutes, heat the oven to 160°C (Fan)/180°C/350°F/Gas Mark 4.
Beat the last egg and brush over the top as an egg wash. Bake in a preheated oven for 35-40 minutes until golden and sounding hollow
Allow to cool and decorate by drizzling on some orange icing or dusting with icing sugar.

Notes

This is a rich dough, so despite being made with 100% white flour, it doesn't rise like a loaf of white bread.
You don't need a stand mixer to make this recipe. Mix the butter and sugar with a hand-held mixer (or a wooden spoon), and whisk in the eggs. The dough can be mixed together and kneaded by hand.
Decorate with colourful glacé fruit - orange slices and cherries are effective.
Cut the rosca in half like a sandwich cake and fill with chantilly cream flavoured with fruit or orange flower water.
Leftovers freeze well, and can be toasted from frozen, or used as a base for eggy bread or french toast.

Nutritional Information:

This recipe is 7 Weight Watchers Smart Points per portion

• Please note that the nutrition information provided below is approximate and meant as a guideline only.

• Unless stated otherwise cup conversions have been made with an online tool. For accuracy please check with your favoured conversion tool. We recommend buying inexpensive digital kitchen scales.