Authentic Rosca de Reyes Recipe (King’s Cake)

Bring a cherished holiday tradition into your home with this authentic Rosca de Reyes (King’s Cake) recipe.

Celebrated on January 6th for Día de los Reyes Magos (Three Kings’ Day), this sweet, citrus-kissed bread is decorated with colorful candied fruits and baked with a hidden surprise inside.

Gather your family, pour a warm cup of champurrado, and celebrate the end of the holiday season with a slice of homemade tradition!

📖 Family Story

Día de los Reyes is one of my favorite holidays. As kids, it was as big as Christmas. We never took down the tree until after Kings Day—bringing more presents, tamales, and, of course, Rosca de Reyes.

Tradition says whoever finds the Baby Jesus doll baked inside the cake has to throw a party and make tamales on Candlemas (Día de la Candelaria).

My mother always loved telling us the story of being a little girl in Durango when my grandmother invited a boy who was very poor. He couldn’t afford to host a tamale party, so when he found the doll, he tried to swallow it and nearly choked! My grandmother felt so sorry for the boy that she offered to make the tamales for him instead.

My mother told us this story every year to remind us how lucky we were and to always look out for one another.

🍰 Ingredients

These are the ingredients needed to make the cake. The decorations will come later.

Traditionally, this Mexican dessert eaten after a big dinner. Tamales are typical eaten on King’s Day, or Dia de los Reyes.

If you like more orange-y flavor, zest another orange and use the juice of ONE orange.

Yes, you will need to add more flour, but not much more than what is noted in the recipe.

One of the yolks crack in the process. Oh well.. I’m not yolking about it. It really happened. lol.

Do not use melted butter. Instead, to soften butter quickly: My personal favorite way is to put it in the microwave for 10 seconds. If it is still cold, zap it again for 5 more seconds.

Making the Dough

• Add the orange zest to the Kitchen Aid.
• Turn the Kitchen Aid on low.
• Once all the dough ingredients are added, turn to medium low and mix well.
• Flour sometimes stays on the bottom. We need all the flour power we can get!
• Make sure to scrape the sides and the bottom with a spatula. Do this periodically as you’re working.
• The dough is very sticky. Sticky is tricky. Get the dough off the hook.

You can very well continue and let the mixer do the mixing, but I’m going to show you next how to do this by hand in case you don’t have a mixer.

Word to the Wise: If you start on high, the flour will go everywhere. Always start on low then progress to medium.

You can do this step by hand. Simple create a volcano of flour. Then add the ingredients in the center and slowly work them in.

Kneading

• Dust the surface of a counter with flour.
• Add the dough. Be patient. This will take time.
• After about 20 minutes and you’ve burned a few calories, the dough will form.

My advice is to work on a surface that is easy to clean. Wash up and start massaging the dough. It’s not a chair massage. It’s a table massage.

Very Important: Only add as much flour as you need to get the dough to come together. Adding too much flour will result in a dense bread and will not be soft.

How to tell if the dough is ready?

• (1) Once your hand no longer sticks to the dough, it’s ready. Give yourself a hand. This part is done!
• (2) Another way to tell if the dough is ready: Pull the dough slightly. You are looking for a stain glass window effect. The light will come through the dough.

• Once the dough is ready, place it in a buttered bowl. You can also use canola oil. Oily to rise.
• Cover it with plastic wrap or a kitchen towel.
• Let it rise for 1 ½ hours.

Forming the Rosca

• Once it is ready, dust a clean surface.
• Add the dough and start rolling it out.
• Roll out the dough as long as you can.
• Form an opening on one of the ends.
• Connect the two ends together.
• Now, shape the dough.
• Shape the dough here first to make sure it will fit the cookie sheet.
• Carefully place the dough on a large cookie sheet. You will need to shape the dough again.

Rosca de Reyes is more oval shaped than round.

You can do this by hand or use a rolling pin. It will look like a very long baguette. It kinda looks like an elephant’s trunk. Ain’t no junk in this trunk. Lol.

If you shape the dough into an oval, and it’s bigger than your cookie sheet, make two Roscas. One big one, and one little one.

Covering your dough will help prevent a crust from forming on the dough. Do this in a warm place like the kitchen.

Please Note: If you live in colder temperatures, it can take up to 2 hours to rise.

Hiding The Baby Jesus Doll

You might have a hard time finding these Baby Jesus dolls. Luckily, you can order the Jesus doll online.

If you live by a Mexican bakery, ask the baker for one. This is how I got mine. Or, save the baby Jesus dolls from the year before.

• Hide the Baby Jesus doll from the bottom up.
• Press the dough together to hide the seam.

Nowadays, if you buy a Rosca de Reyes, you’ll find 6 or more dolls. Before, they only hid one doll. Times have changed.

Decorating The Rosca

• Make an egg wash. This is just one egg and 1 tablespoon water. Beat it with a fork.
• Take your basting brush, and brush the egg wash all over the Rosca dough. Be sure to get the sides.
• Making the topping and cut into roughly equal sizes.

Invite the kiddos. They love to help with the decorating.

This is the same powdered sugar mixture used to top Mexican Conchas.

Some people will add yellow or green food coloring to the sugar dough for a more festive dough. Two to three drops is all you need.

You might see some roscas stuffed with cream cheese, cajeta, chocolate, and more.

👑 The Meaning & Symbols of Rosca de Reyes

• The dried and candied fruits on the bread symbolize the crowns of the Kings. The Baby Jesus doll placed inside represents Mary and Joseph fleeing Egypt to escape Herod, trying to kill their baby.
• The tradition of the Rosca de Reyes started in Europe in the 14th century. Also called Roscón de Reyes in Spain and other Spanish-speaking countries.

Baking your own Rosca de Reyes is a fun way to celebrate a special holiday. Whether you find the hidden baby toy or just enjoy eating every last bite with a warm cup of atole de guayaba, this sweet bread is sure to become a favorite yearly tradition at your house. Happy baking and Feliz Día de los Reyes!

Originally published January 2018. Updated with new step-by-step details and instructions.