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Rosca de Reyes with Cranberry-Almond Filling and Eggnog Glaze

During Día de Los Reyes, Mexicans serve Rosca de Reyes, or King’s Cake. “Rosca” means wreath and “reyes” means kings. The Rosca de Reyes has an oval shape to symbolize a crown and has a small doll inside which represents baby Jesus. The doll figure symbolizes the hiding of the infant Jesus from King Herod’s troops. Traditionally roscas are adorned with dried and candied fruits like figs, quinces, or cherries to symbolize the many jewels that a crown would have.

Prep Time
35 mins
Cook Time
35 mins
Rising
2 hrs 15 mins
Total Time
3 hrs 15 mins
Servings: 12 servings
Calories: 395 kcal
Course: Appetizer , Bread
Cuisine: Mexican

Ingredients

  • 1 packet active dry yeast 1/4 ounce (2 1/4 teaspoons)
  • 1/4 cup warm water about 110° F
  • 3/4 cup warm milk about 110° F
  • 3 tablespoons sugar
  • 1/4 cup unsalted butter softened to room temperature
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
  • 2 eggs
  • 2 teaspoons lime peel grated
  • 3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour divided
For the Cranberry-Almond Filling:
  • 3/4 cup organic dried cranberries soaked in 1/2 cup brandy
  • 8 tablespoons butter softened to room temperature
  • 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
  • 3/4 cup finely chopped blanched almonds
  • 3 tablespoons sugar
  • 1 teaspoon freshly grated orange peel
  • 1 teaspoon almond extract
  • ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract
  • ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
For the Eggnog Glaze:
  • 1 cup powdered sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • dash freshly grated nutmeg
  • 4 to 6 teaspoons eggnog
Garnish:
  • Maraschino cherries

Instructions

    Cup of Yum
  1. In a large mixing bowl, dissolve the yeast in the water and let it foam up for a minute or two. Blend in the milk, sugar, butter, salt, eggs and lime peel. Stir in two cups of the flour, a little at a time. Beat for 2 minutes. Add remaining flour until you have soft, workable dough. Note: Your dough will be sticky.
  2. Dump the dough out onto a lightly floured board and knead until smooth, about 5 to 10 minutes, adding more flour as needed to prevent sticking. Place in a lightly oiled mixing bowl large enough to accommodate dough when doubled in size. Cover with plastic wrap and let it rise in a warm place until doubled (about 1 1/2 hours).
  3. Meanwhile, prepare the Cranberry-Almond Filling. Drain the dried fruit of its liqueur. In a small bowl, combine the drained fruit with remaining filling ingredients. Cover and refrigerate.
  4. When dough has risen and doubled in size, punch it down and turn it out onto a lightly floured board, kneading just enough to release any air bubbles. Roll out the dough into a 9- by 30-inch rectangle. Crumble the filling over the dough to within 1 inch of the edges. Starting along a long side, tightly roll up the dough, pinching edge against loaf to seal.
  5. With a sharp knife, cut roll in half lengthwise, carefully turn cut sides up, and loosely twist ropes around each other, keeping cut sides up.
  6. Carefully transfer the bread to a greased and floured baking sheet or pizza stone and shape into a wreath, pinching ends together to seal. Let it rise, uncovered, in a warm place until puffy, about 45 minutes.
  7. Preheat oven to 350° F.
  8. Place the cherries (cut in half) on top of the wreath to decorate.
  9. Bake wreath until lightly browned, about 20 to 25 minutes, covering the wreath loosely with foil after the first 15 minutes, as it will brown quickly.
  10. While wreath is baking, prepare eggnog glaze.
  11. Combine sugar, vanilla, and nutmeg. Stir in enough eggnog to reach drizzling consistency.
  12. When wreath is done, transfer to a cooling rack with wide spatulas or a pizza peel. Cool for a few minutes then drizzle the glaze and grate a little bit of fresh nutmeg over the icing.

Notes

  • You could also fill the rosca with a raisin and date filling,

Nutrition Information

Calories 395kcal (20%) Carbohydrates 55g (18%) Protein 7g (14%) Fat 17g (26%) Saturated Fat 8g (40%) Cholesterol 60mg (20%) Sodium 379mg (16%) Potassium 120mg (3%) Fiber 2g (8%) Sugar 22g (44%) Vitamin A 416IU (8%) Vitamin C 1mg (1%) Calcium 50mg (5%) Iron 2mg (11%)

Nutrition Facts

Serving: 12servings

Amount Per Serving

Calories 395

% Daily Value*

Calories 395kcal 20%
Carbohydrates 55g 18%
Protein 7g 14%
Fat 17g 26%
Saturated Fat 8g 40%
Cholesterol 60mg 20%
Sodium 379mg 16%
Potassium 120mg 3%
Fiber 2g 8%
Sugar 22g 44%
Vitamin A 416IU 8%
Vitamin C 1mg 1%
Calcium 50mg 5%
Iron 2mg 11%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.