Do You Know How to Make a King's Cake?
The King's Cake is one of the most popular sweets in the early days of January, and although it is closely related to the religious celebration of Epiphany, its origins date back to Ancient Rome during the so-called Saturnalia festivals.
In Spain, there are records of making King's Cakes since the Middle Ages, as well as in France, where the traditional Galette des Rois was baked. This tradition also extended to Spanish-speaking countries in South America, such as Mexico. During that time, it was customary to hide small treasures inside the dough, such as coins or rings. In the French court, these gifts were often of great value.
And why is it called the King's Cake? Well, it is because of its round shape and traditional decoration with candied fruits, pine nuts, sliced almonds... resembling a royal crown, very elegant and adorned.
And of course, a King's Cake wouldn't be the same if it didn't hide a small ceramic king figure inside. The counterpart to this figurine is the bean, so whoever finds the first one is considered fortunate and is crowned king for a day, while whoever encounters the bean must pay for the cake.
Do You Know How to Make a King's Cake?
The most common thing is to order them from a bakery to enjoy as a dessert on Kings' Day, but many wonder how to make this cake at home.
Here are some clues.
The most important thing to know is that it is a brioche dough that is shaped into a ring, but it differs from other cakes in the rising times, which are long.
The dough is made with strong flour, yeast, eggs, milk, sugar, citrus peels, and, of course, orange blossom water. This is the "secret ingredient" that gives the King's Cake its characteristic flavor and was used, especially, to calm the nerves of children on Kings' Night.
The toppings are very diverse. There is the traditional one, with candied fruits, but there are also King's Cakes covered with mirrored chocolate, various glazes, rose water... and even candies and sweets to suit the taste of the little ones.
The filling also depends on the consumer's preference and can be smooth, without anything, or with truffle, cream, jam, or various chocolates.
Some Curiosities About the King's Cake
- -Before, the bean brought good luck because it represented the germ of life and fertility. But the baker of King Louis XV decided to incorporate a gold coin into the King's Cake, so the fortune of finding this seed changed radically to the point of creating an expression still used today: the fool of the bean. That is, the fool.
- -In the 17th century, a piece of King's Cake was saved for family members who could not attend the meal. If it did not spoil, it meant that the relatives were in good health and doing well.
- -King Felipe V adopted this recipe from French kitchens and brought it to Spain, but since not everyone could afford to put a gold coin inside, it was replaced by the small figurine we know today.
We love the traditions and sweets of this time. If you feel like exploring the markets that you can still find in Mallorca, we recommend you visit this post.
