Soft and fluffy, stuffed with dulce de leche and raisins, topped with coconut, almonds, and candied cherries, then brushed in sticky simple syrup: this Rosca De Reyes Recipe is so good it’s addicting!
Best part? It comes together in just 5 steps. Bake until golden and you’ll have people asking *how* you made it.
Rosca De Reyes (Latin American Three Kings Cake)
Hey loves!!! Today I’m sharing with you one of my Holiday favorites: Rosca De Reyes which is basically a Latin American Three Kings Cake or King Cake!
Okay. Let me tell you why you’ll fall in love with this baby.
This Rosca is extremely soft and fluffy, stuffed with dulce de leche and raisins, then rolled up and decorated with shredded coconut, slivered almonds, and candied cherries. As soon as it comes out of the oven, it’s brushed with simple syrup to make it glossy and deliciously sticky!
Now, every Latin American country has its own version, as well as every area & family so you might find that some people use different fillings or decorations.
This Rosca is just like the one we love and buy every Christmas! I wanted to recreate it so I could share it with you all because I seriously *love* Rosca and look forward to eating it every year. We love it so much that we sometimes have it for dinner and call it a meal lol.
TRY IT!!! & let me know how you like it! I love hearing from you guys!
Ingredients
- All-purpose flour.
- Bread flour. This recipe can also be made entirely with all-purpose so if you don’t have some bread flour on hand, feel free to use all-purpose flour instead.
- Instant yeast. If you’re new to baking and working with yeast and have questions, here’s my “Beginner's Guide To Baking With Yeast” where I explain everything you need to know about yeast so you can start baking immediately & with an extra boost of confidence!
- Sugar. Use white granulated sugar for this recipe. You’ll need some extra sugar for the simple syrup.
- Egg. Make sure it’s room temperature. You’ll also need an extra egg for the egg wash (to make the Rosca golden brown and shiny).
- Milk. You’ll need to heat it until warm. Make sure it’s *warm*, not hot or cold or the yeast won’t work. Again, feel free to refer back to my yeast guide if you have questions! You’ll also need some extra milk for the egg wash.
- Butter. You’ll want to add the butter once the dough has already come together to make it even softer! Make sure it’s room temperature.
- Dulce de leche also known as "arequipe" or "manjar". You can buy a can or make your own using a can of sweetened condensed milk (this will take a few hours).
- Raisins. You’ll need to soften them up prior to using them. It just takes 2 minutes. All you have to do is boil about 1/2 cup of water, then turn off the heat and dunk in the raisins. Allow them to soften for 2 minutes, drain them and you’re good to go.
- Candied cherries. Traditionally the Rosca we get every year for Christmas comes with both red & green candied cherries but I went with red cherries as a theme. You can add a few green ones or just use red. It’s all about looks anyway lol, both colors taste the same.
- Slivered almonds. While you can make slivered almonds at home by blanching then slicing your almonds, I recommend buy the pre-slivered ones to save time!
- Shredded coconut for topping.
- Water for the simple syrup.
How to make Rosca De Reyes at home
- Make the dough. Add the flours, yeast, sugar, egg, and milk. Mix until a dough starts forming then knead or work with a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook until the dough comes together. Add in the butter and knead until the dough is smooth and elastic. Form into a ball, brush with oil, place in a clean bowl and cover the bowl with plastic. Allow the dough to rise until double in size.
- Assemble the Rosca. Roll out the dough into large rectangle. Spread the dulce de leche onto about 2/3 of the rectangle then add the raisins to 1/3 of the rectangle as pictured below. Cut the remaining third (the one with no fillings on it) into thin horizontal stripes. Roll up the dough starting from the left side (the raisins side) and stop rolling when you reach the cut dough. Pull the thin stripes of dough over the log. Finally, bring the ends of the log together and pinch them to seal to create an oval shape. Transfer the dough to a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and preheat the oven.
- Decorate the Rosca. Prepare an egg wash by whisking egg and milk together until combined. Brush the egg wash onto the Rosca. Place a few sliced candied cherries on top of the Rosca, then add the slivered almonds and sprinkle with shredded coconut.
- Bake until golden brown on top.
- Brush with simple syrup. Prepare a quick simple syrup by heating a small pot with water and sugar until the sugar dissolves completely. Brush the Rosca with your simple syrup and serve!
Can you make it ahead of time?
Baked goods are best eaten as they’re made because you want them to be nice and fluffy and they tend to naturally dry up over time so I don’t recommend making and baking the Rosca ahead of time.
What you can do is, make the dough 1 day ahead of time (step 1), then cover the bowl with plastic wrap and pop the dough in the refrigerator to chill and rise overnight.
The next morning, simply remove the dough from the refrigerator, allow it to warm up for about 30 minutes, then follow the recipe starting from step 2.
How do you store Rosca?
If you have leftovers, I recommend storing your Rosca in an air-tight container for up to 2-3 days. Baked goods tend to naturally dry up overtime so I recommend going all in and enjoying your Rosca when it’s still fresh!
HAPPY BAKING!! I hope you'll love this delicious Rosca De Reyes Receta aka Latin American Three Kings Cake as much as I do!
PS: Please leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating ⭐️ if you make it! Your comments make my day!! You can also tag me on Instagram @itsdamnspicy 🌈💘
More Latin American Recipes You’ll Love:
Rosca De Reyes Recipe (Latin American Three Kings Cake)
Ingredients
For The Rosca De Reyes Dough
- 1 and 2/3 cups (200 g) all-purpose flour
- 1 cup (125 g) bread flour
- 2 and 1/4 tsp (7 g) instant yeast
- 1/4 cup (50 g) white granulated sugar
- 1 egg (room temperature)
- 3/4 cups (185 ml) whole milk (room temperature)
- 1/2 stick (55 g) unsalted butter (room temperature)
For The Filling
- 1/2 cup (160 g) dulce de leche
- 1/2 cup (60 g) raisins (softened in a pot of boiling water for 2 minutes)
For Decorating
- 1 egg
- 1 tablespoon whole milk
- 4-5 candied cherries (sliced)
- 1/4 cup (27 g) slivered almonds
- 2 tablespoon shredded coconut
For The Simple Syrup
- 2 tablespoon water
- 2 tablespoon sugar
Instructions
- Make the dough. Add the flours, yeast, sugar, and egg to a large mixing bowl. Gradually pour in the milk as you work the dough, you may not need all of it. Mix until a dough starts forming then transfer the dough to a floured work surface and knead until the dough comes together (about 2-3 minutes). Add in the butter and knead until the dough is smooth and elastic (about 5-6 minutes). Form into a ball, brush with oil, place in a clean bowl, then cover the bowl with plastic wrap. Allow the dough to rise until double in size (about 1-2 hours).
- Assemble the Rosca. Roll out the dough into large rectangle. Spread the dulce de leche onto about 2/3 of the rectangle, then add the softened raisins to 1/3 of the dulce de leche side. Cut the remaining third (the one with no fillings on it) into thin horizontal stripes. Roll up the dough starting from the left side (the raisins and dulce de leche side) and stop rolling when you reach the cut dough. Pull the thin stripes of dough over the log. Finally, bring the ends of the log together and pinch them to seal to create an oval shape. Transfer the dough to a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and preheat the oven to 350 F (180 C).
- Decorate the Rosca. Prepare an egg wash by adding the egg and milk to a small bowl and whisking them together until fully combined. Brush your prepared egg wash onto the Rosca using a pastry brush. Place a few sliced candied cherries on top of the Rosca, then add the slivered almonds and finally sprinkle with shredded coconut.
- Bake for 18-20 minutes or until golden brown on top. A toothpick inserted in the center of the Rosca should come out clean (sticky dulce de leche is okay but there should be no wet crumbs of dough). While the Rosca is baking, prepare a quick simple syrup by adding the water and sugar to a small pot: heat the pot over low heat until the sugar has dissolved completely then turn off the heat.
- Brush with simple syrup. As soon as the Rosca comes out of the oven, use a clean pastry brush to brush the Rosca with your prepared simple syrup and serve immediately!
Gabriela says
THANK YOU!!!! I was looking for a recipe like this one but none of the other appealed to me. Although this is different to the one I grew up with (different family different traditions like you said), I fell in love with the decorations and fillings and decided to give it a try so I knew what to expect during the Holidays. I’m so glad I made it!!!! Best roscon de Reyes I’ve ever had, will share the recipe with my family. Your instructions were very easy to follow and very precise and it turned out amazing. THANK YOU!!!!
Bianka says
Thanks for the sweet review, Gabriela! I’m so happy to hear that you loved this recipe!