I hope you find the king in your cake!

Three Kings Day is a day of gifts and sweets in Spain.

Amigos!

Christmas may have come and gone, but in Spain there’s more to celebrate with Día de Reyes, or Three Kings Day. The holiday, which celebrates the Epiphany on January 6th, was inspired by the story of the Three Wise Men—Melchior, Gaspar, and Balthasar—who brought gifts to the baby Jesus in the days after he was born. In Spain, Three Kings Day is actually celebrated with even more excitement (at least by children!) than Christmas. 

The parties start on the evening of January 5th, when people dress up like the three wise men, wear long tunics and crowns, and travel in large carriages throwing candy to children in towns and cities around the country. The night of the 5th, when children arrive home from the parades, they put out their shoes for the kings to leave presents. They also leave polvorones (a very crumbly shortbread cookie from Andalucía), turrones (the very famous candy made from honey, nuts, and egg whites), and drinks for the kings and water for their camels (sometimes we even leave Cava for the kings!). If the children have been good, they will find gifts in their shoes, but if they’ve been bad they’ll find charcoal…just like with Santa Claus!

On the morning of the 6th, everyone opens presents and eats the famous Roscón de Reyes (King’s Cake), a wreath-shaped sweet cake filled with a whipped cream center and decorated with crystallized fruits to symbolize a crown covered in jewels. After lunch, families will get together to celebrate and share any Roscón that’s left over (if there’s any left from breakfast), looking for the prize inside. In Spain, each cake has been baked with a king and a bean inside…whoever finds the king wins good luck for the year, but whoever finds the bean has to pay for the next year’s Roscón!

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My favorite Roscón de Reyes is flavored with orange blossom, which makes it taste like southern Spain, then topped with caramelized cherries and citrus. Sometimes we have it with three kings inside and no beans…so you get to decide the winners of good fortune—and who’s treating to next year’s cake! 

If you would like a taste of Roscón de Reyes without having to bake it yourself, we are offering slices and cakes at Jaleo or Mercado Little Spain…or you can even get it shipped to your door on Goldbelly.

Or if you want to try yourself to make it, I will be sharing the recipe for subscribers tomorrow! If you’re going grocery shopping tonight, you’ll need all of your normal baking ingredients (don’t forget bread flour), plus a little dark rum, orange blossom water, and candied fruit…and don’t forget to find some baby or king figurines to add in!