Celebrate Epiphany (6th of January) with a delicious Swiss Three Kings Cake.
This sweet yeast cake (bread) recipe makes a beautiful, soft, lightly sweetened and buttery treat. Inside one of those yeast-balls is a king hiding. Will you be the lucky one to find him and get to wear the crown all day?
This cake reminds me of my childhood. I did not spend the 6th of January in Germany where I lived. We always drove to Switzerland to ski after Christmas. There my parents would buy one of these yeast cakes. Germany has its own three king cake, but today we are going discussing the Suisse recipe.
What is the three kings cake tradition?
The three king cake celebrates Epiphany. The tradition started in the 16th century when a dried bean was baked into a cake. The lucky one who found the bean was crowned "bean-king" for the day. Apart from Switzerland, Germany, Spain, Greece, France, Portugal, Mexico and US Louisiana have their own three king cake recipe and tradition.
What is Epiphany?
According to the Cambridge Dictionary: Epiphany is a Christian holy day in January (traditionally 6th January in Western Christianity) that celebrates the revelation of the baby Jesus to the world. This is when the three holy kings arrive to meet baby Jesus. A star over Bethlehem, the birthplace of Jesus, guided them the way.
How to make three kings cake?
This is an easy three king cake recipe. The only aspect to be aware of is that you allow the dough enough time to rise before baking.
Ingredients:
- 500 g flour ( I used German flour 405 type, closest to this is UK flour is plain flour and US Pastry flour)
- 1 ½ tsp salt
- 3 tbsp granulated sugar
- 7 g of instant yeast
- 60 g butter – softened to room temperature and cubed
- 1 tsp lemon peel (alternatively 1/2 tsp lemon extract)
- 4 tbsp sultanas
- 300 ml whole milk (lukewarm)
- 1 egg
- 2 tbsp almonds.
Recipe steps
- Create a yeast dough by first sieving the flour into a bowl. Now add the salt and sugar and yeast and mix well.
- Cube the butter and add the milk. With a stand or hand mixer whisk to a smooth dough for about 5 minutes. Now add in the lemon zest and sultanas and mix for another 5 minutes.
- Cover the bowl with a tea towel and leave to rest for around 2 hours until the dough doubles.
- Preheat the oven to 180 degrees.
- Whisk the egg white and yolk together and set aside.
6. Once the dough has risen, separate 8 equal portions from the dough and form them into little balls. They should be around 80 gr each. In one of the balls hide a plastic king / or if not available a dried bean.
7. The remaining dough form into a big ball. Line a baking tray with parchment. Place the large bowl in the middle and attach the small balls around in flower shape. With a pastry brush cover the cake in egg wash. Sprinkle with almonds.
Bake for around 30 minutes and then leave the cool.
How to serve three king cake
Serve this cake with some butter and jam. You each take it in turns to remove one of the balls (your cake slice) from the cake. The winner will find the king/bean hidden inside. He is king for the day and allowed to wear the crown.
In Germany, you can buy the crown and plastic king. However, it is not very sustainable (although we reuse ours every year) Create a paper crown and use a bean (like in the middle ages) instead. Children will still love this custom.
Storage
This cake tastes best if you eat it the same day it is baked. If there are any leftovers, store in an airtight container. You can toast a cake slice the next morning for breakfast.
More Swiss Three Kings Cake Trivia
This popular Swiss custom was almost forgotten. It only got rediscovered in the 1950 by a Swiss bread researcher Max Währen.
Today you can find this cake at most supermarkets around the start of the year. It is estimated that around 1.5 million cakes are sold annually and the trend is increasing. [Wikipedia]
For another Swiss tradition have a look at our article about raclette.
Three King Cake
Equipment
- baking tray with parchment
- pastry brush
- mixing bowl
Ingredients
- 500g flour Germany type 405, UK plain flour, USA pastry flour ( 3 cups + 2 tbsp or 17 oz
- 1.5 tsp salt
- 3 tbsp granulated sugar
- 7 g instant yeast one packet or 2 1/4 tsp
- 60 g butter at room temperature 2.1 oz or 4 tbsp
- 1 tsp lemon peel
- 4 tbsp raisins
- 300 ml whole milk 10 fl oz or 1.2 cups, lukewarm
- 3 tbsp almonds
Instructions
- Create a yeast dough by first sieving the flour into a bowl. Now add the salt and sugar and yeast and mix well.
- Cube the butter and add the milk. With a stand or hand mixer whisk to a smooth dough for about 5 minutes. Now add in the lemon zest and sultanas and mix for another 5 minutes.
- Cover the bowl with a teatowel and leave to est for around 2 hours until the dough doubles.
- Preheat the oven to 180°C or 356°F
- Whisk the egg white and yolk together and set aside.
- Once the dough has risen, separate 8 equal portions from the dough and form them into little balls. They should be around 80 gr each (2.0 oz). In one of the ball hide aplastic king / or if not available a dried bean or whole almond.
- Form the remaining dough into a big ball. Line a baking tray with parchment. Place the large bowl in the middle. Lay the smaller balls around it to create a flower shape.
- With a pastry brush cover the cake in egg wash. Sprinkle with almonds.
- Bake for around 25-30 minutes and then leave to cool.
- Serve with butter and jam.
I love the history and the German-Swiss tradition you mention. AND the fact that you were so lucky to have snow and go skiing:))) How I miss that…
A cake to make, surely!
I truly enjoyed reading about the Three Kings Cake. It also looks absolutely delicious! Thank you for sharing the tradition and the recipe.
I just love sweet yeast breads! There’s something so special when you bite into a piece, smothered in soft butter! Cheers!
we celebrate Three Kings but without a cake, interesting story of it. I would like to try one!
I haven't wanted to make a version of this for ages! I love your recipe and will definitely try it out.
Wonderful tradition, thanks for sharing your memories & the recipe, too!
So beautiful! This really looks like a treat and it's interesting that the recipes are different depending on the country 🙂 I also learned something from this because I had never heard of sultanas before!
Thank you for sharing this history of the king cake!
Thank you for sharing the history and this great recipe. I had forgotten about this celebration and you brought back great and fond memories.
Happy New Year!