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 to discuss 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 the US Louisiana has its 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 types, closest to this are UK flour plain flour, and US Pastry flour)
- 1 ½ teaspoon salt
- 3 tablespoon granulated sugar
- 7 g of instant yeast
- 60 g butter – softened to room temperature and cubed
- 1 teaspoon lemon peel (alternatively ½ teaspoon lemon extract)
- 4 tablespoon sultanas
- 300 ml whole milk (lukewarm)
- 1 egg
- 2 tablespoon almonds.
Recipe steps
- Create a yeast dough by first sieving the flour into a bowl. Now add the salt 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 90 minutes until the dough doubles.
- Preheat the oven to 180°C/356°F 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 / 3 oz each. In one of the balls hide a plastic king / or if not available a dried bean.
7. Form the remaining dough into a big ball. Line a baking tray with parchment. Place the large boll in the middle and attach the small balls around in a flower shape. With a pastry brush (affiliate link) 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 1950 by 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]
More Swiss Recipes
Recipe
Three King Cake
Equipment
- baking tray with parchment
- mixing bowl
Ingredients
- 500g flour 4 cups, Germany type 550, UK plain flour USA all-purpose flour
- 1.5 teaspoon salt
- 3 tablespoon granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoon instant yeast one packet, 7 gr
- 60 g butter at room temperature
- 1 teaspoon lemon peel
- 4 tablespoon raisins
- 300 ml whole milk 10 fl oz or 1.2 cups, lukewarm
To decorate
- 1 egg medium size
- 3 tablespoon sliced 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 90 minutes until the dough doubles.
- Preheat the oven to 180°C or 356°F
- Whisk the egg into a smooth egg wash. 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 ball in the middle. Lay the smaller balls around it to create a flower shape.
- With a pastry brush (affiliate link) 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.
Janet says
Do you use the whisk attachment or kneading hook to make the dough mixture?
Marita Sinden says
Hi Janet, as it is a yeast dough I normally use a dough hook.
Best Wishes
Marita
Mihaela|https://theworldisanoyster.com/ says
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!
Katrina says
I truly enjoyed reading about the Three Kings Cake. It also looks absolutely delicious! Thank you for sharing the tradition and the recipe.
Jessie says
I just love sweet yeast breads! There’s something so special when you bite into a piece, smothered in soft butter! Cheers!
Jeannie says
we celebrate Three Kings but without a cake, interesting story of it. I would like to try one!
Alyssa Hixenbaugh says
I haven't wanted to make a version of this for ages! I love your recipe and will definitely try it out.
Christina's Bread Bakes says
Wonderful tradition, thanks for sharing your memories & the recipe, too!
Kalin says
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!
Sue says
Thank you for sharing this history of the king cake!
Giangi says
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!