The Three King's Cake is one of the most typical Christmas sweets and, although in its traditional version it is prepared with wheat flour, in this recipe we are going to explain how to make a gluten-free Three Kings' Cake suitable for celiacs with a surprising result: tender, fluffy and with that irresistible taste of a lifetime.
The key to this recipe lies in the blend of gluten-free flours we've used: buckwheat flour, cornstarch, and tapioca flour—which can be substituted with potato starch. If you prefer a simpler option, you can simplify this blend and use only cornstarch, although we recommend trying the gluten-free roscón made exactly as we propose in this recipe, as it turns out especially fluffy and delicious.
We've also flavored the dough with orange and lemon zest, orange blossom water, rum, and honey. This way, we achieve a very aromatic roscón with the most traditional flavors.
As always with all gluten-free recipes, remember to check the labeling of all ingredients used to verify that they are gluten-free, avoid bulk products and whenever possible, opt for ingredients endorsed by trusted seals such as the Crossed Grain Registered Trademark for greater safety.
A key aspect for the success of this gluten-free King Cake recipe is respecting the proportions of all the ingredients . That's why we've specified 120g of egg, as we need exactly this amount of shelled egg. If you have 2 or 3 shelled eggs left over after weighing them, you can use the rest to brush the cake before decorating it.
As for the yeast, we've opted for dried baker's yeast, but if you prefer fresh yeast, simply replace the 4g of dried yeast indicated in this recipe with 12g of fresh yeast and dissolve it in the milk. Furthermore, all the ingredients should be at room temperature so that the dough has the ideal texture.
For the decoration of this gluten-free King Cake, we've opted for candied oranges , candied cherries, and moist sugar, although you could also choose a simpler decoration with slivered almonds or candied fruit. Just like the traditional version, this gluten-free King Cake can also be filled according to your preferences. To do so, simply cut the cake in half and fill it as desired, for example, with whipped cream or chocolate cream .
To finish up the explanations before we get to the recipe, one last tip: this gluten-free King Cake should be made the same day it's eaten, as that's when it will be freshest and juiciest. If there are any leftovers, you can freeze them well wrapped in cling film and stored in a zip-top bag or similar container.
Recipe Information
- Preparation time : 30 minutes
- Cooking time : 20 minutes
- Total time : 50 minutes (plus resting and cooling times)
- Servings : 8
- Category : Pastry
- Type of cuisine : Spanish
- Calories per serving (kcal) : 221
Ingredients for a gluten-free King Cake
For the dough of the roscón:
- 60g of sugar
- 2 teaspoons of orange zest
- 2 teaspoons of lemon zest
- 120g of egg at room temperature (approximately 2 eggs)
- 10 ml of orange blossom water
- 2 tablespoons of rum
- 10 g of honey
- 50g of buckwheat flour
- 140 g of corn starch (cornflour)
- 20 g tapioca or potato starch
- 60 ml of lukewarm milk
- 3 g of salt
- 8 g of xanthan gum
- 7 g of psyllium powder
- 4 g of dried baker's yeast
- 4 g of baking powder
- 40g of butter at room temperature
- 1 tablespoon of sunflower oil
For decoration and finishing:
- 1 egg
- Candied orange
- Candied cherries
- 10 g of sugar
How to make a gluten-free King Cake
First, mix 60g of sugar with 2 teaspoons of orange zest and 2 teaspoons of lemon zest in a bowl. Set aside.
On the other hand, we beat 120g of egg in a bowl with a whisk for 3 minutes, until it is whitish and has doubled in volume.
Add 10 ml of orange blossom water, 2 tablespoons of rum, and 10 g of honey to the bowl with the beaten egg. Separately, mix 50 g of buckwheat flour with 140 g of cornstarch and 20 g of tapioca pearls, then add half of this mixture to the bowl along with 60 ml of warm milk. Whisk the resulting mixture for 1 minute.
Now add the remaining half of the gluten-free flour mixture, along with 3g of salt, 8g of xanthan gum, 7g of psyllium husk powder, 4g of dried yeast, 4g of baking powder, and the reserved sugar and citrus mixture. Knead by hand or at medium speed for about 10 minutes.
Next, add 40g of room temperature butter and knead for another 2 minutes until the butter is incorporated into the mixture.
Cover with cling film and let the dough rest for 15 minutes in the refrigerator, so that it is cold and easier to handle.
Preheat the oven to 50°C and turn it off when it reaches this temperature. Turn the dough out onto a work surface greased with 1 tablespoon of sunflower oil, which you will also use to grease your hands, and form a flat ball with the dough.
Using the base of the palm of the hand, we make a hole in the center of the dough.
We enlarge the hole by forming the ring with both hands.
We continue enlarging the ring-shaped cake until we obtain an inner diameter of 10 cm and the dough is about 2 cm thick. If you want to hide the figurine and the bean, now is the time to insert them into the bottom of the cake.
We leave the roscón to rest in the hot, turned-off oven for 90 minutes, until it has doubled in volume.
To bake the gluten-free roscón, first preheat the oven to 200°C (390°F). Brush the roscón with one beaten egg and decorate it with candied orange and cherries, or with your favorite candied fruit. Mix 10g of sugar with a few drops of water in a bowl and sprinkle the moistened sugar over the roscón.
We lower the oven temperature to 180ºC and bake the gluten-free roscón for 18-20 minutes, until it is lightly golden, then we let it cool on a wire rack.
Once it's cooled, we can serve and enjoy this irresistible gluten-free King Cake.
Easy-to-prepare summary
- We prepare the sugar flavored with the lemon and orange zest, and set it aside.
- We beat the egg
- We add the orange blossom water, rum, honey and half of the gluten-free flours and knead
- Now add the other half of the gluten-free flours and the salt, xanthan gum, psyllium, dried yeast, baking powder and the reserved citrus sugar mixture.
- We add the butter and knead
- We let the dough rest for 15 minutes covered with plastic wrap
- We form a ball with the dough
- We make a hole in the center
- We enlarged the hole with our hands
- We formed the ring-shaped cake
- We let the ring-shaped cake rise inside the oven, which has been turned off after heating it to 50ºC.
- We decorate the ring-shaped cake with candied fruit and moist sugar.
- We bake the gluten-free ring-shaped cake at 180ºC for about 20 minutes and let it cool
- We serve the gluten-free King Cake once it has cooled.
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