Three Kings’ Cake (Germany) Recipe

Ingredients

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1/4 ounce fresh yeast
• 1/3 cup granulated sugar
• 1/4 cup milk, lukewarm
• 1 tablespoon milk, lukewarm
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 lemon, chopped
• 1/2 teaspoon cardamom
• 2 eggs, 1 separated
• 1/2 cup raisins, soaked in rum
• 1 cup dried fruit, chopped
• 2 tablespoons powdered sugar
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• 1/2 cup maraschino cherry, patted dry, halved

Instructions

1. In a bowl, combine 1 1/2 cups of all-purpose flour and 2 tablespoons of flour, making a hole in the center. Into that hole, put 1/4 ounce fresh yeast, mixing it with a pinch of sugar and a bit of lukewarm milk.
2. Dust the mixture lightly with flour, cover it with a cloth, and let it rise in a warm place for about 15 minutes.
3. After it’s risen, add melted butter, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1 chopped lemon, 1/2 teaspoon cardamom, 1 egg, and the remaining lukewarm milk and flour to the mixture. Knead the dough until it is smooth and elastic.
4. Once the dough begins to come together, stir in 1/2 cup raisins and 1 cup chopped dried fruit. Shape the dough into a log.
5. Cut off 1/4 of the log and divide that portion into 4 equal smaller parts, rolling each into a ball. Divide the remaining log into 4 larger parts and shape them into balls as well.
6. Grease a springform pan generously, and arrange the dough balls—alternating between small and large—in the pan.
7. Cover the pan and set it in a warm area for the dough to rise again until it has expanded.
8. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F.
9. In a small bowl, beat the reserved egg yolk until smooth. Brush the over the dough before placing the pan in the oven.
10. Bake for about 30 minutes, or until golden brown. Once baked, cool the cake thoroughly in the pan on a wire rack before removing it.
11. To prepare the frosting, mix 2 tablespoons powdered sugar with 2 tablespoons lemon juice until it reaches an icing consistency. Ice the cooled cake, finishing with 1/2 cup halved maraschino cherries on top. Traditionally, a small gold crown made of foil is placed in the middle.