Coca de Sant Joan recipe

Carmen, author of Yerbabuena in the Kitchen , brings us the recipe to enjoy the night of San Juan in the best way: with a delicious cake with cream, pine nuts and candied fruit. I encourage you to prepare it at home!

Although no one would say it due to the cold of these last few days, we are at the gates of the summer solstice and on the eve of the shortest night of the year, that of San Juan. There are many gastronomic traditions spread throughout the different areas of Spain, this time I bring you one of the star recipes that cannot be missing in many corners of Catalonia that night, the Coca de San Juan , which I have decorated with cream, pine nuts and candied fruit. .

There are many customs and rituals that are celebrated throughout Spain, but they all have a common main character, fire. Tradition dictates that we should throw into it, albeit symbolically, all the negative things of the last few months so that they are left behind and we can purify ourselves.

Set of Le Creuset ramekins and Le Creuset salad bowl

I keep this tradition deeply rooted. I remember when I was a girl and I lived in Vigo, when the month of June arrived, the children from my street, taking advantage of the fact that there was no school in the afternoons, would look for and collect objects that could burn and then compete with other children from other streets to form the best and biggest bonfires.

Adults also participated: they prepared a burn around the fire and culminated the night with it between spells and spells…. I can still smell the aroma of pomace, coffee beans, and lemon peel slowly burning. What a magical night!

How to prepare a cream coca de Sant Joan for this verbena

INGREDIENTS

For the sourdough:
100g flour of strength
100ml milk
20g fresh baker's yeast

For the coke:
The pre-prepared sourdough
350g flour of strength
110g sugar
50ml milk
100g butter in ointment
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla essence
Orange and lemon zest
50ml orange blossom water
1 pinch of salt

For decoration:
250g of pastry cream
Candied fruit
Pinions
Sugar
egg to brush

ELABORATION

The night before we prepared the sourdough. To prepare the sourdough, in a bowl we put the fresh yeast dissolved in the milk and mix with the flour. Cover and store in the fridge for 12 hours.