A bakery in Malaga prepares one of the best Three Kings 'roscones' in Andalucía

Christmas is just around the corner and shops in Spain already have big displays of sweet festive treats such as turrones, mantecados... and even roscones de Reyes, normally eaten to celebrate the Three Kings in January.

Seville recently hosted one of the first competitions of the year to find the best roscón in Andalucía as part of the annual Guadalcao congress, an event dedicated to chocolate that is now in its second year. And a bakery from Malaga has made it onto the podium as one of the best in the region.

Sueño Pastelería Francesa won bronze in the competition, with first place going to Sixto Serrano Granados (Pastelería Sixto Serrano, Pinos Puentes-Granada) and second place to Antonio Aguilar Ruiz de Viana (Pastelería El Brillante, Cordoba).

The aim of the competition was to "promote cocoa and chocolate, through products made with this ingredient by professionals in the sector, who carry out their work in an artisanal way." The criteria that they judged the desserts on were aesthetics and presentation, the preparation and techniques used, originality, the prominence of chocolate/cocoa in the recipe, flavour, texture, innovation and creativity.

One of the distinguishing features of Sueño Pastelería Francesa's roscón is its shape and how it is made. It is made of a brioche type dough and its appearance isn't a typical roscón with the hole in the centre - but instead the shape can be described as dough balls joined together, "it is easier to eat, you don't have to cut it, although it is harder to prepare", explained Theo Sfez, the creator of everything that comes out of the oven in this bakery which has been slowly gaining popularity since it opened its doors three years ago in Nueva Málaga. Now with another production facility, they not only sell and serve in the shop, but they also distribute to other catering establishments.

Together with his personal and professional life partner, the young Swiss Leila González, and a loyal team led by Carmelén Luque, this meticulous French pastry chef continues to focus on "quality over quantity". His menu represents this, as well as the roscón that got him the bronze medal, where he incorporated pieces of candied orange and chocolate chips, crunchy piping, milk chocolate ganache and orange zest to the brioche-like base.

During the Christmas season, this roscón with chocolate will be a limited edition. "We don't want to stop following tradition or neglect the classics, the custard and cream ones," said Leila González, emphasising the ingredients: "It's real cream, vanilla pod custard, and the dough has orange blossom water, lemon and orange zest." The countdown is on. And they assure us that people are already requesting it, although reservations will not be open until mid-December.