The coca of Sant Joan, sweet summer star

coca sant joan

In this month of June we celebrate the shortest night of the year, San Juan, summer parties, bonfires, dinners with family, friends, firecrackers, fireworks are the most characteristic elements, with the traditional and delicious coca of San Juan.

The coca is a pastry dough that is eaten around the Mediterranean Coast, its name comes from the Dutch word kok that was already made in Roman times, and it has the same origin as the German kuchen or the English cake. The beginning of the festival is due to the celebration of the summer solstice, which the Celtics already did with tributes to the sun, through bonfires symbolizing the calendar change.

With the most festive summer night about to arrive, the coca of Sant Joan begins to play protagonism in ovens, bakeries, cafes, restaurants, hotels ... there is a great variety. The vast majority are sweet and decorated with candied fruit, although in Alicante for example they are salty and contain tuna. Therefore, the recipes change depending on the area. But today, we will detail one of the most famous, the coca of Sant Joan, a sweet star in Catalonia.

The basic ingredients for the brioche dough are flour, milk, yeast, sugar, a pinch of salt, eggs and butter. The most traditional fillings are those of cream, marzipan, with decorations of pine nuts or candied fruit. Currently there are also fillings such as chocolate or cream. The key to obtaining a good Sant Joan coca is to take special care with the fermentation and kneading times. Last year around 1.8 million cocas were consumed throughout the Catalan region, according to the Gremi de Pastissers of Barcelona.

In order to make the fillings we have a complete variety of creams custards, cold-processed, hot-processed, baking resistant ready to use, ready to inject after cooking. 

At Llopartec we are specialists in all kinds of mixes, improvers and tender pastry in order to offer the best and tailored solutions, for each specific need, of each of our clients.