A beautiful, sunny, and delicious holiday. Let's celebrate it properly, hostesses, so our families will remember it fondly all year long! Many delicious desserts are prepared for this holiday, but one of the main decorations of the festive table is considered to be the "Easter cake".

Stores, bakeries, and pastry shops offer a variety of large and small Easter cakes: with nuts and raisins, with chocolate and seeds, with icing and fudge! However, a homemade Easter cake will exceed all your expectations and delight your loved ones.

Yes, it’s a bit of a hassle to make yeast dough, but if you follow our recipe, dear housewives, you’ll succeed!

There is a saying that yeast dough does not like drafts.

Recipe one - traditional Easter cake

paska-kulich-2

For the test

  • 200 ml milk 3.2% (1 glass)
  • 500 g of wheat flour
  • 3 chicken eggs
  • 1 tablespoon dry yeast
  • ½ cup white or brown sugar
  • ½ cup raisins
  • ½ cup candied fruit
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla sugar

For the glaze, use 100g of powdered sugar and 2 egg whites. Then prepare some colorful sprinkles to decorate the cake.

How to cook?

  1. Soak raisins in hot water in a cup.
  2. Warm the milk slightly, add the yeast, and stir until dissolved. Then add one and a half cups of sifted flour and stir. Let the mixture sit until it doubles in size.
  3. Separate the yolks from the whites of two eggs (they'll be used later for the glaze). Beat two yolks and one whole egg with sugar. Add to the risen mixture and mix.
  4. Melt the butter in a water bath, pour into the dough and stir.
  5. Add the remaining flour, be sure to sift it through a sieve, then the vanilla sugar, and knead the dough by hand. The kulich dough should be soft and not stick to your hands.
  6. Squeeze the raisins, chop the large candied fruits (don't use small ones), add this mixture to the dough, and continue kneading. This will take 15-20 minutes.
  7. Grease a kulich pan with butter or vegetable oil and fill it halfway with dough. Cover with a towel and set it in a warm, but not hot, place to rise. It should double in size, about 50 minutes. Then bake in a preheated oven at 180 degrees Celsius (350 degrees Fahrenheit) for 40-45 minutes until golden brown. Baking time depends on the size of the pans you use.
  8. Grease the top of the finished cake with icing and decorate with colorful sprinkles.

To make the glaze, beat two egg whites and 100 grams of powdered sugar with a mixer until stiff peaks form. The kulich is ready!

Recipe two - with soft cream cheese and cognac

paska-kulich-3

For the test you will need:

  • 200 ml of milk
  • 600 g premium wheat flour
  • 4 teaspoons dry yeast
  • 4 tablespoons of sugar
  • 1 teaspoon of salt
  • 1 teaspoon of cinnamon
  • 10 g vanilla sugar
  • zest from one lemon or orange
  • 250 g butter
  • 8 chicken eggs
  • 100 g soft cream cheese
  • 2 tablespoons of cognac (can be omitted)
  • 300 g small candied fruits

For the glaze: 4 egg whites, 200 g powdered sugar, a pinch of salt

For decoration: multi-colored sprinkles (stars, polka dots, sticks, etc.)

Let's start preparing the dough for the Easter cake.

  1. Place the dough in a small container: 200 ml of room-temperature milk, 4 teaspoons of dry yeast, 1 tablespoon of sugar, and 100 g of flour (4 tablespoons), sifted through a sieve. Mix by hand. Leave on the counter for 10-15 minutes until bubbles appear, or the dough forms a "cap."
  2. Sift the remaining flour (500 g) into a large bowl or saucepan, add salt, cinnamon, vanilla sugar, lemon or orange zest and mix everything.
  3. In another bowl, cream 250 g of softened butter with three tablespoons of sugar. Add four full eggs and four yolks (the remaining four egg whites will be used for the glaze). Beat until fluffy. You can use a mixer at this stage.
  4. Transfer the dough to a large bowl with the flour and spice mixture, stir with a spatula, and finally, pour in the risen dough. Now roll up your sleeves and begin kneading the dough by hand. (You can place it on a clean table and continue kneading right there.) Knead until smooth, about 15-20 minutes. The dough will pull away from the sides. Roll it into a ball, cover with plastic wrap or a clean towel, and let it rest for 1.5-2 hours. During this time, it will expand, giving you time to rest or do something you enjoy. Rested? Our dough has risen, too. Let's keep creating.
  5. Add 100g of soft cream cheese, 300g of candied fruit (you can save a handful for garnish), and 2 tablespoons of cognac, if using. Mix everything thoroughly with your hands.
  6. Prepare the baking pan. You can use one large pan or several small ones, but remember to fill the pans 2/3 full with dough. Grease them with butter, sprinkle with flour, and line them with the dough. Cover the pans with plastic wrap or a towel again and let them rest for another 1-1.5 hours.
  7. Bake at 180 degrees Celsius for 40-45 minutes, or at 200 degrees Celsius for 20-25 minutes using convection mode. Much depends on your oven and the size of your pans!

Prepare the glaze: beat 4 egg whites, 200 g powdered sugar, and a pinch of salt with a mixer until done (white peaks).

Place the finished kulichi on pretty plates, glaze them, and decorate with sprinkles and candied fruit. Use your imagination.

We are confident that you will succeed!

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We have prepared other recipes for you for Holy Easter.

Curd Easter cake — we cook on Maundy Thursday.

Easter cupcakes— with chocolate, cocoa and oranges.

Easter eggs in jelly — for children on holiday