Description
These cakes are traditionally cooked and eaten at Russian Orthodox Easter to break the fast. Often accompanied by pashka, a sweet, fruity cheese. These do take a little bit of effort, but it is definitely worth it. They are similar to panettone. Total time includes rising times of 3.5 hours.
Ingredients
- 1 cup golden raisins
- 1 tablespoon vodka
- 1 teaspoon white sugar
- ¼ cup lukewarm water
- 1 (.25 ounce) package active dry yeast
- 1 cup milk
- 1 pinch saffron threads
- 1 teaspoon ground cardamom
- ½ cup white sugar
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- ½ cup butter, melted
- ½ cup white sugar
- ¼ cup orange blossom honey
- 1 lemon, zested
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 pinch salt
- 2 eggs
- 1 egg yolk
- 3 cups all-purpose flour, divided
- ½ cup sliced almonds
- 4 clean 14-ounce food cans
- 1 egg white
- 1 ½ cups confectioners’ sugar, or more as needed
- ½ teaspoon lemon juice
- 2 tablespoons toasted sliced almonds, or as needed
Instructions
- Make the kulich: Place raisins into a bowl
- drizzle with vodka
- and let soften
- 8 hours to overnight.
- Heat milk in a saucepan over medium-low heat until very warm but not simmering. Stir in cardamom and saffron threads. Remove from the heat and let stand until lukewarm.
- Meanwhile
- mix 1 teaspoon sugar into lukewarm water in a bowl until sugar dissolves. Stir in yeast and let stand until frothy
- about 10 minutes.
- Transfer yeast mixture to a large mixing bowl. Add milk mixture
- 1 cup flour
- and 1/2 cup sugar; beat until smooth. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let dough rise in a warm place for 1 hour.
- Zest lemon onto waxed paper. Juice lemon into another small bowl and reserve for frosting. Separate egg whites and yolks
- reserving 1 egg white for frosting.
- Mix remaining 1/2 cup sugar
- melted butter
- honey
- vanilla
- lemon zest
- and salt together in a bowl. Pour into the risen dough and beat until combined. Beat in 3 egg yolks and 2 egg whites.
- Mix in 2 1/2 cups flour. Sprinkle remaining 1/2 cup flour onto a work surface and knead dough until it holds together
- about 5 minutes. Knead soaked golden raisins and sliced almonds into dough until well distributed.
- Form dough into a ball and place into an oiled bowl; turn dough around in the bowl several times until coated with oil. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and allow to rise in a warm place until doubled in size
- about 1 1/2 hours.
- Coat the insides of four clean 14-ounce cans with remaining 1 tablespoon butter. Line cans with parchment paper.
- Punch down dough
- knead a few times
- and divide into 4 equal pieces. Roll each piece of dough into a ball
- place into a can
- and press dough lightly against the inside bottom of can. Cover cans with a cloth and allow dough to rise to the top of the cans
- about 45 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
- Place a baking sheet into the preheated oven. Place the cans of dough upright onto the baking sheet and bake until kulich are risen and lightly browned
- 45 to 50 minutes.
- Remove from the oven and let cool in the cans for about 15 minutes
- then gently remove from the cans and finish cooling on a wire rack
- 25 to 40 minutes.
- Make the frosting: Beat reserved egg white in a bowl with an electric mixer on medium speed until frothy. Beat in confectioners’ sugar until stiff peaks form. Beat 1 teaspoon reserved lemon juice into frosting; save remaining lemon juice for another use.
- Frost tops of the cooled kulich and sprinkle with toasted almonds.
Prep Time: 1 hr
Cook Time: 45 mins
Total Time: 13 hrs 45 mins
Servings: 16