Easter cake is a traditional Ukrainian dish that formerly was cooked only for great holidays. Today this rich leavened bread is baked only for Easter, and from here derives its name.
Easter cake's distinctive feature is that it consists of many eggs and fats. The dough is rather heavy, and therefore, it should be kneaded for a long time. Kneading saturates it with oxygen and the dough becomes airy. It is also very important to make the Easter cake in warm draft-free room, for yeast dough may never rise at air current.
The Easter cake is traditionally made with raisins, each housewife, however, adds something personal to the recipe. For instance, some add walnuts or almonds, dried and candied fruits.
It may be served not only as a desert. During Easter this pastry replaces bread and, therefore, many eat it with second and first courses.
Ingredients
Flour 1 kg
Yeast 10 g
Milk 300 ml
Sugar 220 g
Egg white 6 pieces
Egg yolk 6 pieces
Salt 0.75 tsp
Dairy butter 300 g
Vanilla powder 2 tsp
Dried cherries 70 g
Dried apricots 70 g
Lemon zest 2 tsp
Light-coloured raisins 70 g
Stages of cooking
1
Sift 500g of flour, and then add the yeast.
2
Then add the warm milk and stir carefully to avoid clots.
3
Put the soft pastry into the warm place for 1.5-2 hrs. It should double in size.
4
Whip 5 egg yolks with sugar until they become white.
5
Whip 6 egg whites until they become thick white paste.
6
Mix carefully the egg yolks with egg whites until they are completely combined.
7
Add the remaining flour, vanilla powder, soften butter and salt into the pastry. Knead carefully until it’s completely combined. The pastry shouldn’t be very thick and sticky.
8
Put the pastry aside in the warm place for 1.5-2 hrs.
9
Add the dried fruits and lemon zest to the leavened pastry.
10
Put the balls of pastry into the cake tins and let them ferment and grow in size.
11
Heat oven to 160-170C, and then brush the pastry with egg yolk. Bake for one hour. Coat the finished Easter cakes with whipped egg white and sugar.
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