It is difficult to say exactly how many years the tradition of baking Easter cakes goes back. Naturally, during this time, various recipes and variations have appeared. But we have selected the most delicious of them and are ready to share them with you!
1. Classic Easter cake
Let's start with the most classic recipe with dry yeast and raisins.
You will need: 500 ml of milk, 1 kg of flour, 200 g of butter, 300 g of sugar, 6 eggs, 12 g of dry yeast, 250 g of raisins, a pinch of salt.
Preparation: Mix half the flour with dry yeast, pour in warm milk, stir and leave the dough warm for half an hour. Beat the yolks with sugar until fluffy, and separately beat the whites until steep peaks. Mix the yolks with soft butter and salt with the dough.
Slowly add the proteins into the dough and mix gently with your hands. Add the remaining flour, knead the dough and leave it warm for an hour, while pouring hot water over the raisins. Finally, add it to the dough, mix again, arrange in shapes and leave for another 10 minutes. Bake for 40-50 minutes at 180 degrees.
2. Easter cake on kefir
Kefir makes the dough even more fluffy and tender.
You will need: 450 g of flour, 350 ml of kefir, 150 g of sugar, 75 g of butter, 2 eggs, 1 glass of candied fruit, 6 g of dry yeast, 50 ml of water, a pinch of salt.
Preparation: Dissolve dry yeast, salt and a little sugar in warm water and leave for 15 minutes. Mix kefir with eggs and the remaining sugar, and then add the melted butter and dough.
Add flour, knead the dough and leave it warm for 1-1.5 hours. Add candied fruit, mix the dough again, arrange in molds and leave for another hour. And then bake in the oven for 45 minutes at 190 degrees.
3. Curd Easter cake
Kulich on cottage cheese is juicy, tasty and not at all the same as on milk or kefir.
You will need: 50 g butter, 2/3 cup sugar, a pinch of salt, 3 eggs, 2 cups flour, 1/4 cup milk, 8 g dry yeast, 10 g vanilla sugar, 1 cup raisins, 250 g cottage cheese.
Preparation: Dissolve yeast, a little sugar and a spoonful of flour in warm milk, and leave it warm for 15 minutes. Beat 2 eggs and 1 yolk with sugar until fluffy, and add melted butter, salt, vanilla sugar and cottage cheese there.
Mix the dough until smooth, add the dough and flour at the end. Knead the dough, add the raisins, arrange in the shapes and leave it warm for 1.5 hours. Bake for 10 minutes at 200 degrees and another 40-50 at 180 degrees.
4. Yeast-free Easter cake with lemon
By tradition, the dough for the cake should be yeast, but now we have much more options.
You will need: 300 g flour, 300 ml kefir, 100 g butter, 150 g sugar, 100 g raisins, 1 tsp. soda, lemon zest, 100 g icing sugar, 3 tbsp. lemon juice.
Preparation: Mix kefir with baking soda, and melted butter with sugar and zest. Combine both masses, gradually add flour with raisins, and mix well. Divide the dough into molds and bake for about 30 minutes at 180 degrees. Melt 2 more tablespoons of butter with powdered sugar and lemon juice, boil for a couple of minutes and brush the cakes with lemon icing.
5. Easter cake on lard
Lard in baking was also used by our grandmothers, and for a reason!
You will need: 125 ml of milk, 125 ml of sour cream, 100 g of butter, 25 g of lard, 5 yolks, 250 g of sugar, a pinch of salt, 850 g of flour, 40 g of raw yeast, 1 tsp. baking powder, 100 g of raisins.
Preparation: Combine yeast, some sugar and warm milk. Grind the yolks with the rest of the sugar, and mix them with yeast, sour cream and a couple of tablespoons of flour. Leave the dough warm for an hour, and then add all the other ingredients.
Knead to a homogeneous dough for as long as possible and add the raisins at the end. Leave it warm for 2 hours, and knead it several times in the process. Divide into molds until halfway through, leave for another half hour and bake at 200 degrees for about 40 minutes.
6. Easter cake on water and vegetable oil
A recipe for those who are categorically unsuitable for dairy products.
You will need: 1 glass of water, 3 tbsp.sugar, 11 g of dry yeast, 3 eggs, 450 g of flour, 1/3 cup of vegetable oil, a pinch of salt, 50 g of candied fruits.
Preparation: Dissolve the yeast and sugar in warm water and leave for 15 minutes. Add eggs, salt to the dough, and gradually add flour. Leave the dough warm for a couple of hours, and at the very end add vegetable oil and candied fruits. Put the dough into molds, let stand for another half hour and bake for about 30 minutes at 180-200 degrees.
7. Easter cake on choux pastry
In addition to dried fruits and candied fruits, feel free to add marmalade and marshmallows.
You will need: 1 kg of flour, 40 g of fresh yeast, 200 ml of cream, 250 ml of milk, 1.5 cups of sugar, 150 g of butter, 50 ml of vegetable oil, 6 eggs, 1 tsp. salt, 100 g of dried apricots, 100 g of candied fruits.
Preparation: Dissolve sugar and yeast in 50 ml of warm milk and leave for 20 minutes. Bring the remaining milk to a boil, add 3 tbsp. flour and quickly brew the dough, continuing to stir. Heat the cream separately, add there and mix until smooth.
When the mixture has cooled, pour the dough into it. Grind the yolks with sugar, beat the whites to the peaks and melt the butter. Add butter and yolks to the dough, and at the very end - whites. Add flour, knead the dough and leave warm for an hour, and at the end stir in vegetable oil, candied fruits and dried apricots. Divide the dough into molds and bake for 40-50 minutes in the oven at 180 degrees.
8. Easter cake with yolks and ghee
The pleasant taste of such a cake cannot be confused with anything.
You will need: 1 kg of flour, 500 ml of milk, 200 g of butter, 100 ml of vegetable oil, 9 yolks, 350 g of sugar, 50 ml of brandy, 1 tsp. salt, 150 g candied fruits, 150 g raisins.
Preparation: Pour in candied fruits with raisins and cognac, and leave for an hour. Melt the butter in the oven for 30-40 minutes at 160 degrees, strain and cool. Dilute yeast and a spoonful of sugar in 50 ml of warm milk and leave for 20 minutes.
Mix the remaining milk and 200 g of flour, add the dough there, stir and leave for another 40 minutes. Beat the yolks with sugar and candied fruit brandy, and pour into the dough. Add butter, gradually add flour and leave the dough warm for 2 hours. Stir in candied fruit with raisins, arrange the dough in molds, leave for another hour, and bake the cakes for 40-60 minutes at 180 degrees.
9. Easter cake with nuts
Spicy dough with spices goes well with nuts and dried fruits.
You will need: 500 g flour, 30 g fresh yeast, 180 ml milk, 100 g butter, 5 yolks, 70 g dried fruits, 70 g nuts, 0.5 tsp each. zest, cardamom and nutmeg, a pinch of salt, 100 g sugar, 2 tbsp. cognac.
Preparation: Add yeast, a spoonful of sugar and a third of the flour to warm milk, mix and leave for 20 minutes. Whisk the sugar and yolks, add the melted butter and brandy, and mix again. Combine this mass with the dough, add the zest and spices, and at the end - the remaining flour.
Leave the dough warm for an hour, and then stir in dried fruits and chopped nuts. Bake for 30 minutes at 180 degrees and another 20 minutes at 160 degrees. Sprinkle nuts and icing sugar on top.
10. Easter cake with chocolate
Dark chocolate works best. And at the same time we will tell you how to make protein icing for Easter cake!
You will need: 550 g flour, 20 g fresh yeast, 260 ml milk, 100 g butter, 200 g sugar, 3 eggs, 100 g chocolate, 50 g nuts, 1 protein, 100 g icing sugar, 1 tsp. lemon juice.
Preparation: Add yeast and a third of flour to warm milk, stir and leave warm for 15 minutes. Grind soft butter with sugar and yolks, and mix with dough. Add salt, flour, grated chocolate and chopped nuts, knead the dough and leave warm for 1.5 hours.
Put the cakes in a mold by a third and bake for 30-40 minutes at 180 degrees. Whisk the protein with lemon juice, gradually adding the icing sugar. When the glaze is smooth, grease the cakes.
11. Chocolate Easter cake
Here we suggest making a chocolate dough right away, and not just adding chocolate chips to the filling.
You will need: 450 g flour, 60 g cocoa, 20 g fresh yeast, 160 ml milk, 100 g butter, 160 g sugar, 2 eggs, 50 g raisins, 100 g grated chocolate, a pinch of salt.
Preparation: Dissolve yeast in warm milk. Beat eggs until frothy and gradually add sugar to them. Then pour in the melted butter and milk, mix the dough and leave it warm for 2 hours, or overnight. Add sifted cocoa flour to the dough and knead the dough well.
At the end, add half of the grated chocolate and raisins, arrange in tins and bake the cakes in the oven for about 30-40 minutes at 180 degrees. Melt the rest of the chocolate and pour the cakes on top.
12. Easter cake with poppy seeds
A real surprise for the holiday!
You will need: 100 g butter, 3 eggs, 150 g sugar, 6 g dry yeast, 110 ml milk, 350 g flour, a pinch of salt, 120 g poppy seeds, 50 g raisins, 30 g nuts, cinnamon.
Preparation: Combine the sifted flour with salt and yeast. Beat 2 eggs and 1 yolk with 100 g of sugar until dissolved, and pour in warm milk. Stir again and add the dry mixture, and at the end add 40 g of melted butter. Knead the dough well and leave warm for 1.5 hours.
Cover the poppy seeds with water, bring to a boil and leave covered for 20 minutes, then strain. Add the remaining sugar, raisins, cinnamon and chopped nuts to it. Add the last whipped protein there.
Roll out the dough into a layer, brush with butter, spread the filling over it and roll it into a roll. Cut it lengthwise, shape the curls to the size of the molds, spread over them and leave for another 1.5 hours. Bake for 30-40 minutes at 180 degrees.