Easter Foods - Kulich

Part II of III

Don’t you hate it when work interferes with fun? It’s been a busy week so this is being posted far later than I anticipated. But better late than never. Ne? 

The kulich is perhaps the most important food on the Russian Orthodox Easter table. This is because it symbolized Christ’s suffering on the cross. A yeast bread rich in butter and eggs it symbolized Christ himself, while the frosting on top symbolized his funeral shroud. Because of this symbolism the cake is often sliced into rounds to preserve the white cap so that it can cover the remaining portion. 

My mother tells me that her grandmother kept this tradition so sacred that until the end of her life she made the cake by herself, reciting prayers as she mixed it by hand. Other bakers Russian bakers have been known to keep diaries of their kulich making, tracking the results over a life time of baking. 

Tall and round the Kulich is most often baked in empty coffee cans lined with parchment though any can will do depending upon the desired size. It is not uncommon for tiny kuliches to be baked in regular can and given away, along with colored eggs to friends and family. It is believed that the more one gives away the more prosperous one will be.

Even the decoration of the kulich is important and symbolic.  Because it represents Christ’s suffering, the top is most often decorated with the Orthodox three post cross.  Though, it is not uncommon to see the top decorated with a single blood red rose, symbolizing the spilled blood of the savior.

The cake itself is not dissimilar to the Italian Christmas cake called panatone, being made in the same fashion and containing similar ingredients.  Like the panatone, the kulich is studded with raisins, candied fruit and nuts (traditionally almonds) and is colored with saffron and rich yellow yolks.

It is not a cake to be eaten lightly nor often and is made but once a year for the celebration of celebrations.

For many years mom made her own and stopped when it because too much work.  From then on, we have relied on a friend of the family for the one or two cakes that we needed for that years basket.  This year I decided to once again do our own.

Unfortunately the recipe my mom originally used was gone so I had to consult my aunts, each of whom gave me an entirely different and entirely imprecise recipe.  Which meant I was essentially winging it.  I decided to use currents instead of raisins and regretted the decision.  The cake turned out to be a little lacking in sugar and the tiny, hard currents just weren’t enough to offset that lack.

And while the cake smelled divine, when I finally got to taste it…it was missing something.  The orange flower water that I used in the glaze helped to offset it but it wasn’t until much later that I realized that I should have added candied orange rind to the mix.  Though I think that part of the reason I believe this is because I am so fond of panatone…or maybe it’s the other way around.  None the less, lesson learned, and next years batch will be much better.

I do have to confess that this is a complicated and involved recipe and mom ended up pushing me aside in places and doing things herself.  But to be fair she has made this before and I have not.  Next year I am gonna try and fly solo.

Kulich
For the sponge:
2 cups whole milk
6 ¾ teaspoon of active dry yeast (2 tablespoons + ¾ teaspoon)
2 tablespoons sugar

For the cake:
6-10 cups of flour
10 whole eggs
2 ½ sticks of butter (10 oz)
3 ½ cups vegetable oil
1 ½ teaspoons salt
8-12 saffron threads
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 tablespoon cinnamon
Zest from two oranges
1/3 cup candied orange rind, chopped
2/3 cup golden raisins
2 ½ heaping cups sugar
1/3 cup cognac or rum

For the frosting:
1 box powdered sugar
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 teaspoons orange flower water
Enough milk to thin to proper consistancy

Douse the raisins in cognac and vanilla and allow to stand for a minimum of a half an hour or over night.

Prepare the sponge [1]:
Heat the milk until bubbles form at the edge.  Turn off and allow to cool till you can comfortably hold your pinky submerged.  Mix the sugar, yeast, and flour together gently but thoroughly.  Add the flour to the milk, stir well until the mixture begins to look like pancake batter.  Cover and allow to triple in volume.

Prepare the dough:
Pour one tablespoon of boiling water over the saffron threads and allow to soak for 10 minutes.  In a large bowl, beat the eggs, sugar, and salt together until pale and frothy.  Add the spices, zest, and candied orange peel.  Blend the egg mixture and the melted butter together.  Add flour a cup at a time, mixing between additions until a soft sticky dough form.

Add the saffron, raisins and soaking liquid to the dough.

Continue to knead the dough adding splashes of vegetable oil to keep your hands from sticking.  Adjust flour as necessary until all of the oil is gone.  The dough will be sticky and buttery.  Knead until the dough forms a smooth soft ball that pulls wetly away from the sides of your mixing bowl.

Cover the bowl and set in a warm place until doubled in volume [2].

Preparing to bake:
Preheat oven to 375

Line your can molds with generously buttered parchment paper and arrange on a cookie sheet.

Punch down the dough and divide among your parchment lined cans, filling them no more than 1/3 full.

Cover and allow to rise until doubled in size.

Bake until a tester inserted in the center comes out clean.  Smaller cakes will cook quickly.

Immediately turn the cans on their sides so that the cake does not collapse.

Rolling every couple of minutes, allow to cool for 5 minutes before sliding out of the can onto a clean kitchen towel.

Rotate cakes frequently to keep them from getting a flat side until the cakes are completely cool.

Frosting the cakes:
Mix the lemon juice and orange flower water with the powdered sugar.  Carefully thin with milk until the mixture lazily runs from the mixing spoon.

Ice the kulich making sure to push the frosting to the edge so that it drips over the edge.  Decorate and allow to dry thoroughly.

Serve with paska.  This is also excellent toasted.

Keeps for a week or more.

[1] Because the dough is so heavy the sponge is critical to the dough rising.  Straight yeast alone will not bring enough rise and the kulich will be very dense and heavy.

[2] What I do is boil some water and pour it into a roasting pan and set it on the floor of my oven.  Then I place the bowl at the very top.  This makes a nice warm, moist place for the dough to rise.

Comments

[Cakes Easy]

You can also find different cakes and cakes recipes on easter cakes, birthday cakes, chocolate cakes, wedding cake ,cheese cake, red velvet cake recipe, desserts, pastries, party cakes, cake decorations, cookies, fruit cake and more at www.cakeseasy.com