Baking Easter cakes for Easter in itself brings a holiday to the house. But if the fuss is already stuck, or your hands are not from the right place - then welcome to the supermarket!) Why I don’t like creations from Palych, because of their active use of food chemistry. And this product is the most natural of his product line. Naturally, it means Palych's marketers judged dearly, and put up a price tag of more than 200 rubles + for a cupcake with a production cost of 20 rubles.

Yes, it's a cupcake.

Do you know how Easter cake differs from a cupcake? Cupcake differs from Easter cake in terms of ingredients, composition:

Yeast cake, and the taste of traditional cake cooked according to strict canons is usually a little bland (Orthodox cuisine). Easter cake recipes for the Easter holiday with abundant addition of sugar, raisins and candied fruit, which makes the taste sweet with fruity, sometimes caramel notes, have become more widespread in the world. The cake is dense and sweet and without yeast.

Of course, Palych, like an old chemist, knows what modifier and baking powder to choose for the cake to be as airy as possible)

Answered. Let's return to the cupcake from Palych to the festive Orthodox table.

On the Bright Holiday, it is not appropriate to lie, and the manufacturer honestly indicates that the product is a cake.

So, I open! And what do I see inside, and what does it taste like?

Consistency: dough = cake. Foamed, stuffed, airy Cupcake.

Taste: intense sweet (above average sweetness, but not cloying).

Decor: thick plentiful layer, to the delight of children.

Summary: an expensive cake does not guarantee good taste. Is everything in order with the money and want a holiday? Buy Italian panettones for Easter. Cupcake Paschalny Kulich Palycha looks great like Italian pastries! What difference does it make to you, since you are not buying an elite handmade Easter cake for the holiday, take pastries of a higher level to the table right away. Why copy "under Italy", buy the original!

Well, if we are talking about the Bright Holiday ... The most traditional Easter pastry is Easter cake. And you need to cook it in a good mood, in anticipation - and then your recipe is guaranteed to succeed!

Since ancient times, Easter cakes have been endowed with religious energy. Butter bread of a high shape was baked at home and brought to the church for consecration. Its recipe was passed down from generation to generation and each family had its own secrets of baking. Yeast dough has always been the basis of Easter cake, and raisins, dried cherries and cranberries served as fillers. Let's look at what role yeast, eggs and milk play in baking Easter cakes, and also dwell on what does pastry mean for a traditional Easter cake?

Easter cake on the Easter table is a charm of the hearth. In size, it can be large or small, but always high. The amount of ingredients depends on the size of the bread. Not a single Easter cake is complete without rich yeast dough, which contains a large amount of eggs, sugar, butter or margarine. Recipes for traditional Easter bread also include raisins, candied fruit, vanilla, figs, and almonds.
Each Easter cake is a real masterpiece, in which the hostess puts her energy. The tops of the Easter cake are decorated with protein glaze, sprinkled with tinted millet, confectionery fondant and chocolate chips. To prepare the glaze, you will need powdered sugar, lemon juice and egg whites. Today in stores you can find ready-made glaze, the powder of which is enough to simply beat with chilled protein.

What does sweet dough for Easter cake mean?

The word “baking” itself came from the word “flavor”, i.e. fill the dough with additives that make it fatter and sweeter. Such additional ingredients include sugar, eggs (more than 2 pieces), butter / margarine, milk, yeast, vanilla.

Sweet dough should be prepared in several stages.

1. Opara. It consists of yeast, some flour and milk. The finished sourdough is put for half an hour in a warm place, the top is covered with a towel. The weight should double.
2. Kneading. The rest of the ingredients are added to the dough, kneaded and again sent to a warm place. The dough should come up.
3. After the dough has tripled in volume, it is kneaded again (2-3 times). Then they are distributed into forms (filling no more than a third of the volume) and left to increase.
4. Proofing and baking. When the rich composition fills the form, you can send the cake to a preheated oven. Do not open the cabinet door during baking so that the dough does not fall.

What role do eggs play in the dough

A large number of eggs in the dough gives the pastry softness and airiness. The texture of the cake is more crumbly and porous, so the effect of eggs is often compared to baking powder. During heat treatment, the product acts as a kind of emulsifier. Eggs combine milk and butter together. The yolk gives the dough a pleasant yellowish tint.

Important! Eggs are 75% water, so when increasing their number, remember that we add excess moisture to the dough.

Some chefs separate the whites from the yolks before sending the eggs to the dough. Proteins are whipped into foam or even yolks are used alone.

What yeast is best for Easter cakes

Only fresh yeast with a pleasant smell is suitable for kneading. To rise pastry, it is best to use a live biological baking powder, which has a more active fermentation process. Dry yeast is used in the absence of living ones, and then only with the mark "active". Butter dough itself is “heavy”, therefore, 15 g of dry product must be poured into 500 g of flour.

The dark brown color of pressed yeast indicates the low activity of living organisms. Such a product has lost its freshness and is not suitable for baking.

Table of dry and fresh pressed yeast

To replace one type of yeast with another, you need to know them.

Milk, eggs, flour, sugar, butter, product quality

The process of baking Easter cake is laborious, and the taste of the main Easter attribute is easy to spoil with a poor-quality set of products. Each component plays its own role.

• Milk (cream) for kneading choose only fresh, without a third-party smell. The product is heated before use. It is not recommended to use milk directly from the refrigerator, because. in the cold, yeast activity decreases.
• for Easter cake they take only the highest grades. It must be dry and pre-sifted. Today, on the shelves of stores you can find Self-Rising flour, which initially contains baking powder.
• Eggs it is advisable to take home or farm. They have a richer yolk. Eggs are also pulled out of the refrigerator in advance and left at room temperature.
• Sugar for baking choose refined without third-party impurities.
• Only natural ingredients are used in the dough butter with a fat content of at least 82.5%. It is melted and warmly poured into the composition. Due to the high fat content of the dairy product, Easter cake acquires a delicate structure and is distinguished by airiness. In order not to spoil the taste of baking, you should not use margarine instead of butter.
• Mixing can be supplemented with warm rum or cognac. Alcohol will make Easter cakes more airy.

Delicious cake recipe, step by step

The dough for Easter cake is very capricious. During cooking, tightly close all windows and doors so that there are no entrance drafts. When baking Easter cake, each stage of preparation is important, so you should not change the recipe yourself.

It is highly likely that the cake will be airy and lush if live yeast is used during baking.

In half a glass of warm milk, dilute the yeast, throw 1 tbsp. flour and 1 tbsp. Sahara.

Mix the composition and leave for half an hour in a warm place. It is desirable to cover the top with a film.

When the dough begins to approach (doubling), proceed to prepare the egg-sugar mixture.
Mix butter with sugar, salt and vanilla sugar. All rub well.

Add eggs to the mixture and mix thoroughly.

Combine the dough with the prepared egg mixture.

Gradually add the sifted flour and knead the dough.

Tighten the top of the container with a film and leave for 1.5 hours so that the dough comes up.

Prepare parchment to protect the sides of the form. Lubricate the blanks with oil and cover the inside of the mold with paper.

Flavor the dough with raisins, candied fruits or dried fruits - whoever likes what.
When the dough almost reaches the edges of the form, send the Easter cakes to the preheated oven. Bake the muffin for about 45 minutes at a temperature of 170-180ºС.

Readiness of Easter cakes to check with a wooden skewer. It remains to take out the pastries and decorate the tops with icing.

Video how and how to decorate Easter cake

The top of the cake is covered with icing, which is decorated with airy meringue, mastic flowers, themed cookies, sprinkled with candied fruit, almond flakes, sweet pearls, chocolate drops, or just a pile of fresh fruit.

The main Easter attribute is baked with good thoughts, and be sure to observe accuracy in the recipe.

KULICH WITH RAISINS

Recipe: Dilute yeast (50 g) in a glass of warm milk. Pour flour (150 g) and salt there. We knead. Rub the yolks (6 pcs.) With sugar (2 cups). Proteins (6 pcs.) Must be whipped into foam. Melt the butter (300 g). We mix all the ingredients. The mass must be thoroughly kneaded and sprinkled with flour on top. Cover with a towel and leave overnight. IMPORTANT: The temperature in the room where such pastries are prepared must be at least 25 degrees. In addition, you need to protect yourself from drafts in advance. They can greatly interfere with getting fluffy and airy pastries. The remaining flour (800 g - 900 g) and vanilla sugar and knead with dough so that the mass is not very thick. We wait until its volume doubles and add raisins (150 g). We mix and lay out on the prepared forms Filled by a third of the form, put in a warm place and cover with a towel. When the dough increases in volume, it is necessary to grease the tops with sweet water and put in the oven. When the cakes are baked, they must be removed from the oven, cool and decorate.

PASTRY WITH RAISINS AND CANDIED

RECIPE: Prepare the dough. Yeast (30 g) is diluted with milk (500 ml) and mixed with flour (300 g - 400 g). We put the dough for 3-6 hours in a warm place. After the dough rises, add the remaining flour (600 g - 700 g), eggs (3 pcs.), Sugar (200 g), butter (200 g), ground cardamom, saffron and candied fruits. Mix well. IMPORTANT: It is believed that baking will turn out if, when kneading the mass, it is “hit 200 times”. That is, to carry out this process very long and carefully. We put the mass in a warm place. When it rises 2-3 times, grease the molds with oil and fill half. We are waiting for it to rise, grease with yolk and sprinkle with chopped almonds and candied fruit. Bake at a temperature of 200 degrees for about an hour. Remove, cool and decorate cakes

HOME PASTRY RECIPE

Beat eggs (8 pcs.) With sugar (0.5 kg). Add sour cream (200 ml), cinnamon and vanilla (at the tip of a knife). Add softened butter (200 g). Dissolve fresh yeast (50 g) in warm milk (500 ml). We add to the mass. Mix everything and add flour (1.5-2 kg). Knead the dough Grease a deep saucepan from the inside with oil. We put the dough there, cover it with a towel and leave it for 7-8 hours. Lubricate the table and hands with vegetable oil. Take out the dough and knead it. Leave for 1 hour under a towel. The procedure is repeated 3 times. Before the last kneading, we add candied fruits (100 g) and raisins (100 g) to the dough. IMPORTANT: You need to do Easter baking on Clean Thursday. Before that, be sure to swim before sunrise and, with a clean body and thoughts, prepare delicious dishes. Lubricate the baking molds with oil and put the dough in them. Its volume should not exceed half the form. We leave Easter cakes for 30 minutes Turn on the oven to the maximum and bake Easter cakes for about 10 minutes. Then the fire must be set to a minimum and bake until a crust appears. Remove the cakes from the oven, let cool and decorate

LUSH KULICH

Mix hot milk (1 cup), warm cream (2 cups) and flour (2.4 cups). We mix everything thoroughly, and wait until the dough has cooled to room temperature. Dilute yeast (50 g) in a small amount of milk and add eggs (2 pcs.). Mix and add to dough. We knead it until smooth and put it in a warm place IMPORTANT: During the preparation of Easter dishes, you can not swear, quarrel and argue. All negative energy can be transferred to dishes. Divide sugar (2.4 cups) into two parts. In one half, beat the squirrels (8 pcs.), And grind the second with yolks (8 pcs.). Mix both masses from top to bottom and add flour. We mix everything again. We are waiting for the dough to reach Knock out the dough. We divide into two parts and put each in a greased form. Let the dough rise and bake at 180 degrees until cooked.

PASTRY WITH NUTS

To prepare such pastries, we take raisins (100 g), almonds (100 g) and candied fruits (100 g). We sort out the raisins, clean them from twigs and other debris. Pour hot water for 15 minutes. Then we drain the water. Almonds are poured with boiling water for 3-4 minutes. After that, we drain the hot water, fill the nuts with cold water and peel the almonds from the husk. We dry the nuts for 2-3 minutes in the microwave, then fry in a pan and chop with a knife. Blender for crushing nuts is not good

IMPORTANT: Only two types of nuts are mentioned in the Bible: almonds and pistachios. Therefore, only such nuts should be used in Orthodox Easter baking. We warm milk (500 ml) and dissolve yeast (50 g) in it. For this recipe, it is best to use fresh yeast. Add flour (500 g) and mix. The resulting mass should be put in a warm place and covered with a towel. Rub the yolks (6 pcs.) With sugar (300 g) and vanilla (1 teaspoon). Beat egg whites until foamy with salt. Opara should come up in 30 minutes. This will be signaled by its volume. It should increase by 2-3 times. Add yolks, melted butter (200 g) to the dough and mix. Add the proteins last. Sift the flour (1 kg) and add to the total mass. This should be done in parts, each time kneading the mass until smooth. Be prepared for the fact that more flour may be required. Its quantity depends on many factors. The dough must be placed in a saucepan and sent to come up to a warm place. Depending on the temperature, it will fit in 40 minutes-1.5 hours. Roll the raisins in flour and add to the dough. Then you need to add candied fruits and chopped almonds. Again, knead the dough well and send it to a warm place. We are waiting for it to increase by 1.5 - 2 times. Preparing forms. Lubricate the bottoms with oil and spread the oiled parchment along the walls. Put the dough on the table and cut into pieces. Each piece is rolled into a ball and placed in a mold. Forms need to be put on a baking sheet, and wait until the dough rises. After that, the forms are sent to the oven preheated to 100 degrees. After 10 minutes of baking Easter cakes, you need to increase the temperature to 190 degrees and the oven is already ready. We take out the forms with Easter cakes from the oven and leave for 10 minutes. Then we take them out of the molds and decorate them.

Easter cake for the lazy without kneading

The legend said that it was necessary to bake Easter cakes on Maundy Thursday (I had to get up at 6 in the morning) and at the same time I had to perform some rituals that I had not refused for many years, and the making of Easter cakes was from the category of work for Cinderella. So, for example, the dough was supposed to knead exactly 1 hour. And since many Easter cakes were baked at once (who would do such a feat the second time during the Easter week?!!!), then a mass weighing 15 kilograms formed on the table ... Try to rotate, knead this mass for an hour without stopping. .. Well, how did they present it? And I used to do this before ... The rest of the troubles, that the apartment should be absolutely quiet, warm and no drafts, etc., were already a trifle in comparison with this ritual hourly kneading.
For a long time I perceived all this as a kind of tribute, and it gave me strength that these Easter cakes fully justified the inconvenience associated with their manufacture. I have never tasted better than these cookies.
As I already wrote, a lazy person, I'm looking, I'm sorry, for easy ways ... And this recipe was born ... Moreover, I assure you with all responsibility that this did not affect any difference in taste sensations, in the appearance of Easter cakes and in their shelf life.
Easter cake

For 7-8 Easter cakes baked in brynza jars, with a capacity of 750 ml
1 kg flour
40 g fresh yeast (or 1.5 sachets dry)

500ml milk
350 g sugar
300 g butter + (optional 30 g pork lard)
500 g raisins
10 yolks
The entire batch from start to finish is carried out with a tablespoon. That is, you don’t even have to touch the test!
Dissolve yeast in 350 g of warm milk and mix with 150 g of flour.
Leave in a warm place. The dough should rise well and begin to fall. (approx. 30-40 minutes)
Grind the yolks, sugar and butter (of course, everything should be at room temperature) or beat with a mixer until foamy.
Add the yolk mixture to the fermented dough. Leave until the volume increases by one and a half to two times. (approx. 1-1.5 hours)
Add the rest of the flour and milk. Knead a very soft dough.
Leave to rise for 1 hour in a warm place.
Knead the raisins (I mix them with flour for the total amount)
and let it go again. I had to divide the dough into two bowls, because there is a lot of it and it will grow a lot:
It's amazing how, as the dough rests, it develops gluten on its own! From the first mixing, gluten has not yet formed, the dough is torn. And after the first
1 hour fermentation - smooth and elastic. Pulls away from the sides of the bowl despite being almost runny.
Dough after second fermentation:
In the prepared forms (either oiled and sprinkled with semolina **, or lined with baking paper ****), put the dough with a spoon no more than 1/3. Smooth with a wet spoon.
Let go almost to the edges of the form.
.Bake for 35-40 minutes at the lower level of the oven at a temperature of 190-200 C. Check for readiness - a dry stick.
Cookies ready. Cool down.
Cool in molds. Cover with frosting, if desired.
Everything!