Perekladanets (Ukrainian Christmas Cake) Recipe

Name: Perekladanets (Ukrainian Christmas Cake) Recipe
Prep time: 45 min
Cook time: 50 min
Total time: 185 min
Yield: 12 servings
Cuisine: Eastern European
Ingredients: 1 1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast; 1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon sugar, divided; 1/4 cup water; 2 ounces (1/4 cup) unsalted butter; 3/4 cup hot scalded milk; 2 large eggs; 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract; 1 tablespoon finely grated lemon zest; 1/4 teaspoon fine salt; 3 cups all-purpose flour; 1/2 pound poppy seeds, ground with a spice grinder; 3 large egg whites; 3/4 cup sugar; 1 teaspoon vanilla extract; Zest of 1 lemon or orange, optional; 16 ounces dates, pitted and chopped; 1 1/2 cups apricot preserves; 3 large egg whites; 3/4 cup sugar; 1 teaspoon vanilla extract; 1/2 pound walnuts, ground, not chopped, in a food processor; 1 large egg; 1 teaspoon milk

A traditional Ukrainian Christmas cake, adaptable for year-round enjoyment, features layers with poppy seed, apricot, walnut, or cinnamon-sugar fillings.

⭐ 5 (9 reviews) Prep: 45 minCook: 50 minTotal: 185 minYields: 12 servings

Category Tags:

Dessert Cake

Cuisine Tags:

Eastern European

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Ingredients

For the Sweet Yeast Dough (Zdobne Drizhdzhove Tisto):

1 1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast
1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon sugar, divided
1/4 cup water
2 ounces (1/4 cup) unsalted butter
3/4 cup hot scalded milk
2 large eggs
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon finely grated lemon zest
1/4 teaspoon fine salt
3 cups all-purpose flour

For the Poppy Seed Filling (Nachinka z Maku):

1/2 pound poppy seeds, ground with a spice grinder
3 large egg whites
3/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Zest of 1 lemon or orange, optional

For the Date Filling (Nachinka z Daktiliv):

16 ounces dates, pitted and chopped
1 1/2 cups apricot preserves

For the Walnut Filling (Nachinka z Voloskikh Horikhiv):

3 large egg whites
3/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 pound walnuts, ground, not chopped, in a food processor

For the Egg Wash:

1 large egg
1 teaspoon milk

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350 F.
To make the dough, combine yeast, 1 tablespoon sugar, and water; let it bloom for 5 minutes. Separately, melt butter in hot milk, then stir in 1/4 cup sugar and cool to lukewarm.
Beat eggs, then mix in vanilla, lemon zest, the lukewarm milk-butter mixture, and the yeast mixture.
Add salt and 1 cup of flour, beat until incorporated, then mix in the remaining 2 cups of flour until moistened. Knead with a dough hook for 10 minutes until smooth and elastic.
Cover the dough and let it rise in a warm place until doubled.
Prepare fillings: For poppyseed, beat egg whites until stiff, gradually add sugar, then vanilla (or juice/zest) and fold in poppy seeds. For date, combine dates and apricot preserves. For walnut, beat egg whites until stiff, gradually add sugar, then vanilla and fold in walnuts.
Divide the risen dough into four equal pieces. Roll the first piece into a thin rectangle (13x9 to 18x13 inches) on a floured surface and place on a parchment-lined baking sheet.
Spread the poppy seed filling to within 1/2 inch of the edges.
Roll the second dough piece to the same size, place it over the poppy seed layer, and spread the date filling to within 1/2 inch of the edges.
Roll the third dough piece to the same size, place it over the date layer, and spread the walnut filling to within 1/2 inch of the edges.
Roll the final dough piece about 1 inch larger than the others, place it on top of the walnut layer, and press the edges together, turning them under to seal.
Cover the assembled cake and let it rest in a warm place for 30 minutes.
Prick the cake all over with a fork and brush with egg wash.
Bake for 40 to 50 minutes until golden brown, loosely covering with foil if browning too quickly.
Cool the cake completely on a wire rack, then wrap in foil and refrigerate before cutting into squares or diamonds.

Nutritional Info (per serving)

Calories: 729 kcal

Carbohydrate: 117 g

Cholesterol: 58 mg

Fiber: 9 g

Protein: 15 g

Saturated Fat: 5 g

Sodium: 121 mg

Sugar: 74 g

Fat: 26 g

Unsaturated Fat: 0 g