Kulich is butter bread with dried fruits baked by Orthodox Christians for the holiday of Easter. The British, who are mostly Catholic, also honor this holiday. The English cake is called Simnel cake. It is very similar to the Christmas cake, which is prepared in the same country, but has one significant difference - 12 marzipan balls, symbolizing Jesus and his apostles, serve as a mandatory decoration for it.
It is necessary
-
- Simnel cake
- for marzipan
- 250 g icing sugar
- 250 g almonds
- 2 egg whites + 1 egg white for brushing
- 1 teaspoon almond essence
- for the test
- 175 g butter
- 175g soft brown sugar
- 3 large fresh chicken eggs
- 175 g flour
- a pinch of salt
- 1/2 teaspoon of ground spice mixture (nutmeg
- carnation
- cardamom
- ginger, etc.)
- 350 g raisins of different varieties
- 55 g candied fruits
- ½ lemon
- 1-2 tablespoons apricot jam
Instructions
Step 1
Make almond paste. Grind almonds, add powdered sugar to them. Whisk the egg white until soft peaks and stir in the almond paste. Pour in the essence and knead with a silicone spatula for about a minute, the paste should be smooth, but remain soft and flexible. Divide the marzipan mass into three equal portions. Roll the first one into a layer large enough to cut a circle 18 centimeters in diameter out of it.
Step 2
Start making the dough. Whisk butter, softened in advance, with sugar in a white bulk mass. Beat eggs separately and then add to butter cream. Stir with a mixer until they form a smooth, uniform but still "fluffy" mixture. Sift the flour along with ground spices and salt through a fine sieve and start adding a little to the butter and egg mass, continuing to beat. When all the flour has been added, stir in the candied fruit, raisins, and the zest removed from half of the lemon into the dough.
Step 3
Preheat the oven to 140 ° C. Grease a baking dish with a diameter of 18 centimeters with cooking oil. Place half of the dough in a mold, flatten and cover with a marzipan circle. Add the remaining dough, level so that there is a small dent in the very center - the cake will rise. Bake for about 1 hour and 45 minutes. Check the readiness with a wooden toothpick - if it remains dry, without adhering dough, the cake is ready. Remove the finished product from the oven and let it cool slightly on the wire rack.
Step 4
Brush the top of a lukewarm cake with apricot jam. Divide the remaining marzipan in half. Roll out one piece and cut out a circle large enough to cover the entire piece. Roll 12 identical balls from the second. Cover the whole cake with marzipan, place the balls around its perimeter. Brush the entire surface with slightly beaten egg white. Preheat the grill and place the cake on a baking sheet underneath for 1-2 minutes, until the surface of the Easter baked goods is golden brown.
