Cozonac is a sweet, yeast-raised egg-rich bread that is gloriously tasty and filled with  nuts, poppy seeds or raisins. In the next two weeks, kitchens throughout Romania will be filled with the aroma of orange and lemon peel, rum, butter and spices and children will wait excitedly to have that first delicious bite.  We came across this, especially nutty, recipe and can recommend it to anyone looking for something different, traditional but in a little lighter than the usual Christmas cakes this season – it won’t be too difficult to make but you’ll need a little time and and would have to roll up those sleeves and start kneading.

Ingredients

• 1 kg flour
• 200 g butter
• 300 g sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 lemon, finely grated zest only
• 1 small orange, finely grated zest only
• 6 eggs
• ½ tsp salt
• 2-3 tbsp oil

Nut filling:

• 250 g walnuts
• 150 g almonds, skinned
• 2 tbsp cognanc
• 150 ml milk
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 150 ml sugar

Method

Cake

• First separate the eggs, reserving both the egg yolks and the egg whites.
• In a small pot, warm the milk and as soon as it is warm, remove 3 tbsp  and continue heating the milk.
• Place 3 tbsp of milk in a small bowl and add the yeast, 1 tsp of sugar and a little flour – mix to a thick and creamy  consistency and begin to proof the yeast  - cover set aside for about 5 minutes.
• Once the milk on the stove comes to a boil, remove it from the heat, add the vanilla extract and whisk  well -  set aside.
• In a large bowl, combine  the sugar, the egg yolks and the salt and begin stirring the warm milk mixture into the sugar mixture to mix well.
• Stir in the yeast mixture and the 3 egg white, gradually adding the remaining flour (using up all the flour) until it forms the dough.
• Transfer the dough onto a lightly floured surface and start to knead.
• In a small pan, start melting the butter and stir in the oil – as soon as it has melted,  remove the butter mixture from the heat.
• Slowly add the mixture of warm butter and oil until the dough forms bubbles and comes off the hands easily – this will be quite an exercise – cover the bowl with a cloth and allow to rise in a warm place until it has doubled or tripled in size.
• Generously grease a  baking pan.
• As soon as the dough has risen, shape the dough into the shape of the pan or tin and add the filling.
• Allow the dough to rise for at least ½  hour.
• Before baking, brush the top of the dough with some of the remaining egg whites and then bake 180 C  for 30-45 minutes until cooked – allow to cool on a wire rack.

Filling

• First of all, grind the walnuts and then, in a small pot, heat the sugar, the milk and the vanilla extract over a medium flame until the sugar has dissolved – add the ground nuts while mixing to prevent them from sticking to the bottom of the pan.
• Bring the mixture to a rolling simmer  for a minute, stirring constantly – it must be like a paste.
• Remove the pan from the heat and add the cognac, once the mixture has cooled, roll out the dought (as above) and spread the nut mixture over the surface.
• Roll the dough back up and shape it to the size of the baking pan.
• Bake as above.