Happy Easter!

   How is everybody spending this Easter? I wish I could be in Poland and spend it with my family because there is nothing better than Polish Easter. Lots of traditions, lots of eggs, and lots of kielbasa... it doesn't get any better than that! But just because I can't be it in Poland doesn't mean that we won't have traditional holidays with lots of eggs and kielbasa (vegetarian experiment is OVER!) and great friends. Oh, and Babka too! It's a traditional Easter yeast cake that can be made hundreds of different ways. This time I decided to make a lemon version of it... delicious! Here is the recipe:

Leaven:

*  2/4 cup warm 2% milk
*  3/4 oz dry yeast
*  2 tbsp sugar
*  1 cup all-purpose flour

Dough:

*  3 cups all-purpose flour
*  3/4 cup sugar
*  2 eggs
*  3 egg yolks
*  1 stick butter, melted
*  pinch of salt
*  zest from 2 lemons

Icing:

*  1 cup powdered sugar
*  juice from one lemon

Directions:

1. Make leaven: in a bowl combine yeast with warm milk and let it stand for 2-3 minutes. Add sugar and flour, mix to combine, cover with kitchen towel and let it stand in warm place for 1 hour.
2. When leaven rises add remaining flour and sugar, eggs and egg yolks, salt and lemon zest. Knead the dough for 5-10 minutes.
3. Add melted and cooled butter and knead the dough until all butter is absorbed and dough is shiny and elastic.
4. Transfer into greased bunt cake pan, cover with kitchen towel and let it stand for 1 hour.
5. Bake at 345F for 30 minutes, remove from the pan and let it cool down.
6. To make icing combine powdered sugar with lemon juice, mix until smooth and runny and pour over the cake. Let it set.

   There is no better smell than a yeast cake! Yeast and lemons...even better. There are few staples on the Easter table in my house... previously mentioned eggs and kielbasa, zurek (sour rye soup), dessert and... tulips! I can't imagine Easter without these beautiful flowers! They just scream Spring to me!

Happy Easter,
Magda.