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Overhead shot of a plate with sweet bread topped with a red egg
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Romanian Easter Bread - Pasca

Romanian Easter Bread or Easter Cake, which is translated Pasca, is a traditional dessert eaten on Easter Day. It's usually made with cow's cheese filling and sultanas or raisins, and it's absolutely delicious. Serve it with a red egg on top for the ultimate easter dessert. This pasca is the Romanian version of a cheesecake, but a lot richer, and so easy to make.
Prep Time2 hours 20 minutes
Cook Time40 minutes
Total Time3 hours
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: Romanian
Servings: 1 bread
Calories: 2755kcal
Author: Daniela Apostol

Ingredients

to make the dough:

  • 300 g strong white bread flour
  • 150 ml milk
  • 40 g caster sugar
  • 75 g butter
  • 1 teaspoon dried yeast
  • 1 egg yolk
  • zest of one lemon
  • a pinch of salt

to make the filling:

  • 150 g cottage cheese or cow's cheese
  • 1 egg
  • 25 g raisins
  • 40 g caster sugar
  • 1 tablespoon plain flour
  • 1 teaspoon lemon extract
Metric - US Customary

Instructions

  • In a jug, warm up the milk in the microwave for about 10 seconds, it should not be hot to touch.
  • Add the yeast, 1 tablespoon of sugar and one tablespoon of flour and set aside for 10 minutes, it will become frothy.
  • In a large bowl, sift the flour and add the remaining sugar, egg yolk, lemon zest, salt and butter, which should be at room temperature.
  • Mix in the yeast mixture once the 10 minutes are gone.
  • Knead everything into a dough for at least 5 minutes, the dough will become elastic and non sticky.
  • Cover the bowl with a clean tea towel and leave in a warm place to prove for at least 2 hours.
  • Make the filling by mixing together the crumbled cow's cheese, egg, extract, flour, sugar and raisins.
  • Divide the dough into two balls.
  • Oil and flour a round cake tin of approximately 10 cm.
  • Flatten one ball out and place on the bottom of the cake tin.
  • The second ball will be divided into 2 again and shape 2 strings out of it.
  • Plait them together and place around the cake tin edges, so that the dough can have the shape of a well.
  • The centre will be filled with the cheese filling.
  • Bake in the preheated oven set to 180 degrees C (350 Fahrenheit) for at least 40 minutes or until golden brown and set.
  • Remove from the oven and leave to cool.
  • Top with an egg painted red, have a look at my recipe on how to paint eggs red naturally: Naturally-Dyed Easter eggs

Notes

  • If you'd like to see the ingredients listed in cups and ounces, please check the US Customary Link.
  • Also, the amount of ingredients changes depending on the servings, so click on the number listed to change it to the number you prefer.

Nutrition

Calories: 2755kcal | Carbohydrates: 374g | Protein: 69g | Fat: 110g | Saturated Fat: 67g | Cholesterol: 669mg | Sodium: 2361mg | Potassium: 917mg | Fiber: 11g | Sugar: 119g | Vitamin A: 3247IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 1020mg | Iron: 17mg