Cottage cheese Easter cake

Dough starter: 1/4 cup warm milk; 1 tablespoon heaping flour; 1 teaspoon sugar; 8 grams dry yeast.

Mix everything, place it in a warm place until the dough increases 3-4 times. The dough rises quickly, in about 15 minutes in warmth.

Dough: 250g cottage cheese; 50g butter; 2/3 cup sugar; 2/3 tsp salt; 2 eggs; 1 yolk; 2 cups flour; 2/3 cup raisins; vanilla to taste; dough starter

Beat 2 eggs and the yolk with sugar (put the remaining egg white in the fridge for icing) until white for 3-4 minutes at high speed of the mixer. Mash the cottage cheese, pour in melted butter and beaten eggs, add salt and vanillin, and mix well. Add the starter. Sift the flour and add it to the resulting mixture, mixing well. Then add pre-washed and dried raisins (or apricots), it's better to roll them in flour a bit (you can soak them beforehand). Mix together. The result should be a sticky dough that can be stirred with a spoon. Note: It is difficult to mix the dough with a spoon! In this case, when rising in molds, the dough retains a cap that you can shape with wet hands. If the dough mixes easily – its moisture will not allow forming a cap and during proofing it will try to escape – when baked, the top will become flat. So consider the consistency of the dough.

Prepare baking forms. Place the dough to half the height and put it in a warm place, covered with film - until it rises twice. This can take up to two hours. For me: 1.5 hours at 30 degrees. You can place the forms with dough in the microwave, next to a cup of boiling water. Close the door, do not turn it on!! (Clarifying for those who don't know). In my forms, there are 2 kulichs, size 12.5 cm in diameter, 10.5 cm in height.

Preheat the oven to 200 degrees. Bake at 200 for 10 minutes (the author suggests slightly opening the oven door, I didn't open it). If the cakes brown too quickly on top - cover with foil. Then reduce the temperature to 180 and bake for another 40-50 minutes. Check readiness with a dry stick.

Icing: 1 egg white; 120 grams of powdered sugar; 1 tablespoon of lemon juice.

Whip the egg whites, then add powdered sugar and whip until white for about 2 minutes. Then pour in the juice and continue whipping until the mixture is white and glossy. Coat the hot kulichs and decorate to your taste.

Enjoy your meal! Recipe from Ekaterina