Festive Kulich with Almonds and Candied Fruits

Prepare all ingredients.

Pour boiling water over the saffron and let it steep.

Chop the candied orange peel, mix with cherries and raisins, pour cognac over.

For the starter, mix 100 ml of cream with yeast, 30 g of sugar and 30 g of flour. Cover with film and leave in a warm place for 30 minutes.

Separate the eggs into yolks and whites. Set aside one white separately for the glaze.

Mix softened butter with the remaining sugar using a mixer.

Add all egg yolks to the butter mixture and beat until fluffy and homogeneous.

Add the remaining cream, starter culture, and saffron infusion, stir well.

Separately whip 5 egg whites until stiff peaks form.

Gradually fold the egg whites into the dough, alternating them with sifted flour. Knead until you have a uniform dough.

Wrap the dough with plastic wrap and leave it in a warm place for 1 hour.

Pour boiling water over the almonds, let sit for 10 minutes, then remove the skins.

Coarsely chop the peeled almonds, spread on a baking sheet and dry in the oven at 180 °C for 10 minutes.

Mix almonds and candied fruits into the risen dough. Cover with plastic wrap and leave in a warm place for another 1–1.5 hours.

Spread the dough into kulich molds so that it fills approximately one-third of the form. You can line the molds with parchment paper or grease them with oil. Let the dough proof in the molds for 30 minutes or until it has doubled in size.

Bake the kulichи in a preheated 180 °C oven. Large ones will need 40–45 minutes, small ones will bake in 25 minutes.

Cool the finished kulich on a rack. If the kulich is in a reusable mold, let it sit in the mold for 10 minutes, then remove it and continue cooling without the mold.

For the glaze, whip the remaining egg white with powdered sugar and lemon juice until you get a uniform white mass. Dip the cooled kulich cakes into it.

Decorate the kulich with candied fruits or sugar sprinkles to taste.