Štedrák: Slovak layered Christmas cake

Tip: tap a step to mark it as done.

1. Activate the yeast

   10 min

   Crumble the yeast into 100 ml of the lukewarm milk, add a teaspoon of the sugar, and let stand for 10 minutes until foamy.

2. Knead the dough

   1 hr 10 min

   Sift the flour into a bowl. Add the remaining sugar, vanilla sugar, salt, egg yolks, yeast mixture, remaining milk, and lukewarm melted butter. Knead for about 8 minutes until the dough is smooth, supple, and no longer sticks to the bowl. Cover with a kitchen towel and let rise in a warm place for 1 hour, until doubled in size.

3. Cook the poppy seed and walnut fillings

   15 min

   Bring the poppy seeds, milk, and sugar to a boil and cook, stirring constantly, for about 3 minutes, until thickened. Prepare the walnut filling the same way using the walnuts, milk, and sugar. Remove both fillings from the heat and let cool.

4. Prepare the quark filling

   5 min

   Mix the quark with the egg yolk, sugar, and vanilla sugar until smooth.

5. Assemble the cake

   30 min

   Line a baking pan measuring about 25 × 35 cm with parchment paper. Divide the dough into 5 equal portions and roll each one out on a floured work surface to fit the pan. Place the first dough layer in the pan and spread with the plum butter. Cover with the second layer and spread with the walnut filling. Add the third layer and spread with the quark filling, then add the fourth layer and spread with the poppy seed filling. Place the final dough layer on top.

6. Let rise again

   20 min

   Prick the top with a fork, brush with the beaten egg, and let the cake rise for another 20 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 170 °C (340 °F).

7. Bake

   45 min

   Bake the štedrák for about 45 minutes, until golden brown. If the top browns too quickly, cover it with parchment paper.

8. Slice

   1 hr

   Let the cake cool in the pan for at least 1 hour, then cut it into 24 pieces with a sharp knife.

Tip: Spread the fillings in thin layers all the way to the edges and gently press down the dough layers so the cake holds together when sliced. Štedrák is best the next day, once the fillings have melded with the dough.

This recipe was translated from the Slovak original: Štedrák – vianočný koláč s makom, orechmi a tvarohom