Dessertscountryliving
Treat Yourself to Old-Fashioned Moravian Sugar Cake
This signature bread of the Moravian church, baked on Easter morning, is a rich yeast dough topped with puddles of brown sugar and butter.
👥 12 Servings⏱️ Prep & Cook: 5h 45m⏳ Prep: 45 min👤 Anne Byrn📖 countryliving
🥘 Ingredients
Check off ingredients as you prepare them:
🍳 Cookware
- ●saucepan
- ●bowl
- ●measuring cup
- ●pan
- ●wooden spoon
- ●oven
📝 Preparation Steps
1
Place the potato in a small saucepan, cover with water to depth of 1 inch, and simmer, covered, until tender, 10 to ⏱️ 15 minutes. Drain well, reserving the cooking water. Force the potato through a ricer into a small bowl or mash as smooth as possible with a fork. Measure 1 cup gently packed potatoes, place in a small bowl, and stir in 2 tablespoons of the cooking water, reserving the rest. Cover and keep warm.
2
Place the yeast, the 1/2 teaspoon sugar, and 1/4 cup of the reserved warm cooking water in a glass measuring cup and let stand until the mixture bubbles, ⏱️ 5 minutes.
3
Combine the potatoes, the 1 cup sugar, shortening, 4 of the tablespoons butter, and salt in a large bowl and beat with an electric mixer on medium speed for ⏱️ 2 minutes, or until the shortening melts. Stir in the yeast mixture and beat on low for ⏱️ 30 seconds. Cover the bowl with a kitchen towel and place it in a warm place to rise until spongy and light, ⏱️ 1 hour and ⏱️ 30 minutes.
4
Stir in the eggs and the 3 cups flour to make a soft dough. Shape the dough into a ball. Grease a large bowl with butter. Place the dough in the bowl, turning it to grease the top. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and place it in a warm place, free from drafts, for the dough to rise for ⏱️ 2 hours. The dough will increase in size by half.
large eggs, beaten, at room temperature2
5
Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface, using only as much of the 1/2 cup remaining flour as needed, and knead until it is smooth and elastic, ⏱️ 5 minutes. Grease a 9-by-13-inch baking pan with butter. Pat the dough evenly into a greased pan. Cover the pan with plastic wrap and place it in a warm place, free from drafts, for the dough to rise for ⏱️ 45 minutes to ⏱️ 1 hour.
6
Heat the oven to 375°F, with a rack in the middle. Slice the remaining 16 tablespoons butter into 1/8-inch slices. With your thumb or the end of a wooden spoon, deeply dimple the dough. Tuck the slices of butter into the dimples and over the top of the dough. Place the brown sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl and stir to combine; sprinkle this evenly over the dough and down into the dimples.
7
Place the pan in the oven and bake until the cake is well browned and cooked through, 25 to ⏱️ 30 minutes. Let cool for ⏱️ 30 minutes in the pan before serving.
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