Sufganiyot Cake

This Sufganiyot Cake recipe is inspired by the traditional jelly donut, featuring a light and fluffy brioche dough, filled with a jam flavored cream and topped with sugar.

Ingredients and substitutions for Sufganiyot Cake

• Yeast: The yeast is what helps this cake rise and gives it the light crumb within as it is half brioche loaf and half cake thanks to the quantity of flour and the manner in which the butter is added.
• Flour: Plain flour is best here as it results in a nice light crumb.
• Eggs: As well as adding structure to the cake, the eggs will bind everything together so are essential.
• Sugar: Superfine or caster which helps dissolve into the dough and is perfect for the sugar coating. You could half and half the sugar with light brown sugar and caster sugar. You want the dough to be subtle in how sweet it is.
• Butter: This is combined into the dough so thoroughly and finely that the end result is similar to brioche. When fresh it almost feels like it melts in your mouth and that is the work of the butter in the dough. Non dairy butter might work here, though I have not tried this so do not know the results if substituted in equal measure.
• Cream: Lightly whipped cream completes the cake when sandwiched between two layers of the light dough.
• Raspberry jam: Bright and full of flavor this helps add sweetness to the cake and when folded through soft whipped cream will not only stiffen the cream up slightly. You could definitely use strawberry jam or apricot here, if you prefer.

See recipe card for quantities.

How to make Sufganiyot Cake:

Step 1: Get the yeast going: Place the yeast, water and milk in a bowl and allow to dissolve.

Step 2: Shaggy mixture: Once bubbling, add the flour and salt and beat on low until the mixture resembles a shaggy mixture.

Step 3: Eggs and sugar: Add one egg and combine until fully combined and repeat until your dough is formed before tossing and combining the sugar into the dough.

Step 4: Toss the butter in slowly: On a low mixer setting add in 1-2 cubes of butter until it is all well combined.

Step 5: Mix and mix: Beat until the dough looks slightly glossy and is pulling away at your bowl.

Step 6: Rise: Place the dough into the fridge to rise until doubled in size.

Step 7: Rise and deflate: Continue rising and deflating 4 times before allowing to rise overnight.

Step 8: Halve the dough: Halve into two loaves or make into one large loaf. Rest and rise in the baking tin.

Step 9: Bake: Until golden.

Step 10: Brush and sprinkle: Brush the top with melted butter and sprinkle the sugar evenly to coat.

Step 11: Whip and fold: Whip the cream and fold in the raspberry jam.

Step 12: Slice and sandwich: Half the loaves and fill with the flavored cream.

Step 13: Slice and serve: Enjoy!

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Sufganiyot Cake

Sylvie Taylor

For those of us unfamilar, Sufganiyot is served around the Jewish Festival of Hanukkah, however, this Sufganiyot Cake is a giant take on the regular donut. This cake turns into a cream and jam filled brioche sandwich that will absolutely delight all, regardless of the time of year you serve it.

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Prep Time 2 hours hrs 30 minutes mins

Cook Time 30 minutes mins

Rising Time 4 hours hrs

Total Time 7 hours hrs

Course Breakfast, Dessert, Snack

Servings 16

Calories 399 kcal

Ingredients

  

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Donut cake

• 60 grams / ¼ cup milk lukewarm
• 60 grams / ¼ cup water lukewarm
• 14 grams / 1 tablespoon superfine/caster sugar
• 12 grams / 4 teaspoons active dry yeast
• 440 grams / 2 ¾ cups plain flour
• 1 ½ teaspoons fine sea salt
• 165 grams / 3 large eggs room temperature
• 60 grams / ⅓ cup superfine/caster sugar
• 170 grams / 6 ounces butter room temperature and cubed

Sugar coating

• 56 grams / 4 tablespoons butter melted
• 50 grams / ¼ cup superfine/caster sugar

Raspberry cream filling

• 454 grams / 2 cups heavy cream
• 200 grams / ⅔ cup raspberry jam

Instructions

 

Donut cake

• Place the lukewarm milk and water along with the 14 grams or 1 tablespoon of sugar into a large bowl.
• Sprinkle over the yeast and allow to rest for 3 minutes.
• Add the flour and salt to the wet mixture and combine on low with dough hooks until the mixture resembles a shaggy and loose mixture.
• Add one egg in and combine on low until fully combined, repeat with each egg until you have a dough formed.
• Toss in your sugar and combine until the sugar is fully incorporated into your dough.
• On a low setting with your mixer, add in 1 cube of butter and incorporate until you cannot see any butter remnants in your dough.
• Continue by adding another piece of butter and mixing until it is fully incorporated into your dough.
• Beat for a further 5 minutes until the dough it looks slightly glossy and is pulling away at the sides of your bowl.
• Lightly butter a bowl and place the dough therein, placing in the fridge to rise.
• Once the dough has doubled in size, approximately 30 minutes later, remove and lift at the edges to fully deflate.
• Return to the fridge to continue rising and deflating at the 30 minute mark for 2 hours or deflating 4 times.
• Cover the bowl and refrigerate for several hours or preferably overnight.
• The next morning, remove from the refrigerator and lightly grease two cake tins.
• Halve the dough equally and roll into each into round loaves and set seaside down on greaseproof paper to proof for 90 minutes.
• Preheat the oven to 190ºC/375F.
• Bake for 30 minutes or until golden on top and there is dry air inside when tapped.

Sugar coating

• Remove and brush the top with melted butter while still warm.
• Sprinkle over the sugar evenly to coat and allow the loaves to cool completely.

Rasperry cream filling

• Meanwhile, whip the heavy cream until it reaches soft peaks and fold the raspberry jam until well combined.
• Once cooled, carefully slice in half like you are cutting a burger bun open.
• Spread half the filling over the base each and carefully sandwich together with the top.
• Slice and serve.
• Enjoy!

Notes

• Cream: Lightly whipped cream completes the cake when sandwiched between two layers of the light dough.
• Raspberry jam: Bright and full of flavor this helps add sweetness to the cake and when folded through soft whipped cream will not only stiffen the cream up slightly. You could definitely use strawberry jam or apricot here, if you prefer.
• It’s best to make the dough with a mixer: This dough is best made with a stand mixer…I hate saying this, but it’s true. Simply put, your arms will get a work out if you do not have a stand mixer, however, you can make this slowly with a hand mixer or by hand (though I anticipate a no machinery option will get you messy) by kneading on the lowest setting and incorporating each cube of butter fully before adding in another. The entire operation of adding the butter will take approximately 35-40 minutes with a hand mixer so don’t rush the process and you’ll end up with great results.
• Best served the day it’s baked: This is best consumed the day it's made and will begin to go stale, even when covered and refrigerated within 24 hours.
• Cake tin: A spring form tin that is 20 cm or 8 inches was used to get the loaves out of the tin easily, however, a standard cake tin of similar size would also work well.

Adapted from Food52

Nutrition

Calories: 399kcal

Keyword bread, brunch, cake

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