Traditional Romanian Walnut Sweet Bread meets the Soulfully Tasty vegan way. The result is one scrumptious Vegan Cocoa Walnut Sweet Bread Wreath with a modern vegan twist that is packed with flavour, texture and crunch. Traditional holiday dessert at its best!

Where do I even start? So much to talk about, so many memories and emotions behind this traditional dessert that I grew up with. Are there any Romanian readers here? :) Eastern European readers will know what I'm talking about. The sweet bread is famous in the part of the world where I grew up.

We call this type of dessert ‘cozonac’, and it's usually shaped like a twisted loaf, with different accents depending on the origin of the baker. One thing they all have in common is: they're super tasty. No matter the filling, the sweetbreads ‘cozonaci' are a soft and textured delight.

While growing up, my mother and grandmothers always made the ones with walnuts and poppy-seeds filling. I've witnessed my paternal grandmother making these for years. I always thought it's such a tough job making the dough and kneading it by hand minutes and minutes at the time. Did you read that? Made by hand! Oh, yes! How spoiled am I to have a super stand up mixer for helping out with the kneading process?

So, one challenging thing about this recipe was to 'veganize' it. No eggs included, of course, but no butter at first was painful. The first attempt was quite a pain to watch. Next, I've finally decided to go for the best quality vegan butter that I could find on the market. So far, I haven't used vegan butter in any of my recipes. Well, that day is here, friends. Here's my first recipe containing vegan butter. Nothing wrong with plant-based butter. My recipe goal is to try avoiding processed ingredients as much as possible. This said, four attempts later, I've nailed the vegan recipe for the lovely sweet bread. It took me a couple of months to get it right, but it happened. I couldn't be happier. Ready just on time for Christmas (that was the goal :)).

What do you need to know about making this recipe? First, patience and some time.

You can't rush it if you're trying to obtain good results, meaning a well-risen dough. The dough making is a bit time consuming, but only because the yeast needs time to be activated, and it needs time to rest and rise beautifully before baking. Oh, but it's all worth it. All the beautiful layers of the sweet bread will pay off trust me.

For extra flavour, I decided to add a couple of new ingredients to my family's recipe. Saffron and cardamom! I used saffron threads that are on the expensive side, but you can easily use the powder if that's more convenient. It brings subtle floral notes to the dough and added colour that's substituting the lack of eggs. But do not panic. If you don't want or have saffron to use, you can leave it out. However, the story is different when it comes to cardamom. It does enhance the entire array of flavours in the cacao walnut filling. Cardamom is unique in taste, and it's a pretty strong spice but used to bring a delicate flavour to the recipe.

This dessert is a party of flavours and textures in full swing, friends. The sweet and slightly bitter tones of the raw cocoa powder are followed by the nutty and buttery accents of the walnuts, and finishing up with flowery-minty undertones of cardamom. All the flavours are layered perfectly and make up a delicious dessert experience.

The best part? OK. So, everything is yummy and delicious, but my favourite part of this sweet bread is the top layer. When it's freshly baked from the oven, that outer layer of sweet crispy deliciousness is just heavenly. Brushing on maple syrup before baking not only adds an extra glossy look but also an irresistible crunch that makes it hard to stop at the first bite. Highly delicious warning again! :)

And, another favourite way of devouring this deliciousness? With a cup of cold milk on the side. Isn't this the perfect Christmas morning dessert for breakfast? Haha! The Romanian 'cookies' and milk version. :)

An easy tip for you before I end, friends. You don't have to spend the extra time to work on a wreath shape for this sweet bread. You can skip that step and add the dough log straight to a loaf pan.

Well, there is a ton more to share with you, but I think I'll end here and let you dive into the super delicious recipe down below. I've done my best to explain every single step of the sweet bread wreath making.

Do let me know if you have any questions along the way. I'd love for you to give it a try and see what I'm talking about here. It all comes to life when you guys try my recipes; then you really understand my excitement. :)

I'm wishing you a wonderful holiday season along with your loved ones, and enjoy the delicious spreads before you.

Tons of hugs, my friends.

T

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