Ukrainian Shulicks (with poppy seeds and honey) are a tasty and easy baked treat. It’s a dry type of cake or cookie smothered in honey soak.
Hello everyone, I hope you all are doing well. It’s almost Easter weekend, so I hope you are ready for egg hunt :) Even though I did not share any Easter recipes, these Ukrainian Shulicks would be an appropriate treat, I think.
As I’ve mentioned earlier, I am going to share some Ukrainian recipes this year. You can already check this Chicken Borscht, Hrechaniks, and Beetroot Horseradish Dip.
Most of you probably have never heard of this dessert. I didn’t know about it until a few months ago, either.
Ukrainian Shulicks
If you don’t like overly sweet things, this dessert is 100% for you!
The dough itself is easy to make with just a few simple ingredients you’re probably already have. It’s just subtly sweet, and I would also describe the cake as quite plain, not rich. The sweetness and flavour mostly come from the honey and poppy seeds soak. Also, the baked cake itself is soft but showy inside and quite dry from the outside, but the transition happens when you smother it in the honey soak. Don’t you worry though – it’s not going to be soggy at all. Very enjoyable texture!
As you can imagine, the flavours are pretty simple. Pleasantly sweet thanks to honey and nutty thanks to poppy seeds. Of course, you can enhance the flavour by adding some aromatics like lemon or orange zest, vanilla, or cinnamon, but I wanted to keep the recipe as authentic as possible.
I hope you like these Shulicks, and you will give then a try soon. If you try it, let me know in this post or send me an Instagram message or share you photos adding the hashtag #havocinthekitchen.
Cheers!
Ukrainian Shulicks
12
servings30
minutes10
minutes18
minutes30
minutesUkrainian Shulicks (with poppy seeds and honey) are a tasty and easy baked treat. It’s a dry type of cake or cookie smothered in honey syrup.
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Ingredients
1 egg
5-6 tbsp. honey, divided
5 tbsp. poppy seeds, divided
3 and 1/2 tbsp. (50 gr.) butter – melted and cooled
~ 2 cups (240-260 gr.) all-purpose flour
100 ml. milk (~ 2/3 cup)
1/2 tsp. baking soda
a pinch of salt (optional)
~ 2/3 cup hot water, for soaking poppy seeds
Directions
- In a small bowl place the poppy seeds and add the hot water. Soak for about 30 minutes. It will soften and increase in volume a bit. Drain using a fine mesh sieve and set aside.
- In a separate bowl slightly whisk the egg with a whisk, until foamy.
- Add 1 tbsp. of honey and whisk again.
- Stir in 1 tbsp. of drained poppy seeds and mix well.
- Add the melted and cooled butter and milk, mix.
- Stir in, preferably sifted, flour and baking soda. If desired, add some salt. Mix until the dough forms – it will be relatively thick, soft, and lightly sticky to a touch. You can dust with a little of extra flour if necessary, but avoid adding more than a tablespoon.
- Roll out the dough ~3-5 millimeters thick and transfer to a baking tray or pan. Alternatively, just transfer the dough onto a pan and evenly spread it out with your hands. They don’t need to be perfect!
- Bake in the preheated to 180 degrees C (360 degrees F), for about 15 to 18 minutes, depending on the thickness, until nicely golden.
- While they are baking, using a mortar and pestle, crush the remaining poppy seeds for a minute or so (Alternatively, use a blender). Then add the remaining honey and stir to combine. If it’s too thick to your liking, you can also add a little of hot water.
- Remove the cake from the oven and let it cool for a minute or so. While still hot, slice or brake the cake into pieces. Traditionally, Shulicks get broken into different pieces, they don’t need to be perfect!
- Place the hot Shulicks in a bowl or container and pour over the honey-poppy seed soak. Let them stay for about 30 minutes to absorb the soak. You can mix them once or twice, to distribute evenly the soak. Enjoy!
This was a Christmas tradition in my family. My mom made them slightly different. Her bread was cut a half inch to 1 inch thickness and soaked in warmed honey, then rolled in poppyseed/sugar mixture. I don’t have the exact recipe or I would share. But she would use the same bread recipe for nut rolls, also a Christmas treat. Then for Easter she made the best raisen bread I’ve ever had.
This recipe sounds right up my alley. I’m not into overly sweet desserts and I really like poppy seeds. Those poppy seed rolls, for example, are a favorite, as are poppy seed bagels. And although I’m not much of a baker, this sounds like it wouldn’t be difficult at all. May give it a go!
Poppy seeds (although the white ones and not the black) are often used in Indian cooking and that is one of the reason why I am loving these treats.
Thank you!
I happen to adore poppy seeds and a not too sweet dessert, so I know these shulicks would be delicious to me!
Thank you Tasia!
I’ve not heard of shulicks either but they sound perfect to go with an afternoon tea.
Thanks Karen!
This recipe is proof simple is best. I just need a good cup of coffee and shulicks.
Everyday, I wish the Ukrainian people peace.
Velva
Thank you Velva!
I’m so intrigued. This looks lovely and the honey soak sounds gorgeous. Thanks for sharing this recipe.
Thank you Marie!
These are definitely up my alley as I don’t care for overly sweet desserts. And I’m a huge fan of honey. They would be perfect with my morning coffee too!
Thank you Kim!
I love seeing Ukrainian cuisine! These shulicks sound wonderful with the crunch of poppy seeds as a yummy bonus.
Thank you Liz!
Wow ! This looks heavenly tasty! Must do!!!!!! Happy Easter!
Thanks Davorka!
This looks like a wonderful treat for our Easter table!
Thanks Madalaine!
I’ve never heard of shulicks — at least I don’t remember ever having them or seeing a recipe for them. These are neat! Lovely recipe — thanks.
Thank you John!
Beautiful. They make me happy and sad at the same time.
Thanks Mimi!
What a fun recipe! I’m not familiar with Shulicks but the flavors sound fantastic. Basically a honey cake with poppy seeds. Pass me a slice? Or better yet, just go ahead and send one down to me?? :-) I love the focus on Ukranian recipes, Ben!
Thank you David!
They make a great snack on the way! We love the poppy and the combination with honey and milk is perfect.
Thank you Angie!
Wow another new thing for me, Ukrainian Shulicks definitely interesting and I bet they tasted amazing too! Perfect with a cup of tea
Thank you Raymund!