- 1 cup golden raisins
- 1 tablespoon vodka
- 1 teaspoon white sugar
- 1/4 cup lukewarm water
- 1 (.25 ounce) package active dry yeast
- 1 cup milk
- 1 pinch saffron threads
- 1 teaspoon ground cardamom
- 1/2 cup white sugar
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup butter, melted
- 1/2 cup white sugar
- 1/4 cup orange blossom honey
- 1 lemon, zested
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 pinch salt
- 2 eggs
- 1 egg yolk
- 3 cups all-purpose flour, divided
- 1/2 cup sliced almonds
- 4 clean 14-ounce food cans
- 1 egg white
- 1 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar, or more as needed
- 1/2 teaspoon lemon juice
- 2 tablespoons toasted sliced almonds, or as needed
- Place golden raisins into a bowl, drizzle with vodka, and allow raisins to soften overnight.
- Mix 1 teaspoon sugar into lukewarm water in a bowl until sugar dissolves. Stir yeast into the water and let stand until the yeast mixture is frothy, about 10 minutes.
- Heat milk in a saucepan over medium-low heat until very warm but not simmering. Stir in saffron threads and cardamom, remove from heat, and let the milk mixture stand until lukewarm.
- Transfer yeast mixture into a large mixing bowl. Stir milk mixture, 1/2 cup sugar, and 1 cup flour into the yeast mixture, beating until the batter is smooth. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and allow to rise in a warm place for 1 hour.
- Mix melted butter, 1/2 cup sugar, orange blossom honey, lemon zest, vanilla extract, and salt together in a bowl. Beat butter mixture into the batter, then beat in eggs and egg yolk.
- Mix 2 1/2 cups of flour into the dough. Sprinkle remaining 1/2 cup flour onto a work surface and knead dough until it holds together, about 5 minutes; knead soaked golden raisins and 1/2 cup almonds into the dough until well distributed.
- Form dough into a ball and place into an oiled bowl; turn dough around in the bowl several times to coat outside of dough. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and allow to rise in a warm place until doubled, about 1 1/2 hours.
- Punch down dough, knead a few times, and divide dough into 4 pieces. Coat inside of clean 14-ounce cans with butter. Line cans with parchment paper. Roll each piece of dough into a ball, place into a can, and press dough lightly against the inside bottom of can.
- Cover cans with a cloth and allow dough to rise to the top of the cans, about 45 minutes.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
- Place a baking sheet into the oven; place the cans of dough upright into oven on baking sheet. Bake until kulich are risen and lightly browned, 45 to 50 minutes.
- Let kulich cool in the cans for about 15 minutes before gently removing from cans to finish cooling on racks.
- Beat egg white in a bowl with an electric mixer on medium speed until frothy; beat in confectioners' sugar until the mixture holds stiff peaks. Beat lemon juice into frosting.
- Frost the tops of the kulich and sprinkle tops with 2 tablespoons toasted sliced almonds. Refrigerate leftovers.