Potica Coffee Cake Recipe {Sweet Yeast Cake with Walnut Filling} (2024)

Julie Clark

Posted: 10/18/2018 Updated: 2/11/2022

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Potica Coffee Cake is a sweet nut roll baked in a bundt cake pan. This delicious yeast based coffee cake is perfect for the holidays alongside a cup of coffee!

Potica Coffee Cake Recipe

Cozy, warm nut filling inside a yeast-based coffee cake. Sounds amazing, right? I stumbled across this recipe and knew it would be one that would make a great breakfast or brunch for the holidays. This cake is best served fresh or rewarm it by the slice in the microwave.

Where does potica come from?

Potica is a sweet dough that is filled with a walnut filling. It is a traditional Slovenian recipe, but has many different forms and names. How do you pronounce potica? Well…I’d love for someone who 100% knows to tell me. I’ve heard about 6 different pronunciations and I’d love to know which is correct. This nut roll is traditionally served in holidays such as Christmas and Easter.

What is potica cake?

I’ve seen some potica recipes that end up in nut roll forms, but this recipe makes 2 rolls and bakes up in a bundt cake pan. Drizzle the cake with glaze and slice the cake like you would a traditional bundt cake. So delicious!

How do you make potica dough?

Potica dough is a sweet yeast dough with a base of butter, milk and eggs. You’ll need 2 packages of yeast and prepare the dough just as you would any yeast dough. Allow the yeast to proof in the warm water and finish mixing up the dough.

The nice thing about this recipe is that it is a “cool rise” dough meaning it sits in the fridge overnight. This makes it a little easier to enjoy a fresh coffee cake in the morning because part of the work is done!

How do you make nut roll filling?

The morning after you make the dough, prepare the filling. Chop the walnuts and dates. Then mix in the cinnamon, sugar and milk. Cook this over low heat until the mixture thickens. Allow the mix to cool.

While the nut mix is cooling, beat the egg whites until they hold stiff peaks. While you are beating the eggs, add in 1 cup of sugar. Once the nut mixture is cooled, you’ll fold these stiff egg whites into the nut mixture. That’s all it takes to make the nut filling!

Nut Roll Cake

Here’s the steps to make the cake after the dough and filling are made.

Divide the dough in two pieces and roll each piece out into a rectangle.
Divide the nut filling between the 2 rolled doughs and spread to within about 1″ of the edges.
Roll up the dough like you would a cinnamon roll. Seal the edges.
Place each roll in a greased bundt pan as the picture shows below, overlapping each half.
Allow the cake to sit on the stove and rise for 30 minutes before baking.

Coffee Cake Glaze

You can make a simple vanilla glaze with powdered sugar, heavy cream and vanilla extract. Add enough cream to make it the consistency that you’d like. Drizzle the glaze over the cake after it has cooled off a bit.

Other Coffee Cake Recipes

Sour Cream Coffee Cake
Buttermilk Coffee Cake
Cream Filled Coffee Cake
Orange Raisin Coffee Cake

Potica Coffee Cake

4.50 from 2 votes

Potica Coffee Cake is a sweet nut roll baked in a bundt cake pan. This delicious yeast based coffee cake is perfect for the holidays alongside a cup of coffee!

Servings 15

Prep Time 35 minutes minutes

Cook Time 45 minutes minutes

Total Time 1 hour hour 20 minutes minutes

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Ingredients

For the dough:

1 cup butter
½ cup milk
2 packages dry yeast
¼ cup warm water
3 large eggs (separated, reserve the egg whites)
2 ½ cups flour
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ cup sugar

For the filling:

2 cups chopped walnuts
1 teaspoon cinnamon
3 tablespoons sugar
½ cup chopped dates
¾ cups milk
1 cup sugar
Reserved egg whites

For the glaze:

1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
3-5 tablespoons heavy cream
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Instructions

For the dough:

Heat butter and milk over low on stovetop until butter has melted. Cool to lukewarm.
In a large bowl, dissolve the yeast in the warm water and beat in the egg yolk. Blend in the cooled milk mixture.
Sift in the flour, salt and sugar. Beat until the mixture is smooth and creamy.
Cover bowl and refrigerate overnight.

For the filling:

The next day, blend together walnuts, cinnamon, sugar, dates and milk for the filling in a saucepan over medium-low heat. Stir until mixture thickens. Let cool.
Beat egg whites until stiff and slowly add in the 1 cup of sugar. Fold into the cooled walnut mixture.
Divide dough into two equal pieces and dust each with flour. Roll out (one at a time) to make an 18-inch circle. Pour half of the walnut filling onto the dough and spread out over the dough and roll up jelly-roll fashion.
Carefully place into a bundt pan that has been sprayed with non-stick cooking spray.
Repeat with the second half and carefully place that half on the other side of the pan, overlapping the first half.
Place on stovetop and let rise for 30 minutes while preheating the oven to 350 degrees.
Bake for 45 minutes.
Cool in pan for 15 minutes and then invert to a cake plate.

For the glaze:

Place the powdered sugar in a medium-size bowl.
Add the heavy cream a tablespoon at a time until you reach the consistency you'd like your icing or drizzle to be.
Add the flavor extract of your choice. Mix well.
Drizzle the glaze over the cake.
Serve fresh for best results or reheat slices in microwave for 30 seconds prior to serving to retain moistness.

Notes

The calories shown are based on the cake being cut into 15 pieces, with 1 serving being 1 slice of cake. Since different brands of ingredients have different nutritional information, the calories shown are just an estimate. **We are not dietitians and recommend you seek a nutritionist for exact nutritional information.**

Nutrition

Author Julie Clark

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Calories 461

Keyword breakfast cake, coffee cake with nuts, holiday cake, nut cake, yeast coffee cake

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