Mona de Pasqua

Mona de Pasqua (Catalan Easter Ring Cake)

A traditional Catalan enriched sweet bread shaped into a ring with hard-boiled eggs nestled in the centre, given by the godfather (padrí) to his godchild on Easter Monday. This home version is the simple, classic bread form; specialist pastisseries add chocolate, cream and marzipan for gift versions.

Prep

40 min

Cook

35 min

Total

75 min

Serves

8

Difficulty

Medium

Recipe ingredients

• •500 g (1 lb 2 oz) strong bread flour, plus extra for dusting
• •100 g (½ cup) caster sugar
• •25 g (1 oz) fresh yeast, or 8 g instant yeast; traditional recipes use a spoonful of sourdough starter
• •200 ml (¾ cup + 1 tbsp) whole milk, lukewarm
• •80 ml (⅓ cup) extra-virgin olive oil, or 80 g melted unsalted butter; olive oil is more traditional in Valencia and Murcia
• •2 whole (2 large) eggs, plus 1 yolk for glazing
• •30 ml (2 tbsp) moscatel or anisette, sweet muscat wine or anise liqueur
• •1 whole lemon, zest only, unwaxed
• •1 tsp fine sea salt
• •4 whole (4 large) eggs, hard-boiled, for pressing into the centre; cook 10 minutes from boiling, then cool fully
• •1 tbsp icing sugar, for dusting

Steps

1. 1 Bloom the yeast: stir the fresh yeast and 1 tablespoon of the sugar into the lukewarm milk. Let sit 8–10 minutes until foamy. (If using instant yeast, skip this step and mix directly with the flour.)
2. 2 Make the dough: in a large bowl combine the flour, remaining sugar, salt and lemon zest. Make a well in the centre and add the bloomed yeast mixture, the 2 whole eggs, olive oil (or melted butter) and moscatel. Mix with a wooden spoon until a shaggy dough forms.
3. 3 Knead: turn out onto a lightly floured surface and knead for 12–15 minutes, until the dough is smooth, elastic and springs back when pressed. It should just clear the work surface; if sticky, dust with a little more flour, but keep it soft — an enriched dough should remain supple.
4. 4 First rise: shape into a ball, place in a lightly oiled bowl, cover with a damp cloth and leave in a warm spot for 1 hour 30 minutes to 2 hours, until roughly doubled in size.
5. 5 Shape the ring: gently deflate the dough and divide into two equal pieces for two smaller mones, or keep as one for a single large cake. Roll each piece into a thick rope about 60 cm (24 in) long, join the ends to form a ring, and pinch firmly to seal. Transfer to a baking sheet lined with parchment.
6. 6 Second rise: cover loosely with oiled cling film and prove 45 minutes to 1 hour, until puffy and visibly grown.
7. 7 Add the eggs: peel the hard-boiled eggs fully. Press them evenly spaced into the ring at 2–3 cm depth so they sit half-buried in the dough and will be held in place as the cake bakes and rises around them.
8. 8 Glaze: beat the reserved egg yolk with 1 teaspoon of water and brush generously over the dough, avoiding the eggs.
9. 9 Bake: heat the oven to 180°C / 350°F (fan 160°C / 325°F). Bake for 30–35 minutes, until deeply golden and the underside sounds hollow when tapped. An internal temperature of 92°C / 198°F in the bread portion confirms it is cooked through (the hard-boiled eggs will already be well above safe temperature).
10. 10 Cool and finish: cool on the tray for 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack. Dust with icing sugar just before serving. Traditionally eaten on Easter Monday, accompanied by chocolate eggs and a glass of moscatel.