Cozonac

A sweet, rich yeast bread from Romania, Moldova and Bulgaria, swirled with a walnut, cocoa or Turkish delight filling and baked for Easter and Christmas.

Cozonac: A braided loaf of cozonac with a glossy dark golden crust, sliced to show a marbled spiral of dark walnut-cocoa filling through soft yellow bread
  • Cakes, cookies, pastries and baked goods
  • Bulgaria, Moldova, Romania

Cozonac is made from a soft enriched dough of flour, milk, eggs, butter and sugar, flavored with vanilla, citrus zest and sometimes rum. The dough is kneaded at length, left to rise, then rolled out and spread with a filling, most often ground walnuts with cocoa and sugar, plus raisins or pieces of Turkish delight. It is rolled up, often braided, and baked in loaf pans.

A well-made cozonac pulls apart in long, fluffy strands and shows a marbled spiral when sliced. In Romania and Moldova it is a must for Easter and Christmas, and the Bulgarian kozunak is a closely related Easter bread.

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Sources

Written by VanillaGoods in our own words from these sources. Last reviewed October 15, 2026.

  1. 9. The Present, Cleveland State University (Romanian Americans and Their Communities of Cleveland)