Romanian Walnut and Honey Cake (Cozonac cu Nucă și Miere)

In a small bowl, combine the warm milk, 1 tablespoon of sugar, and active dry yeast. Stir gently and let it sit for 5-10 minutes until foamy.

In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the remaining granulated sugar, eggs, melted butter, vanilla extract, and salt. Add the foamy yeast mixture and gradually incorporate the all-purpose flour, mixing until a soft dough forms.

Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead for 8-10 minutes until smooth and elastic. Place the dough in a greased bowl, cover with a clean kitchen towel, and let it rise in a warm place for 1-1.5 hours, or until doubled in size.

While the dough rises, prepare the filling: In a medium bowl, combine the finely ground walnuts and honey. Mix well until a thick paste forms.

Once the dough has risen, gently punch it down and divide it into two equal portions. On a lightly floured surface, roll out each portion into a rectangle approximately 12x8 inches. Spread half of the walnut-honey filling evenly over each rectangle, leaving a small border.

Roll each rectangle tightly from the long side to form a log. Gently twist the two logs together to create a braided effect. Place the braided dough into a greased 9x5 inch loaf pan.

Cover the loaf pan with a kitchen towel and let it rise again for 30 minutes in a warm place. Bake in a preheated oven at 350°F/175°C for 35-40 minutes, or until golden brown and a wooden skewer inserted into the center comes out clean.

Remove the cake from the oven and let it cool in the pan for 10 minutes before transferring it to a wire rack to cool completely.