* You may need more or less vegetable oil. It depends on the size of the pan you will be frying the donuts in. * All ingredients for the dough should be at room temperature. 1. Heat the milk (to approximately 40°C). Add the yeast. Stir, cover with plastic wrap or a damp cloth and let stand for 15-20 minutes. The yeast should become frothy. 2. In a large bowl: mix the dissolved yeast with 2 tablespoons of sugar. Add 3 egg yolks and 350 g of pumpkin puree. Mix. Sift in half of the flour. Mix. Add 0.5 teaspoon of salt and mix. Then gradually add the remaining flour, kneading the dough well (you can do this by hand or with a mixer with a dough hook attachment). Let the dough rest for 10 minutes. 3. Add 2.5 tablespoons of softened butter to the dough. Knead the dough well again. Cover the bowl with the dough with plastic wrap or a damp towel and let it rise. The time depends on the room temperature, from 40 minutes to 1.5 hours. The dough should double in volume. 4. Place the dough on a floured surface. Roll it out to a thickness of approximately 1 inch. Cut out circles. Tie each circle with cotton butcher's twine string, giving it a pumpkin shape. Place the finished pumpkins on a floured tray and cover with a clean, dry towel to prevent the dough from drying out. 5. In a bowl, mix together 2 tablespoons of sugar, 2 tablespoons of ground cinnamon, and, if using, 1 tablespoon of pumpkin spice. 6. Prepare a large plate lined with paper towels for placing the donuts after frying. Place scissors and the bowl with sugar and cinnamon next to it. 7. Prepare a large plate lined with parchment paper for the finished pumpkins. 8. Over high heat: heat the oil in a deep pan or pot. (The oil is hot enough if, when you dip a wooden spoon into it, bubbles form around the spoon.) Reduce the heat to medium. Fry the donuts on both sides until golden brown. Place them on a plate lined with paper towels. Let cool slightly, cut and remove the strings. Roll donuts in the sugar and cinnamon mixture. Place them on a plate lined with parchment paper. Repeat with all the donuts. 9. Optionally, decorate the donuts with cinnamon sticks. *** COFEE-FLAVORED CREAM Ingredients: white chocolate - 100 g, cream - 200 g, instant coffee - 2 tablespoons, butter - 2 tablespoons, spices (cinnamon, ginger, cardamom, nutmeg) - to taste. Mix all the ingredients in a saucepan. Heat over low heat, stirring continuously until the chocolate is completely dissolved. Do not boil! Strain the resulting mixture through a sieve into a clean bowl, cover with plastic wrap and cool to room temperature. Refrigerate for 4 hours. Whip with a mixer. Put the cream into a pastry bag. Make indentations in the donuts and fill them with the cream. ***

   1. Warm 1 cup of milk (about 104 F (40 C)). Mix yeast, warm milk, 1/2 cup of sugar. Cover with plastic wrap or a damp cloth and let it sit for 10–15 minutes until foamy. 2. In a large bowl, mix yeast mixture, 2 egg yolks and 1 spoon of vanilla extract. Sift half of flour and mix. Add the remaining flour and salt. Knead the dough by hand or with a mixer fitted with a dough hook (about 5 minutes). Let the dough rest for 10 minutes. Add pieces of softened butter. Knead the dough until smooth and elastic (about 10 minutes). 3. Cover with plastic wrap or a damp cloth and let rise in a warm place for 1 hour. 4. Drain any excess water from the ricotta cheese, if there is any. Mix ricotta, lemon zest, lemon juice, 1 egg yolk, 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla extract, 1/4 cup of sugar, and raisins (if using) until smooth. 5. Grease the baking pan with butter (I use round baking pan.). 6. Lightly flour the surface for rolling out the dough. Divide the dough into 2 parts. Form balls. Roll each ball into a circle about 0.5 inches (about 1.5 cm) thick – slightly larger in diameter than your baking pan. Place the filling on one circle, distributing it evenly over the entire surface of the circle, leaving an edge of about 0.5 inches (1.3 cm) without filling. Cover with the second circle. Pinch the edges together very well and carefully place the dough into the baking pan. 7. This step can be skipped, but it will make the pastry look more beautiful. Place a glass in the center of the dough and press it down slightly. This will be the center of the flower. Mentally divide the dough around the center into 8 petals. Using scissors, cut one petal from both sides, without cutting all the way to the glass, and twist it twice. Repeat this with all the petals. 8. Cover with plastic wrap or a damp cloth and let rise in a warm place for 1 hour. Let the dough rise to double its size in a warm place (about 40 minutes). 9. Mix 1/2 cup of flour, 2 tablespoons of sugar and 2 tablespoons of butter until crumbly. 10. Mix 1 egg and 2 tablespoons of milk or water. 11. Preheat oven to 375°F (175°C). 12. Brush the top of babka with the egg mixture. Brush the top of the cake with the egg mixture. Sprinkle with crumbs and nuts (if using). 13. Bake for 35–40 minutes until golden brown. 14. Let cool before slicing. Dust with powdered sugar or drizzle with glaze if desired.