Cake Prague Thursday, Apr 17 2008

ABOUT:

Even though it’s named Prague, it’s a very popular desert in Russia, don’t know why.

INGREDIENTS:

Dough:
0.5 L kefir/sour cream
3 cups flour
3 cups sugar
3 eggs
1/3 cups cacao
2 teaspoons baking soda
3 tablespoons cognac or brandy

Cream:
2 cups unsalted butter
1/3 cup cacao
1 can condensed milk

DIRECTIONS:

Cream:
Mix chopped butter with cacao in a mixer. Add condensed milk and mix again. Put cream in the fridge while dough is made.

Dough:
Heat oven 375 F

Mix kefir, cognac and cacao in the mixer, then all oher ingredients for dough. Mix everything very well. The dough must look like sour cream.

Bake 7-8 shortcakes about 15 minutes. Let them cool and spread cream on shortcakes. When all the shortcakes are creamed, spread the cream on the top and on the sides of the cake.

Put the cake in the fridge for a couple of hours. Decorate the cake with fruits and chocolate shaves.

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Borsch Wednesday, Apr 16 2008

INGREDIENTS:
Stock
Piece of meat
Add cold water to it
Close it with the lid
Bring it to boil
Get rid of the water
Clean the pot
Cover it with cold water again
Bring to boil
Simmer for 3 hours
Add salt 1 Tablespoon

DIRECTIONS:
Bring water to boil and add 3 potatoes

Cut up beets, add vinegar, sugar, salt and simmer until soft. Add carrots, onion, lots of olive oil. Fry.

Into water add fried mixture, cabbage, cut up red pepper, bay leave, cook for 5-7 min, bring to boil

Serve after 30-40 min.

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Varenyky Wednesday, Apr 16 2008

ABOUT:

Varenyky are popular Ukrainian crescent shaped dumplings stuffed with whatever your heart desires; cheese, sour cherries, mashed potatoes, cabbage, meat. This recipe was derived from my grandma’s version, few culinary books, magazines and finally a chef from Yalta who sugested to use cake flour.

SERVINGS:

This recipe makes about 30 varenikis.

INGREDIENTS:

1 cup all-purpose flour plus additional for kneading and rolling
3/4 cup cake flour (not self-rising)
2 large eggs
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup water
Sour cream

DIRECTIONS:

Stir together flours in a bowl. Make a well in flour and add eggs, salt, and water, then stir together with a fork without touching flour. Continue stirring, gradually incorporating flour into well until a soft dough forms. Transfer dough to a lightly floured work surface and knead, adding only as much additional flour as needed to keep dough from sticking, until smooth and elastic, about 8 minutes. (Dough will be soft.) Cover with plastic wrap and let rest at room temperature at least 30 minutes.
Dough may be made 2 hours ahead, wrapped well in plastic wrap and chilled. Bring to room temperature before using.
Served with sour cream.

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Zebra Cake Sunday, Apr 13 2008

ABOUT:

The cake got it’s name for it’s appearance

INGREDIENTS:

6 small eggs
110g castor sugar
150g cake flour
½ tsp baking powder
½ tbsp emulsifier
100g butter, melted
30g condensed milk
1 tsp vanilla essence (optional)

2 tsp cocoa powder
3-4 tbsp water
1 tsp chocolate emulco

Almond nibs or flakes for sprinkling

DIRECTIONS:

Dissolve cocoa powder and chocolate emulco in water.

Preheat oven at 170 C. Prepare and grease a 8 inch round cake pan.

Sift flour and baking powder. Set aside.

Beat eggs, flour in, castor sugar and emulsifier on high speed for 10 minutes or until batter turns light and creamy, i.e. thick ribbon state. To test, lift beater. Batter drops from beater should disappear when you count from 1 to 10.

Pour melted butter, condensed milk and vanilla essence (if any). Mix at slow speed.

Divide batter into 2 equal portions. Fold chocolate solution into one of the batters.

Using tablespoon, scoop 3 tbsp of uncoloured batter into centre of cake pan. Then, scoop 3 tbsp of chocolate batter onto the uncoloured batter you just scooped into the pan.

Repeat until you have finished about half of the batter. Reduce to 2 scoops each now and continue layering as (6). Reduce the amount of batter gradually until you only pour 1 scoop of each batter finally. The circles become smaller and smaller as your pour.

Sprinkle almond nibs or flakes to cake. Bake at 170 C for 35 minutes.

Let cake in pan for 10 minutes before turning it on to a wire rack to cool complete.

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