Cake Natasha classic Soviet era

Step-by-step preparation

Cooking time: 12 hr

1. STEP 1

   

   How to make a classic Soviet-era Natasha cake? Prepare your food. The Natasha cake has three layers with different fillings: nuts, poppy seeds and raisins. Any nuts will do, I used walnuts. Choose seedless raisins. It is better to use sour cream with a fat content of 20%.

2. STEP 2

   

   The dough for the cakes can be kneaded from all the products at once, and then divided into three equal parts and a different filler can be added to each. I like the second option: knead the dough for each cake separately, and while one cake is baking, knead the dough for the next one. For one cake, pour 100 grams of sugar and one egg into a bowl. Be sure to wash your eggs before using them, as even seemingly clean shells can harbor harmful bacteria.

3. STEP 3

   

   Beat the egg with sugar until fluffy and light. Add 100 grams of sour cream, a pinch of salt and 0.5 teaspoon of soda. Mix the mass well.

4. STEP 4

   

   Then add 100 grams of sifted flour, gently mix the dough with a silicone spatula. It is important to sift the flour to saturate it with oxygen. Then the baked goods will turn out airy and rise well during baking.

5. STEP 5

   

   Add 0.5 cups of confectionery poppy seeds to the first portion of dough. Pour the dough into a baking pan lined with parchment paper and bake the cake in the oven for 15-20 minutes at 200 degrees. Keep in mind that everyone's oven is different. Cooking temperatures and times may differ from those indicated in the recipe.

6. STEP 6

   

   While the first cake is baking, knead the dough for the second cake, repeating steps 2-4. Chop the nuts, but not to crumbs, let them remain medium pieces. Lightly fry them in a dry frying pan. Add nuts to the dough. Also place the cake in the oven next to the poppy seed cake.

7. STEP 7

   

   Prepare the dough for the last cake in the same way, only add 0.5 cups of raisins to it, which must first be steamed in boiling water. How to steam raisins correctly? Pour hot water over the well-washed raisins and leave for 10-15 minutes. During this time it will become soft. Drain and pat dry with paper towels.

8. STEP 8

   

   Bake all three cake layers and let them cool completely.

9. STEP 9

   

   Prepare the cream. The classic version of the Natasha cake uses sour cream. How to make cream? For sour cream, take the fattest sour cream; the fattier it is, the thicker and fluffier the cream will be.

10. STEP 10

    

    Beat the sour cream and sugar well until the sugar is completely dissolved. Add vanilla (to taste). A very small amount of it, on the tip of a knife, will be enough, otherwise it will taste bitter.

11. STEP 11

    

    Assemble the cake. To ensure that the cake is even and neat, it is better to assemble it in a springform pan. Cover the sides of the mold with special acetate film. If you don’t have such a film, it doesn’t matter! I use a cut-up plastic corner folder for documents instead. If you don't have a springform pan, simply assemble the cake on a plate; it will still turn out delicious. Alternately place the cakes and cream into the mold.

12. STEP 12

    

    Leave the cake to steep directly in the mold for 8 hours, or better yet, overnight. In the morning, remove the springform pan and remove the film. Decorate the finished cake as you wish. You can completely coat the sides and top with sour cream and sprinkle with chopped walnuts. This is the simplest design option. Below is my design option. Steps 13 to 18 are optional.

13. STEP 13

    

    I used buttercream to decorate the top of the cake. To prepare the buttercream, use softened butter. To make it soft, remove it from the refrigerator in advance.

14. STEP 14

    

    Beat the butter for 5 minutes with a mixer at high speed. Gradually pour in the condensed milk, continuing to whisk the cream. Choose high-quality, proven condensed milk. Without vegetable fats and food additives. The composition should contain only two ingredients: milk and sugar. The quality of the condensed milk will ultimately determine the taste and quality of the finished cream.

15. STEP 15

    

    The cream should be smooth and shiny. If you immediately add condensed milk, the butter may separate and the cream will have grains.

16. STEP 16

    

    Sprinkle the sides of the cake with chopped walnuts. Place the buttercream into a pastry bag and use different tips (I used a small open star and a large closed star) to decorate the top of the cake. It’s already beautiful, you can leave it like that.

17. STEP 17

    

    If you have strawberries, arrange them in a cream mesh. Instead of strawberries, you can use any berries or walnut halves. It will turn out very beautiful.

18. STEP 18

    

    When cut, the Natasha cake looks very impressive! Bon appetit!

Comments on the recipe

Candina

19.12.2023

4.9

I know a recipe for a similar cake with poppy seeds, walnuts and sour cream. There is nothing more delicious in the world!

Natalia M

19.12.2023

4.9

For her husband’s anniversary, Natasha gave him a delicious Soviet-era classic cake. I have baked this cake several times already, I just changed the filling for the cake layers. I added different types of nuts, cocoa, and candied fruits. This time I replaced raisins, which no one likes here, with dried apricots. I also like to knead the dough for each cake separately, it’s more convenient. I followed the recipe in proportions and everything turned out great. I baked the cakes in a ring with a diameter of 20 cm. Instead of a bottom, I covered the outside of the ring with foil, greased the sides and bottom with vegetable oil. The baking time in my oven was 30 minutes at 180°. At the same time, the top was slightly browned, but remained sticky, and the toothpick came out dry. The cakes came out quite tall and I decided to cut them in half, and then alternated them when shaping the cake. They cut well and don't crumble. For the cream I used 20% sour cream. In order for the sour cream to whip well, weigh it out and increase the amount of product. I kept it under a light weight overnight in the refrigerator. During this time, the whey drained and the sour cream became very thick. It whipped up perfectly with the sugar. The cake was assembled in a ring, and then covered with cream cheese based cream and decorated. Despite the fact that this cake is not a sponge cake, it turned out very soft! It is heavy in weight, but at the same time tender and juicy! All the fillings go well together, and the fluffy sour cream complements them perfectly. Very tasty and elegant!