Capital Kiev cake with raisins according to GOST

Step-by-step preparation

Cooking time: 1 hr 20 mins

1. STEP 1

   

   So, take the butter and eggs out of the refrigerator in advance so that they come to room temperature. We wash the raisins and fill them with water – not boiling water, but very warm boiled water.

2. STEP 2

   

   Let it sit for a short time, 5 minutes - otherwise the raisins will become too wet and will not give the cake its signature dryness. The raisins have softened a little - and that’s enough, drain the delicious raisin water - you can drink it, this, by the way, is healthy, and put the raisins in a colander, let the excess moisture drain.

3. STEP 3

   

   You can start preparing the dough. Place soft butter in a bowl and beat it with a mixer, without adding anything yet - just butter, at low speed. The original calls for beating for 5 minutes. But I decided to spare my mixer, which still had a lot of work to do, and beat for 2 minutes. The difference between untouched and whipped butter is immediately noticeable: it becomes like a fluffy cream.

4. STEP 4

   

   Pour sugar into the butter and continue beating at low speed, now for 10-12 minutes. My mixer couldn’t withstand such a marathon (although it might have, but I didn’t want to check), so we limited ourselves to 5 minutes.

5. STEP 5

   

   The mass becomes fluffy, and the sugar grains slowly dissolve, which is what we need. Now it's time to add the eggs. But first, we’ll break them into a separate bowl, pour cognac into it and beat with a fork. The mixer is resting for now :)

6. STEP 6

   

   Now continue beating, pouring the egg mixture into the butter mixture, one tablespoon at a time. Add it and beat it well, and only then add the next portion. If you rush and do not completely mix the eggs with the butter, the mixture may separate, resulting in a greasy cake. Beat for another 10-12 minutes, or at least 5-7 - until you mix in the entire egg mixture and the sugar has completely melted.

7. STEP 7

   

   To check, try the mixture by rubbing a small amount between your fingers: if you feel sugar crystals, then you need to beat a little more. And if the mixture is soft and silky, then that’s enough!

8. STEP 8

   

   Mix flour with baking powder and sift, first not into the dough, but into a separate bowl

9. STEP 9

   

   Here we have a fluffy butter mass and airy flour.

10. STEP 10

    

    Little by little, spoon by spoon, stir the flour into the whipped mixture. Let's not forget to add salt.

11. STEP 11

    

    Mix gently in one direction, like biscuit dough. I’ve never seen such a cake batter before: it’s so fluffy, tender, and airy that it’s simply amazing!

12. STEP 12

    

    After mixing in all the flour, add the raisins. After squeezing it out of the remaining moisture, mix it with an additional 2 tablespoons of flour - so that the raisins are well coated in it. This is necessary so that the raisins do not fall down while the cake is baking, but are evenly distributed throughout the dough.

13. STEP 13

    

    Pour the raisins dredged in flour into the dough and gently stir to ensure even distribution.

14. STEP 14

    

    Meanwhile, turn on the oven and preheat to 170C.

15. STEP 15

    

    Line the cake pan with parchment greased with a thin layer of vegetable oil. The traditional shape for the Capital cake is rectangular, like for bread. But it is quite possible to bake in small portioned molds (grease them with sunflower oil and fill them with dough to no more than 2/3 of the height), or in a cake ring mold with a hole. Baking time will vary depending on the size of the pan.

16. STEP 16

    

    Place the dough in the mold and distribute. In the middle of the cupcake we make a longitudinal cut with a knife to get that signature crack on its top. Place the cupcakes in the oven on the middle floor and bake. The small cupcakes took me about 35-40 minutes to bake. Large – 1 hour 10 minutes. Focus on the characteristics of your oven and the cupcakes themselves: they are ready when they rise, acquire a brown blush, crack on the tops, and a wooden skewer when you try

17. STEP 17

    

    Let the finished cupcakes cool in the molds, since when hot the dough is very tiny and tender. Then we carefully take out: a large cake - by pulling the ends of the paper, small ones - by prying the edges with the tip of a knife. Finally cool the cupcakes on a wire rack.

18. STEP 18

    

    Sprinkle with powdered sugar through a strainer.

19. STEP 19

    

    Let's try it or, if we have enough patience, wait until the morning to find out if our raisin muffins turned out the same as in the confectionery factory according to GOST?

20. STEP 20

    

    Enjoy your tea!