Cake. Types and names of cakes

First, a barely audible crunch, then a sugar explosion, fragments of which settle in the corners of the lips, while the sweet taste of the filling is already spreading in the mouth...
Macaroons, a piece of heavenly delight that fits between your index finger and thumb, are the most modern of French pastry classics.

Small round cakes with cream filling, colorful confetti with original flavors have become a favorite delicacy all over the world - from the banks of the Seine to the Hudson and Tokyo Bay. (c) Pascale Bernard

Everything you need to know about macarons: composition, rules for choosing ingredients, what the “correct” macarons are, how to serve and how to give as a gift. And also: two basic recipes - in French and Italian meringue and 9 delicious fillings - ganache, curds, creams. And one more thing: about macaron fashion, facts and legends, and even a little linguistics...

The main thing about macarons

Macarons - a small cake (or complex cookie) made from chopped almonds and meringue - are firmly gaining a position on our table, becoming an increasingly desirable dessert during the holidays.

At first glance, it seems that preparing macarons is very simple: beat the egg whites with powdered sugar, mix with almond flour, place them in circles on a baking sheet - and you’re done. However, this is not the case. Macaroons with a characteristic “skirt” are a very delicate thing, although not oriental, and they will turn out only if you strictly follow all the instructions and strictly follow the recipe.

Almond flour should be fine and dry. The success of the cookies depends on its quality. If it is impossible to buy the mentioned component in your area, there is no reason to despair and close the page - you can prepare flour yourself, you only need almonds. Of course, this greatly complicates the already difficult process of baking macarons, but the result is worth it, believe me!

The whites for macaroons must be aged. Ganache and cream – aged. Ingredients are measured to the nearest gram, and the temperature of the oven is monitored strictly and closely. Baking cookies is a lot of work that requires concentration, physical effort and a huge investment of mental strength. If you violate at least one point of the requirements, the macarons will not turn out - this has been checked more than once!

So, the “correct” macarons should:

- be smooth, strictly round and appetizingly neat;
- be the owner of a flawless surface without “tails” and, of course, cracks;
- be glossy, gently shiny and not stick to the skin when pressed with a finger;
- have a crispy crust; if there is no such crust, you have anything in front of you, but not macarons;
- have 4-4.5 cm in diameter (nowadays there are still fashionable mini-macarons, which do not exceed 3 cm in diameter, and maxi-macarons, more like almond cakes);
- hide a delicate texture, sweet and moist, under a crispy crust;
- demonstrate a flirty “skirt” (La collerette), the thickness of which should be approximately equal to the thickness of the top part of the cookie;
- show off the delicate filling, the thickness of which is again equal to the thickness of the cookies;
- have a filling that extends just a little, just a little beyond the “skirt”, teasing the eyes and mouth.

How to serve macaroons?

A special form of art is the ability to present macarons beautifully. Designers come up with special stands, confectioners compete in unusual ideas, and numerous coffee shops “play” with dishes and napkins. Once I had the opportunity to eat macarons on a stick - seemingly completely incompatible things, however, someone came up with such an indulgence!

At home, for macarons, it is better to choose unusually shaped plates - carefully laying out the cakes on the dish, try to give the row of cookies a fancy bend, a non-standard line, experiment with “towers” ​​and “floors”.

Packaging macarons is a separate matter. Try ordering these cakes to take away from any pastry shop in Paris - I guarantee you will get incredible pleasure admiring the box, untying the numerous ribbons and bows, touching the textured paper, rustling the napkins. If you are baking macarons to take with you on a visit or to give to a good friend in the hospital, think about the packaging - this is important, it is an integral part of the cakes, this is the general essence of the grandiose show called “Macarons!”

2 basic macaron recipes and a scattering of macaron fillings

Today, the legendary almond cakes are baked using two basic recipes. Or rather, there are, of course, hundreds of recipes, but they can all be roughly reduced to two types: macarons based on regular French meringue and macarons based on custard Italian meringue.

Everything else is variations on a given theme and games with additives. French meringue has simpler preparation instructions, but is very unstable - without experience, the chance of ruining macarons is quite high. Italian meringue is, of course, a little more difficult to prepare, and there are a lot of pitfalls in it, but the dough mixed with it is much easier to work with. The choice is yours, and I suggest starting with a simpler, but at the same time more capricious option.

Macarons with French meringue

Ingredients:

• 165 g white almond flour;
• 165 g powdered sugar;
• 150 g sugar;
• 115 g proteins.

French macaron recipe

1. Mix powder and almond flour, sift through a sieve several times. Twice 165 g is the yield of a ready-made product, so I recommend initially taking a little more powder and flour, and sifting it onto the scale so that you clearly know when to stop.2. Beat the whites first at slow speed, then increase the speed and continue until soft peaks - at this stage add sugar a little at a time, in a thin stream and, if necessary, a couple of drops (no more!) of gel dye (a pinch of dry). Beat until the sugar dissolves and stiff peaks form.

3. Use a spatula and very carefully mix the meringue with the almond-sugar mixture– this stage is called “maccaronage”. It is important to find the right moment to stop: the mixture should already be homogeneous, but not become liquid, the whites should already combine with the almond flour, but still retain a sufficient number of air bubbles. Different sources indicate a different number of movements with the spatula - from 10 to 50. I think it is obvious that you should not focus on this moment, it is better to intuitively understand when to stop: the dough should flow from the spatula in a continuous ribbon.

4. Transfer the finished dough into a pastry bag and place them on a sheet of parchment paper in circles with a diameter of 2-3 cm. There should be a distance of about 2 cm between them; you need to place them strictly vertically, “cutting” the dough with a sharp movement to the side. With a properly mixed mass, the “tail” will disperse in a few seconds.

5. After this, you need to lift the baking sheet several times and tap it well on the table surface - this way the future macarons will take a more regular shape, the extra dough bubbles will come out of the cookies, and the last memories of the “tails” will become history.

6. Leave the baking sheet with cookies on the table - the dough should air so that the resulting crust does not allow air to escape during the baking process. After 15-20 minutes, gently touch the surface of the macaroon with your finger - if your finger remains clean, you can put the cookies in the oven. If the dough sticks, leave for another 10-15 minutes.

7. Bake at 150 degrees for 14 minutes. Depending on the features of your oven, the time may be a little longer or a little shorter.

Transfer the finished macarons to a wire rack directly with the paper, leave until completely cool, and then remove from the parchment.

Macarons with Italian meringue

Ingredients:

• 300 g powdered sugar;
• 300 g almond flour;
• 110 g protein;
• 110 g protein;
• 50 g sugar;
• 250 g sugar;
• 75 g water.

Italian macaron recipe

1. Sift powdered sugar with flour(again, strictly ensure that the output is 600 g), add the protein (the first 110 g) and mix. Without subtleties and tricks - we just monitor the weight, remembering that when baking macarons, correctly measured components are half the success.

If necessary, add powder or gel dye.

2. Make syrup from sugar (250 g) and water up to 120 degrees. If you don't have a cooking thermometer, use a string of syrup as a guide - it should stretch well between two fingers, not tear (undercooked) or break (overcooked).

3. At the same time, the whites are whipped with sugar (50 g) - until soft peaks. Pour the finished syrup, hot and scalding, into the protein mass in a thin stream, without turning off the mixer. The mass will greatly increase in volume and then become shiny and smooth.

4. We combine the two masses and make a macronage(in this version - not particularly almond-like, the meringue is stable and strong, so knead intensively, the mass should be glossy and fall from the spatula like a ribbon), after which we transfer the finished dough into a pastry bag and place it on a baking sheet in the form of circles with a diameter of 2-3 cm Cut off the “tail” with a sharp movement to the side, leaving a distance of 2 cm between the cookies.

Holding the two edges of the baking sheet, knock them several times on the edge of the table.

5. Leave for 15-30 minutes for airing, after which bake at 150 degrees about 14 minutes (look at the oven features).

6. When the macaron preparations are baked, you can combine the cookies in pairs. The filling is transferred into a pastry bag, squeezed onto half of the baked cookies, and then covered with the other half. By the way, for this it is convenient to immediately lay out two rows of blanks on a baking sheet - half “head” down, the other half - vice versa. This makes it more convenient to place the cream on the first part of the cookie and quickly close the second.

Recipes for almond cake fillings

Well, let's dwell a little on the fillings. Jams, curds, ganaches, creams, chocolate spreads - there are a lot of options, and new ones are constantly being invented, unusual and original ones are being created. Try, create, experiment - and you will definitely find your ideal combination.

Classic chocolate ganache

Ingredients: 100 g dark chocolate, 100 ml heavy cream.

Break the chocolate into pieces and pour in warmed cream. Knead with a spatula until a homogeneous, smooth mass, cover with cling film and leave in the refrigerator for at least 10 hours.

Coffee ganache

Ingredients: 200 g dark chocolate, 100 ml heavy cream, 30 g coffee beans.

Mix the cream with coffee beans, bring to a boil, and leave to brew. Melt the chocolate in a water bath, strain the cooled cream into it. Stir until smooth, cover with cling film and refrigerate for at least 10 hours.

White chocolate ganache

Ingredients: 200g good quality white chocolate, 150ml heavy cream.

Break the chocolate into pieces, put it in a bowl, pour in the cream brought to a boil, and knead into a smooth, homogeneous mass. Cover with cling film and put in the refrigerator for 10 hours.

Raspberry ganache

Ingredients: 50 ml heavy cream, 200 g white chocolate, 100 g raspberry puree.

Mix the cream with the puree, bring to a boil, add the chocolate broken into pieces and stir well. The mass should be smooth and glossy.
Cover with cling film and place in the refrigerator for at least 10 hours.

Lemon curd

Ingredients: 115 g egg mixture, 120 g sugar, 80 ml lemon juice, zest of 1 lemon, 125 g butter.

Mix freshly squeezed juice with sugar, add zest, stir in eggs and place the mixture in a water bath. Stirring constantly, cook until noticeable thickening (15-30 minutes). Cool, then add room temperature butter and beat. Cover with cling film and refrigerate for at least 12 hours.

Raspberry cream

Ingredients: 300 g mashed raspberry puree, 100 g sugar, 1 tbsp. l. with a “hill” of starch, 1 tsp. gelatin.

Pour gelatin with a small amount of water and leave to swell.
Mix raspberry puree with starch and sugar, bring to a boil, but do not boil. Stirring, cook until thickened. Add gelatin, cover with film and put in the refrigerator for at least 12 hours.

Green tea ganache

Ingredients: 100 ml heavy cream, 200 g white chocolate, 1 tsp. green tea.

Mix the cream with tea, bring to a boil and let it brew. Strain and pour through a sieve onto the chocolate melted in a water bath. Stir and let sit under cling film for at least 12 hours.

Pistachio ganache

Ingredients: 200 g milk chocolate, 100 ml heavy cream, 15 g pistachio paste.

Bring the cream to a boil, pour it over the broken chocolate, stir until smooth, then add the pistachio paste and stir. Cover with cling film and keep in the refrigerator for at least 10 hours.

Mint ganache

Ingredients: 100 g good quality white chocolate, 40 ml heavy cream, 2 tsp. mint liqueur, green coloring if desired.

Pour the chocolate broken into pieces with the cream brought to a boil, stir until smooth, add liqueur and coloring, mix again and, covered with cling film, put in the refrigerator for 10 hours.

Saffron and orange, licorice, rose, pralines and chestnuts, nuts and coconut flakes, champagne and liqueurs, all kinds of berries and fruits, vanilla and cinnamon, lilies of the valley and violets - there are many additives to creams and ganaches, try and create! By the way, depending on the filling, macaroons are also colored - traditionally, cookies with lemon curd are prepared in yellow, and raspberry jam “asks” for the addition of red coloring to the almond mass.

Baking macarons at home is not easy, however, if you at least once try to create this magic with your own hands, conjure up something amazingly tender and unusual for yourself, you will not be able to just forget about macarons. Difficult, labor-intensive, not fast, but worth it!

Macarons: facts, legends, investigations

Once born, macarons quickly became popular - so much so that several regions of the Mediterranean began to dispute the right to be called the birthplace of cookies. It is clear that everyone tried to come up with something special, trying to stake their claim on the right to be a parent, however, to this day it is impossible to reliably assert that France is the region where the popular delicacy took its roots.

According to one legend, macarons were invented by the Carmelite sisters in one of the monasteries of the Nancy district - trying to diversify the meager food, they were guided by the instructions of Teresa of Avila: “Girls who do not eat meat benefit from almonds.” The recipe was born within the walls of the monastery, and during the French Revolution, nuns, hiding from the indignant people in the house of the local doctor Gormand, baked cookies for sale, earning their living - and it was then that macarons became incredibly popular. In Nancy there is a street named after the Carmelite sisters, and in addition, the house-café Maison des Soeurs Macarons still exists - the owners consider themselves the bearers of the original recipe according to which its creator baked macarons.

However, there are other versions of the origin of macarons - many believe that macaroons were brought by Italian cooks, whom Catherine de Medici took with her when she married Henry II and moved to France.

How macarons became a global celebrity. "Macaron" fashion

Whatever the truth may be, the fact remains: macaroons, once born, quickly became popular. First, the macarons were glued together with hot steam to create a double-sided almond cake. Tasty, crumbly, crispy, but still slightly dry. But at the beginning of the 20th century, pastry chef Pierre Defontaine, owner of the famous confectionery house Laduree, while traveling around Europe, tried a delicate chocolate cream in some cafe - and it was he who came up with the idea of ​​gluing macarons with a magnificent filling. Absolutely incredible, but until 1930 no one thought that dry macaroons could be enriched with cream. Hurray for Pierre Desfontaines!

And from this moment the real flourishing and rapid rise of macarons begins. Experiments with fillings, games with additives, fantasies with flavors and, of course, all kinds of dyes - this is the path the development of macaroons followed. Paris officially becomes the capital of macarons and the trendsetter of macaron fashion. Today, Pierre Defontaine's Laduree pastry shops sell at least 15,000 macarons every day, and for some reason I am sure that this is far from the limit. And if you estimate how many cafes and coffee shops there are in the world in general and in Paris in particular, which prepare and serve almond delicacies, the number turns out to be mind-boggling.

Every self-respecting confectionery house is simply obliged to have a dozen or two of its own, signature recipes for making almond desserts. Moreover, once a year, Paris celebrates Macaron Day, created by Pierre Hermé, a French master pastry chef. This is a special holiday for which it is customary to prepare... with a new collection of macarons! The most famous confectionery houses in France, famous culinary specialists from Germany, Belgium, Great Britain, the USA, and Japan strive to take part in the annual event, and by this day, every culinary name is simply obliged to come up with and demonstrate something completely new, unusual, and non-standard.

The latest fashion is unsweetened macarons with flavors of olives and cheese, chili and gherkins, capers and foie gras, white truffles and basil. Of course, this is a special type of cooking, which is more associated with art than a family tea party with homemade cakes, but even at home, in an ordinary 12-meter kitchen with a standard set of dishes, you can dream and learn, grow and strive for something new, unknown, interesting.

By the way, in France, macarons are even sold at McDonald's - and, in my opinion, this is another undoubted proof of the popularity of this dessert.

And one more thing: macaroons, pasta and cooking for philologists

What is the correct way to say – “pasta”, “macaroons”, “macarons”, “macaroons” or something else? Let's dig into history.

Of course, now you can hardly prove what came first - the chicken or the egg, however, the facts exist: in one form or another, cookies based on whipped egg whites and almond flour exist in many cuisines of the world. That luxury to which we are accustomed, which is found on the beautiful covers of glossy culinary magazines, which decorates the windows of confectionery shops, comes from France.

In the original language, the name sounds like “macaron” (French macaron), although a simple transliteration gives “macaron”. Both words appear so often that if it were up to me, I would have said long ago: say as you want! Alas, this is not in my power, so I will quietly whisper: pronounce it as you feel comfortable, the main thing is to confidently and authoritatively!

“Macarons” and “macaroons” may sound beautiful, but they are definitely not correct: the ending “s” in the original language speaks of the plural, which is formed completely differently in Russian.

In addition to the French gourmet friend, there is also a popular American: the same whipped egg whites, powdered sugar and coconut flakes. In English, cakes are called macaroons, and here there are no two ways about it - they are pronounced exactly like “macaroon”. Or rather, “macarons,” but we’ve already decided that we won’t say that, right?

Apparently, in order not to confuse similar names (and the cookies are somewhat similar, you must agree!), two pronunciation options were popularized - macaroon and macaroon.

The “macaron” option is closer to me - after all, the word “macaron” is associated with pasta, and I don’t want to mix God’s gift and scrambled eggs into one cutlet. Although... according to one version of the origin of the name of the cakes, they are not so far from pasta. They say that there used to be a dessert soup in Italy - pieces of dough mixed with almond flour floated in it. Over time, almonds went their own way, pasta went its own, but the common name (pasta) stuck to each dish.

Marzipan based cake

Cake– the Russian name for piece dessert confectionery products made from various types of dough with cream, fruit, berry and other fillings or part of a sliced ​​cake.

Types of cakes

By cooking method

• independent cake (custard, marshmallow, chocolate potato, airy meringue, basket, tiramisu, cream tubes, nuts, etc.)
• part of the cake - proportionally equal pieces of any ready-made cake (Napoleon, honey cake, Prague, bird's milk, soufflé, cheesecakes, rolls, etc., cut into equal parts)

By type of test

Shortcrust pastry baskets

Pastries can be made from sponge cake (sliced ​​cakes), puff pastry (Napoleon, Kutuzov, some oriental sweets), shortbread (basket, nuts), curd (cheesecake), butter (rum-baba, rolls), rice and bean (Japanese sweets) custard (eclair) and other types of dough or without it (airy meringue, soufflé). The basis for some cakes is not dough, but ready-made confectionery products, for example, cookies (tiramisu, nut or chocolate chips)

By ingredients and method of preparing the filling

• cream (main filling – butter, sour cream, custard, protein, chocolate, creamy honey and other creams)
• fruit (main filling - fruits, berries, preserves, jams, marmalade, fruit puree, liqueurs, etc.)
• nut (the main filling is nuts and seeds: peanuts, hazelnuts, almonds, cashews and others, as well as nut butter or nut butter)
• salty and sour-salty (in the culinary traditions of some countries, the filling may taste salty or sour-salty and contain cheese, meat, fish, etc.)
• mixed (several types of fillings together in one product)

Cake "Napoleon"

Cakes in some world cuisines

• Wagashi are Japanese mini-cakes made from bean or rice dough, with the addition of seaweed, nuts and seeds, fruits and dried fruits, flower nectars and herbs. Wagashi can be completely different in shape, color and taste, but always bright and unusual.
• Pastries are popular in Chinese cuisine - baskets made of puff pastry or shortbread dough with a creamy egg filling.
• Eclairs - French pastries made from choux pastry with butter or custard - are known not only in France, but throughout the world, as well as another French dessert - meringue, made from egg whites beaten with sugar and baked in the oven.

• Tiramisu is a cake of Italian cuisine - a layered dessert made from cookies dipped in coffee and cream made from mascarpone cheese.
• Cheesecake is a general name for a variety of cakes that are a soufflé with berry or chocolate glaze or a cottage cheese casserole. The birthplace of cheesecakes is considered to be Ancient Greece, as well as another beloved sweet - marshmallows, obtained by whipping fruit and berry purees with sugar and egg whites, and then thickened with special additives, for example, gelatin.
• Brownies are one of America's favorite pastries. The name comes from the color of this dessert – brown. Brownies are famous for their distinct chocolate taste and chewy consistency. They can add cookies, candied fruits and nuts (pistachios, hazelnuts, almonds and others).
• Churros is a dish of Spanish and Mexican cuisine - a cake baked from choux pastry, glazed with chocolate or sprinkled with powdered sugar.

When encountering a funny or unusual name for a dish in a literary work, the question often arises: what is it, how is it prepared, and why is it called that? We offer a small selection of baking recipes with unusual names, and in addition - brief information about the origin of unusual confectionery names.

pudding “Spotted Dick”” (Spotted Dick)

Most . Tops this list pudding “Spotted Dick”” (Spotted Dick). In English slang, Dick is called... a penis, a penis. Despite such a vulgar name, “Spotted Dick” is the undoubted favorite of the nation in the “popular dish of traditional English cuisine”. Mention of it can be found on the pages of dozens of books. For example, in Alan Bradley's detective story Smoked herring without mustard" , telling about the adventures of the restless little detective Flavia:

AND Out of necessity, I became a fairly experienced laboratory cook. Once, quite recently, when my father sentenced me to house arrest in my room, I even managed to make myself “Spotted Dick” by steaming kidney lard from the pantry in a wide-necked Erlenmeyer flask.”

Britain's favorite baking soda neighs dried fruits (usually raisins or currants) - obviously this is where the definition “spotty” comes from. But the etymology of the second word in the name is absolutely unclear. Various studies discuss many versions, none of which is undisputed. The first mention of this dish is contained in a cookbook in 1849, and since then “Spotted Dick” has been an inexhaustible source of ambiguous jokes. It got to the point that Flintshire County Council (Wales) decided to officially rename the pudding “Spotted Richard” to avoid obscenities.

Old school pudding was prepared in a water bath with the obligatory use of lard. It was served with molasses, honey or vanilla cream. In modern recipes, heavy lard is replaced with butter, and the cooking itself is often entrusted to a slow cooker.

Spotted Dick Pudding Recipe

Ingredients:
2 cups of flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
10 tbsp. tablespoons chilled butter, cut into cubes
2/3 cup sugar
1 cup dried fruits (currants, cherries, cranberries)
3/4 cup milk
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Zest of one large lemon

Mix flour with baking powder, sugar and salt and grind with butter into crumbs (you can use a food processor in pulse mode). Add lemon zest, vanilla extract, dried fruits and gradually add milk, stir.
Grease a baking dish with oil, line the bottom with oiled paper and place the dough. Cover it with oiled paper (oil side down). Wrap the top of the pan with foil to prevent water from getting in during cooking, and close with a lid.
Pour water into a large container and place the mold on an inverted saucer. Boiling water should reach the middle of the mold. You can put a weight on top of the form for stability. Boil over low heat for 1.5 hours, adding water if necessary. Uncover the finished pudding by removing the foil and oiled paper and let cool for 10-15 minutes. Place the pudding on a plate and serve with custard, whipped cream or ice cream.

By the way, one of the characters in the book “ but on the other hand Patrick O'Brien, a pimply-faced midshipman, was nicknamed "Spotty Dick." Now the ambiguous humor of the English sailors is clear! And the fearless captain Jack Aubrey himself, the main character of O’Brien’s book series and the film “Master of the Seas: At the End of the Earth,” called “Master of the Seas: At the End of the Earth” his favorite dish. treacle pudding, which (he said) was best eaten cold so as not to scald your throat”.

“Bachelor buttons” cookies

Dear Mrs. Tinker, It is impossible that none of them will have your famous “bachelor buttons.”
Mrs. Tinker blushed.
- Do you like them? What I have here is completely fresh, straight from the oven.
- Of course, then I’ll have to starve a little, your muffins are deadly for your waistline, but I can’t resist. Just a couple. Today at the theater I will give myself a sumptuous tea. - Martha slowly selected two cupcakes for herself (“I like blush ones”) and put them in her bag.
Josephine Tey, “Daughter of Time”

It is easy to guess that the name “ bachelor buttons” came from the clothing industry. Bachelor's buttons or bachelor's buttons were buttons that were used for urgent repairs without being sewn to fabric. A special pin pierced the fabric and was secured in the top button. Later, the bachelor's button could be easily removed. Such buttons were very popular at the end of the 19th and beginning of the 20th centuries. They gave the name to the popular pastries.
On the Internet you can find two types of “bachelor buttons”. These are either two cookies connected by a creamy layer (reminiscent of the method of attaching the original buttons), or a cookie with a depression filled with jam filling (in appearance). Bachelor's buttons fell out of use at the beginning of the 20th century, and with them the name of baking disappeared. But the cookies themselves remained, having changed the name. Since the indentation in the dough is created with a finger, such cookies are now called Thumbprint Cookies (Fingerprint).

Bachelor's Button Cookie Recipe (from a 1913 cookbook)
Ingredients:
150g flour
75g sugar
50g butter
1 egg
Jam
Mix softened butter and sugar, beat in the egg and stir until smooth. Gradually adding flour, knead the dough. Roll the dough into a sausage, then cut into circles. Use your finger to make an indentation in each circle. Line a baking tray with baking paper, place circles, filling the cavity with cherry, apricot or any other jam of your choice.
Bake at 175 degrees C for 10-15 minutes or until edges are golden brown. Let cool and serve, dusting with powdered sugar if desired.

cake "Leipzig larks"

ABOUT One day it happened that Baron Pretextatus von Mondschein invited the prince to his place for breakfast to taste Leipzig larks and drink a glass of Danzig gold vodka. When the prince arrived at Mondschein's house, in the hallway, among many worthy diplomatic persons, there was little Zinnober, who, leaning on his cane, flashed his eyes at him and, without turning back to him, stuffed into his mouth a roasted lark, which only that he stole from the table.
Ernst Theodor Amadeus Hoffmann, “Little Tsakhes, nicknamed Zinnober”

Fried larks is a dish known in cooking since the times of Ancient Greece. In the 18th-19th centuries, European gourmets especially valued Leipzig larks, which were found in large numbers in the water meadows in the vicinity of Leipzig. The fishery was so great that the number of birds for sale amounted to hundreds of thousands (!). Ultimately, the population of larks declined sharply. In 1876, Saxon King Albert I passed a law banning fishing and the meat delicacy disappeared from the menu. Resourceful confectioners offered disappointed gourmets a sweet alternative - almond pastry made from shortcrust pastry with strawberry confiture, called “Leipzig lark”.


The cake became incredibly popular, eventually becoming a culinary calling card of Leipzig. Traditionally, “Leipzig larks” are baked in the form of baskets, tied crosswise with a ribbon of dough, just as the carcasses of stuffed larks were tied so that the filling does not fall out of them.

Recipe for “Leipzig larks”

Ingredients (for 12 pieces):
For the test
250 g flour
1 egg
70 g sugar
125 g melted butter
1 teaspoon amaretto or cognac
A pinch of salt
filling:
125g butter at room temperature
150 g powdered sugar
75 g flour
1 tbsp. spoon of starch
150 g almonds, ground into crumbs
1 egg yolk
4 egg whites
250 g apricot or strawberry jam

Mix sifted flour, egg, sugar, cognac, a pinch of salt, add butter and knead the dough. Leave the finished dough for 30 minutes. in the refrigerator.
At this time, beat the butter with a mixer and, continuing to beat, add powdered sugar, yolk, almonds, flour and starch. Separately, beat the egg whites until stiff and gently fold into the filling.
Roll out the dough thinly and place in muffin tins, after greasing them with oil. Cut the scraps of dough into strips. Place a layer of jam on the dough, and then a layer of filling. Place strips of dough crosswise on top. Bake in a preheated oven at 180°C for about 20-25 minutes until golden brown.

o attracted attention " triumph of gluttony"with dark green ground pistachios and shameless" virgin cake" Don Fabrizio asked for this particular cake and now held in front of him on a plate a blasphemous image of Saint Agatha, flaunting her elastic breasts.
“It’s strange that the Inquisition didn’t think of banning these sweets when they could have done it! Triumph of Gluttony! Gluttony is a deadly sin! Saint Agatha's nipples! And this is what the monasteries sell, this is what they eat at festivals. Well well!"

Saint Agatha is one of the most revered early Christian saints (3rd century AD). According to legend, she was born into a wealthy Sicilian family and became famous for her beauty. Having decided to devote her life to God, Agatha rejected the advances of the Roman proconsul Quintian, for which she was thrown into prison. There she was tortured (her breasts were cut off) and ultimately executed. Saint Agatha is considered the patroness of the city of Catania and is often depicted carrying her own breasts on a tray.
“ (minni di virgine- “virgin’s breasts”) or the castella of St. Agatha, which resembles a woman’s breast in shape, has become one of the symbols of the annual holiday in honor of St. Agatha, which is traditionally held in Catania in early February. According to legend, this cake was first prepared in 1725 by the nuns of the Monastery of St. Mary.

Recipe for “Virgin Cake” (Casatella St. Agatha)

Ingredients :
For the test:
500 g flour
150 g sugar
150 g butter
1 egg

For filling:
600 gr. ricotta cheese
80 gr. candied orange peel
100 gr. dark chocolate
100 gr. powdered sugar
Orange (lemon) zest
for glaze:
250 gr. powdered sugar
1 spoon lemon juice
1 protein
candied cherries
Mix the sifted flour with sugar, add softened butter, egg and knead the dough. When the dough is smooth and homogeneous, roll it into a ball, wrap it in film and refrigerate for 1 hour.
At this time, prepare the filling: mix ricotta cheese, coarsely grated chocolate, candied fruits, and powdered sugar. Add lemon or orange zest to taste. Mix until smooth.
To prepare the dessert you will need silicone molds 8cm in diameter. Roll out the dough into a thin sheet and cut out circles of a slightly larger diameter. Place the circles in the mold, fill with filling and cover with another circle. Pinch the edges.
Bake in a preheated oven at 200 degrees for 20 minutes. When the finished cakes have cooled, remove them from the pan and decorate with frosting. To prepare it, beat the egg whites with lemon juice, gradually adding sifted powdered sugar. Garnish with a candied cherry.

Contrary to popular belief, desserts are an integral part of a nutritious diet. The main principle that must be adhered to, according to nutritionists, is that they should not be included in the daily diet. But for special events, various holidays, they can become a kind of “reward”. New Year and Christmas are the best time to treat yourself to some goodies. Since the holidays are still ongoing, here is a review of the most popular desserts in the world that can still be prepared.

Christmas pudding (UK)

No Christmas holiday in Britain is complete without a special pudding. Despite its popularity in the country and abroad, it is not as tasty as it seems. However, everyone still has a chance to try it. What if you like it?

Dulce de leche (Argentina)

Condensed milk is the pride of Argentina. It is a mixture of milk and sugar that is boiled until caramelized and turns into a thick, tender mass. Of course, you can buy it in the store, but it will be much tastier when prepared at home.

Bolu Rei (Portugal)

Bolu rei, also called king cake, is a traditional Portuguese sweet bread with nuts and candied fruits, served at Christmas or on January 6th for King's Day.

Mazariner (Sweden)

Delicious almond baskets are considered a variant of the Italian crostata di mandodorle, an almond pie. And the name itself suggests the origin of the dish. They are named after the Italian-French cardinal Giulio Mazarin (1602–1661), also known as Jules Mazarin. Thus, the dessert is already more than four hundred years old, and such longevity only proves its amazing taste.

Cherry pie (Holland)

Cherry and chocolate lovers will appreciate this light version of the German Black Forest cake.

Gulabjamun (India)

Gulab jamun is one of the most popular Indian desserts, which are donuts made from condensed or skim milk, filled with pink sugar syrup.

Vinarterta (Iceland)

In Iceland, this layer cake with prunes is also called the “Striped Lady”. It is usually prepared during the winter holidays, especially Christmas. There’s just no single recipe, but there is an opportunity to try several of them.

Banoffee Pie (England)

This may be one of the most amazing desserts in England. It is made from bananas, cream and toffee made from condensed milk. All this is laid out on a crust of crumbled cookies and butter.

Knafeh (Middle East)

Many Middle Eastern countries, such as Lebanon, Jordan, Palestine, Israel, Syria, claim to be the birthplace of this delicious dessert. But no one can say this for sure. The same Greeks prepare a very similar dish called kataifi, but they don’t put soft cheese in it.

Tiramisu (Italy)

Tiramisu is one of the most popular Italian desserts, made from savoiardi cookies soaked in coffee and creamed with beaten eggs, sugar and mascarpone. Due to its popularity, it has spread throughout the world and acquired many variations.

Cranahan (Scotland)

A traditional Scottish dessert made from oatmeal, cream, whiskey and raspberries. This is an amazing opportunity to impress guests not only in the heart, but also in the stomach.

Rocky Road Cakes (Australia)

Rocky Road is an Australian dessert made from milk chocolate, marshmallows and served in the form of cakes or cupcakes. In the US it is usually served with ice cream.

Chocolate cake "Guinness" (Ireland)

The Irish have their own idea of ​​celebrating Christmas or St. Patrick's Day. And alcohol plays an important role there, even in desserts. And the combination of chocolate and beer in a cake will be simply unsurpassed.

Cake “Three Milks” (Mexico)

The cake got its name due to the fact that it is soaked in three types of milk. Although Mexican cuisine is known for its delicious, but very filling dishes, this dessert can be called the lightest and most harmless in terms of calories.

Devil's Food Cake (USA)

The cake is made from dark chocolate, and it got its name for its rich and rich taste, which simply cannot but be sinful.

"Dobos" (Hungary)

“Dobosh” is a magnificent sponge cake made from seven cake layers, coated with chocolate-butter cream and decorated with caramel. It was named after its creator, Hungarian chef Joseph Dobos.

Brazo de Gitano (Spain)

Although the name translates to “gypsy hand,” it is just a sponge roll. It is worth noting that it did not appear in Spain at all, but somewhere in central Europe, but it was here that it turned into a traditional Christmas dessert.

Christmas log (Belgium/France)

This is an incredibly delicious roll made from chocolate sponge cake and chocolate cream. Usually it is sprinkled with powdered sugar, which is supposed to symbolize snow.

Melomakarona (Greece)

It’s simply impossible to tear yourself away from these small honey cookies. This is one of the most popular treats in Greece during the Christmas holidays. And to make the taste even better, melomacarona is covered with milk chocolate.

Profiteroles (France)

Profiteroles are one of the best desserts in the world, consisting of choux pastry balls filled with cream and coated with milk chocolate glaze.

Sacher cake (Austria)

This is one of the most famous chocolate cakes in the world since its introduction in 1832 thanks to the Austrian Franz Sacher. It is a stunning sponge cake covered with a thin layer of apricot jam, and the chocolate icing on top only emphasizes the greatness of its taste.

Pavlova cake (New Zealand)

Don't let the name fool anyone, the dessert was invented in New Zealand. But it is really named after the great Russian ballerina Anna Pavlova. It is a delicate meringue, decorated with whipped cream and pieces of fresh fruit.

Panettone (Italy)

It has arguably been the most popular Christmas sweet bread in Europe for the past few decades. It appeared in Milan and soon became a symbol of the city. Nowadays panettone can be found in many European and American cities.

Cheesecake (Greece/USA)

An incredibly tasty dessert, the origin of which is usually attributed to Americans, will make your holiday table unique. And the history of cheesecake is longer than it seems. The first memories of him date back to the fifth century BC. The ancient Greek doctor Aegimus wrote a whole book about the art of making cheesecakes.

Black Forest Cake (Germany)

"Black Forest" is an amazingly delicious chocolate cake consisting of four sponge cakes, pickled cherries and whipped cream, sprinkled with chocolate chips and decorated with berries. And you can serve a cup with dessert

In the Soviet Union, the meager selection of goods was compensated by the good quality and naturalness of the ingredients. Those with a sweet tooth who lived through Soviet times will confirm that although numerous modern confectionery shops and coffee shops delight the eye with the abundance and beauty of culinary products, they can never compare with the inconspicuous Soviet cakes...

Let's remember together the most popular items in the assortment of Soviet cafeterias and confectioneries.

Delicious assortment

Which Soviet child did not dream of buying a cake at a grocery store or supermarket on the way home from school? After all, it was precisely these stores that we came across in our new microdistrict, and it was in them that the “Korzinochka” cakes for 22 kopecks, “Summer” for 10 kopecks, or chocolate-covered custard cakes for the same 22 kopecks that my mother gave to buy breakfast at school looked so tempting. It was childhood and its cakes in stores that were synonymous with happiness for many children, regardless of age and season!

Mittens covered in cream, textbooks smeared with chocolate, meringue cake broken into pieces for a new, just bought scarf... Agree, everyone who grew up in the era of the USSR, where the most delicious cakes in the world had the most delicious cakes, has such nostalgia.

No one thought about food colors and preservatives at that time, because you could buy creamy joy and enjoy it for five minutes! Let's remember our childhood joys from the school buffet or favorite pastry shop.

The “Napoleon” cake, which looked like a fat equilateral triangle smeared with a very tasty cream, was considered especially chic in the culinary and cake community.

Eclair cake

Eclair with butter cream and chocolate glaze is one of the favorite pastries of the Soviet era. The cake sets, which were sold in beautiful cardboard boxes, always included an eclair. This cake was made from choux pastry, and cream or custard was used as a filling.

Cake “Basket”

The shortbread basket, sold everywhere, was no less loved by Soviet boys and girls than the eclair. Most often, the baskets were decorated with cream mushrooms. The caps of the mushrooms were made of dough. These hats were eaten first. Price - 22 kopecks.

Cake “Tubes with butter cream”

Delicious and very simple cake. For the generation born in the USSR in the 1960-1980s. puff pastries with protein cream melting in your mouth were a real delicacy.

Cake "Potato"

This is one of the iconic dishes of Soviet cuisine. The legendary “potato” is a favorite delicacy of Soviet children. She was loved and loved just like eclairs, baskets and tubes.

It was served in restaurants, in student canteens, and at the home table. “Potatoes” are still a taste of childhood for many today. Which, in general, is not surprising. The not-so-labor-intensive dish made it possible to utilize cake scraps, dry biscuits, and crackers with benefit and taste. This cake received the name “potato” because it was decorated with white cream in the form of sprouts on a potato tuber.

Meringue cake

A snow-white cake consisting of two halves. Pieces of delicate crispy meringue were held together with jam or Charlotte buttercream.

Sand ring with nuts

An excellent afternoon snack for a Soviet schoolchild or student is a sand ring with nuts. To get that same taste, Soviet chefs used only peanuts! The wavy shortcake, strewn with nuts on top, could be eaten with either tea or milk.

Lemon cake

A unique delicacy with a sour aftertaste, made from three sand plates, which are connected to each other with protein cream, and their surface is sprinkled with crumbs.

Sponge cake

If anyone remembers, in Soviet times there were such “wet” sponge cakes and pastries with butter cream. They don't make this kind of cream anymore. There is no exoticism or crazy combinations in this cake, but it is so dear and familiar.

Cake "Boucher"

The “Boucher” cake, tender and melting in the mouth, is a combination of two types of baked semi-finished products - “Boucher” biscuits and airy ones, layered with fruit filling. The surface of the cake is glazed with apricot marmalade and sprinkled with nuts.

Jack of all trades

Soviet citizens did not lag behind public catering establishments. Fluffy eclairs, delicious cakes, potato cakes... What our mothers and grandmothers couldn’t cook! Housewives preferred to make delicious masterpieces on their own. The recipes were taken from the collection “Cooking”. This book was available in almost every home. How to make a cake, bake pies, decorate pastries - this book had answers to almost all questions.

Young cooks

The mothers had their daughters in the wings. Remember the famous “Birthday Days”, which were celebrated by the whole class once a month. Especially for these school tea parties, the girls brought homemade sweets from home.

There were also home economics lessons. The girls also baked cakes on them. At the end of such lessons, we boys came to visit them for tea!

New breath

Today a lot has changed. Preservatives, improvers, stabilizers, flavorings... And those sponge cakes and pastries, puff pastries and baskets with cream, simple shortcakes, succulents, "Nut" cakes, custard ring with curd cream and much more are gone... But people's interest in Soviet culinary heritage does not disappear. And we return to old recipes again and again.