Cake Prague - general principles and methods of preparation
There is an opinion that the traditional-classical recipe for the Prague cake came to us from the Czech capital. In fact, the dessert got its name thanks to the restaurant of the same name, in which it was first created by the hands of a talented pastry chef - Vladimir Goralnik.
Everyone knows and tastes the taste of the Prague Cake. For a long time, the cake recipes were kept in the strictest confidence. For Soviet people - “Prague” was a very expensive pleasure, but a treat was bought up in a matter of days.
Enterprising housewives tried in every possible way to uncover the secret and recreate the recipe for the preparation of Prague. A wide variety of products were used. Sour cream, vanilla and almonds, for example, were added to the biscuit. The cream was obtained using condensed milk, cocoa, sour cream and softened butter or natural chocolate. However, whatever ingredients Soviet women used, the classic "Prague" was and remains only one.
Despite the fact that the cake has lost its former "secrecy", it has not lost the most important thing - the approval and love from real gourmets. Today, any confectioner, more or less versed in his business, can easily prepare this wonderful cake.
Cake Prague - food preparation
So, the traditional “Prague” includes chocolate biscuit (cocoa, flour, sugar, butter, eggs; flour is usually sifted together with cocoa powder), cut across into three equal parts, Prague cream, consisting of condensed milk, soft butter , cocoa and chicken yolks. Soak the lower and middle cakes with this cream, the latter is usually covered with thick fruit and berry jam. After laying and soaking the cakes, the cake is poured with glossy chocolate icing and decorated with chocolate chips, nuts or cream residues.
Cake Prague - the best recipes
Recipe 1: Cake Prague according to GOST
This recipe for "Prague" is as close as possible to the Gostovskiy one, therefore we recommend purchasing electronic scales to make a cake. It is very difficult to measure the required amount of ingredients on ordinary scales.
Ingredients:
For biscuit:
- premium flour 116 gr.
- butter 38 gr.
- 151 gr. Sahara
- 23 gr. cocoa powder
- an egg without shell 335 gr.
For cream:
- butter 199 gr.
- cocoa powder 9 gr.
- egg yolk 21 gr.
- whole milk condensed with sugar 120 gr.
- 21 gr. water
- 0.1-0.2 gr. vanillin
For chocolate glaze:
- 91 gr. Sahara
- 30 gr. water
- starch syrup 14 gr.
- cocoa powder 6 gr.
- vanilla 0.3 gr.
- 0.3 gr. fruit essence
Cooking method:
1. Form the dough, bake a biscuit.
Divide the sugar in two, separate the proteins from the yolks. Sift flour mixed with cocoa. Butter is flooded a little. Beat the yolks with the first part of sugar. Beat diligently and for a long time so that not a single crystal is left. Next, beat the proteins until lush foam, then pour the remaining sugar into them, beat again with a mixer until the sucrose dissolves.
Now mix the whipped whites and yolks, gradually, gently, without stopping interfering. Next, put in the mixture softened butter and flour sifted with cocoa. We make the dough, gently so that the squirrels do not settle, and pour it into a round shape covered with parchment. Preheat the oven and send the dough there for 30-45 minutes (at a temperature of 200-210 grams). Cool the finished biscuit in the form, and then remove it for 6-8 hours.
2. Cooking the cream.
Mix water with yolk, add condensed milk. We put the mixture in a water bath and boil to a sour cream consistency, stirring occasionally. Then we cool and add to the mixture (in several stages) the whipped butter in advance. In the end, pour cocoa and beat for about two minutes.
3. Cooking the icing.
Heat sugar with water until syrup is formed. In a separate bowl of molasses (up to 50-60 degrees) and pour it into syrup. Continue to boil the syrup. After a few minutes, add the fruit essence to it.
4. Fold the cake.
Evenly cut the biscuit across into three parts (equal). Soak the lower and middle cakes with cream. The whole cream goes for impregnation. Smear the top cake with fruit jam (apricot or peach) and pour warm glaze. If desired, Prague cake can be sprinkled with chocolate chips and garnished with chocolate cream on top. Here is such a classic!
Recipe 2: Sour cream sponge cake Prague with liquor
A tender cake baked according to this recipe is also based on generally accepted cooking principles, however, a slightly modified recipe allows you to significantly change the taste of the dessert. At the same time, the analog turns out to be no less tasty and mouth-watering.
Ingredients:
For the test:
- two eggs
- 300 gr. sour cream
- a glass of sugar (sand)
- floor tea l. soda
- vinegar
- one and a half stack. flour
- half a can of condensed milk with cocoa (sold in stores)
- almonds
- a pinch of pepper
For cream:
- half a can of condensed milk with cocoa
- 200 gr. soft butter
For syrup and glaze:
- 5 table. lies. Sahara
- 2 tbsp. lies. water
- 1-2 table. tablespoons of liquor (optional)
- 50 gr. oils
- 2 tbsp. tablespoons of milk
- 4 tablespoons of cocoa
Cooking method:
1. In a bowl, grind (beat) the eggs, sour cream and sugar. We extinguish the soda and send it, as well as half a can of condensed milk, almonds, flour and a pinch of pepper into the mixture. Knead the dough. Spread it in a round shape and bake at 200 degrees. Cool the finished biscuit and divide it across into parts.
2. Beat the second half of condensed milk with cocoa with butter. We make syrup from water, sugar, pour liquor at the end. Soak the cakes with syrup and coat them with cream, folding on top of each other.
3. Make the icing. To do this, mix sugar with milk, butter and cocoa. We put everything on fire and cook for two to three minutes from the moment of boiling, without stopping interfering. Cool the icing to a warm state and water the cake. On top we decorate the dessert with everything that comes to hand (within reason, of course).
Recipe 3: Cake "Old Prague"
Well, we already understood how to make a real classic cake "Prague" - traditionally it is filled with chocolate icing. But in the next recipe, we will do a little differently: coat the dessert with condensed milk whipped with butter, cover with crushed walnuts on all sides, and decorate with white chocolate chips from above.
Ingredients:
- two eggs
- one stack. Sahara
- one stack. sour cream
- a can of condensed milk (half for dough, half for impregnation)
- a little soda
- one and a half stack. flour
- 2 tbsp. lies. cocoa
For cream:
- a jar of boiled condensed milk
- 100 gr. oils
- white chocolate "Air"
- walnuts (crushed, peeled)
Cooking method:
1. Make the dough and cake: beat eggs and sugar together, divide the mixture into two parts. In one we add cocoa, sour cream, condensed milk and soda. Mix everything well, gradually pouring flour. Pour not too thick dough into a mold and bake at 190 degrees. We check readiness with a thin wooden stick (match or toothpick). Cool the finished biscuit and divide it in half across.
2. Beat butter and condensed milk in a bowl - this is for cream. Next, grease the cakes with raw condensed milk first, then coat with the resulting cream and glue two halves. Once again, we process the top of the cake and the sides. Sprinkle with nuts and decorate (top) with a layer of grated white chocolate. You can do differently, melt the chocolate and pour them a cake. That's all, the cake is ready!
Recipe 4: Cake "Chiffon Prague"
Why chiffon? What is the difference between chiffon Prague and ordinary? We explain: for the preparation of such a cake, we will use the so-called chiffon biscuit, which contains vegetable instead of butter.
Ingredients:
- 230 gr. sugar (180 + 50)
- 200 gr. flour
- a little baking powder (1-2 tablespoons)
- 170 ml of water
- 130 ml of vegetable oil
- cocoa 60 gr.
- half a spoon (tablespoon) of coffee
- egg whites - 8 pieces
- 5 yolks
- a little salt and soda
For cream:
- soft drain. oil 200 gr.
- 3 yolks
- 4-6 table. lies. condensed milk
- 1 tsp water
- 60 gr. of chocolate
- 1 spoonful of cognac
For glaze:
- sugar - three tbsp. spoons
- cocoa powder - 2 tbsp. lies.
- 2 teaspoons ghee
- 50 gr. jam (preferably thick)
- 6 tablespoons of water (tablespoons)
Cooking method:
1. Cocoa mix until smooth with instant coffee and water. Eggs are divided into yolks and squirrels. Beat the yolks with 180 gr. sugar, gradually pouring vegetable oil. At the end, add a mixture of cocoa with coffee. Beat thoroughly again. Add baking powder, flour and soda, knead the dough. Next, beat the proteins with the remaining sugar and mix with the bulk. We bake the dough in the above ways (see recipe 1, 2). Leave the biscuit alone for 5-6 hours.
2. Cooking the cream. Beat the yolks with water and condensed milk. The resulting mixture is sent to a water bath until thickened (until the consistency of condensed milk), stirring regularly. At the end, put the chocolate, remove the mixture from the bath and wait until the chocolate melts. Then mix thoroughly so that there are no unpainted layers left. Cool and spread plums into the mixture. oil, add cognac and mix. The cream is ready.
3. Putting the cake together. We divide the cake into three parts. Soak the lower and middle cream. We put the third cake, cover the cake on each side with cream (do not touch the top). Cover the top with thick fruit jam and remove the cake in the cold for about 15 minutes. At this time, prepare the icing: in a saucepan, mix sugar, cocoa and water and cook syrup from the listed ingredients. Cook until all sugar crystals are dissolved, then add oil. Pour the cake with hot icing. Dessert will be fully prepared after a short stay in the refrigerator.
Cake Prague - tips from experienced chefs
- The classic version of "Prague" provides for baking a biscuit in a round, even form with a diameter of 21 centimeters;
- Baked biscuit for the cake will have a more refined taste, if you let it “lie down” for 3-6 hours;
- The cake will turn out juicier and more aromatic if the cakes are soaked with coffee-liquor mixture before laying and smearing with cream. For children with a sweet tooth, this option is unacceptable, so the coffee-liquor mixture can be replaced with densely brewed cocoa;
- “Prague” will be tastier if the cake is kept in the cold for at least 12-15 hours before serving.
