In a sweet way: how the fashion for cakes is changing in Russia
The usual tall and elongated Easter cakes appeared in Russia at the end of the 19th century, and before that they looked more like round bread. The new form has taken root among the people and today it is already perceived as a classic one. This pastry retained its popularity among the population during the Soviet era, only in bread shops it was sold under a different name — the spring cupcake. In the current century, Easter confectionery products are being updated again in accordance with current trends in confectionery art. Read the Izvestia article about which new varieties of cakes are prepared for Easter in various gastronomic projects in our country.
New trends in cooking cakes
Every year, modern Easter cakes move further away from strict classics and become a fashionable product. Today it is no longer just sweet bread with a cap of white glaze, but a full-fledged dessert with elements of high cooking.
—Cakes are in great demand among guests today, because they are an integral part of Easter and its main decoration," Anastasia Belyaeva, pastry chef at the Bibirevo gastropub (Moscow), told Izvestia. — Making rich pastries requires a lot of time, which many simply do not have, so we come to the rescue. The younger generation is chasing the latest trends and wants something bright and tasty, with lots of decorations. Older people prefer more restrained cakes with delicate colors and laconic decor.
According to our interlocutor, cream fillings that are placed inside cakes became fashionable last year, and this technique has become widespread this spring.
— The fashion for cakes has been increasingly influenced by global trends in recent years, — the chocolatier of the Grand Bakery confectionery workshop at the Vladivostok Grand Hotel & SPA (Vladivostok) shared her opinion Vera Virchenko. — People are interested in interesting new combinations and shapes. The "craft" cakes, created manually with love and attention to every detail, acquire great value. There is also a request to use local products in baking, reflecting the uniqueness of the region.
"Dubai" cake with pistachio caramel and tahini paste
According to the observations of our expert, one of the most notable novelties this year were "Dubai cakes" (in the style of Dubai chocolate, which is very relevant all over the world), which are prepared with the addition of pistachio paste, kataifi dough and tahini. The Grand Bakery has created its own version of this cake with pieces of dark chocolate and whipped pistachio caramel inside. For those who want to try adding cream filling to their cakes on their own, chocolatier Virchenko recommends cutting off the top from the finished product and removing part of the crumb from it, creating a recess in which you can already place the mass. At the same time, it is important that the cream is light in weight and does not make the cake heavier, as well as stable in consistency — so that you can cut off a piece along with the filling, and it does not leak out. Such a cake should be stored in the refrigerator.
Sweet yeast dough cake with candied orange fruits, jumbo raisins with vanilla cream and meringue cap with dragee eggs
"In recent years, we have seen a trend of rising prices for cakes, which is not only due to the rising cost of ingredients, but also due to the uniqueness of the products,— explains Ilyana Chernysheva, pastry chef at Miss you cafe (Moscow). — Pastry chefs try not to repeat themselves and come up with something very memorable. Last year, these were cakes completely covered with gold leaf, this year with a cap made of rice paper resembling domes.
To make the cakes look more spectacular, pastry chefs often place large marshmallow flowers, chocolate bunnies and many other confectionery decorations on top as decorations. This technique is also used by our interlocutor in her cake made from rich yeast dough with candied orange almonds and spicy raisins. Inside the pastry is branded vanilla cream, and on the dome is a chocolate nest with colorful dragee eggs.
A cake with a bow
—Cakes can be a great field for experimentation, but the main thing that pastry chefs and restaurants strive for is that these pastries are lush and not dry," says the director of the grand cafe "Dr. Zhivago" by Inga Devyatkina. — There have already been waves of gluten-free cakes and products with vegetables. We have found our own recipe for yeast-free curd cakes and have been following it for a long time. And to surprise the guests, this year we decorate them with large snow—white bows made of sugar paste.
What is the difference between a cake and a panettone
Anastasia Belyaeva told Izvestia that she prefers Italian panettones. This Milanese Christmas cupcake with an airy texture appeared in Russia 15 years ago and has gained many fans over the past time. Only here it is prepared for Easter, along with traditional pastries. Unlike a cake made on yeast dough with the addition of raisins and candied fruits, panettone dough is made on the basis of levito madre starter culture, infused for several days. In her Easter dessert, the pastry chef combined the two mentioned trends and created a Milanese cupcake with vanilla cream inside.
—Minimalism in the decoration of cakes is very welcome today, when instead of rich glazes and sprinkles, the emphasis is on natural ingredients: dried fruits, nuts, caramelized citrus fruits," Vyacheslav Kucherenko, pastry chef at the Four Seasons Lion Palace St. Petersburg, explained to our publication. — The premium format of cakes is also gaining popularity — small in size (individual portions of 300-500 g), but more complex in composition (for example, with passion fruit or Thai basil in the dough). Hybrid versions of cakes have also become more common.
As an example of a hybrid, our expert cites his kulitone pastry, in which the classic Russian cake recipe is combined with the Italian panettone cooking technique. The dessert dough is fermented for 24 hours and as a result it becomes very airy and light. Before molding, candied orange peels, raisins soaked in cognac, and some dark chocolate are added to it. Decorated with icing and meringue on Italian meringue and butterflies made of edible rice paper. According to our interlocutor, canonical sourdough cakes can be an excellent base for experiments. For example, butter in the dough can be replaced with ghee or coconut, and fermented honey is suitable for a deeper taste.
Cakes with candied orange fruits, chocolate and vanilla cream
Pastry chefs often combine ideas from different sources and regularly study the work of other artists, adds Serafima Komochkova, pastry chef at the Grand Hotel Moika 22 (St. Petersburg). Among the main Russian trendsetters in this field, she names pastry chefs Maxim Babich, Ivan Zabavnikov and Anna Krasovskaya, who regularly present new techniques, materials and approaches to dessert design. Our interlocutor makes her cakes in a traditional style, with vanilla cream inside, and decorates them with almond petals, airy meringue and eggs made of multicolored chocolate.
What you need to know if you're going to bake cakes at home
Despite the rich assortment of cakes in restaurants, bakeries and cafes, many Russians still have the habit of cooking these pastries themselves. We asked the pastry chefs to give some tips for those who plan to bake Easter cakes.
— It happens that sourdough or dough sometimes does not rise well, and the problem, most often, is in the yeast and the temperature regime of proofing, — explains pastry chef Belyaeva. — For rich pastries, I recommend working with live yeast and high-quality butter, at least 82.5%. And to improve the proofing process, it is important to maintain a moist and warm (26-28°C) environment.
If you decide to add alcohol to the dough, it may worsen its quality, warns Daria Beklesheva, pastry chef at Zhirnova Bakery. The properties of the dough are also negatively affected by the lack of sugar. Our interlocutor advises you to experiment boldly with the ingredients for the filling and add vanilla, orange, lime or lemon zest, cardamom, nutmeg, tonka beans and even long pepper or timut to the dough. The ideal oven temperature for loading cakes is 180 °C, and then it is better to reduce it to 160 ° C.
Sweet cake with candied orange, cranberries and raspberry sauce inside
— To keep the cakes fresh longer after baking, do not store them in the refrigerator, but in a container in the room or wrap them with foil, — recommends chocolatier Virchenko. — The main thing is, do not remove the paper form from them until the moment of registration, it keeps them from drying out. This way, the cakes will stay fresh for up to several days.
Переведено сервисом «Яндекс Переводчик»
