Alexandrovskaya Strip
Description
Delicious baking for the whole family. The cake “Alexandrovskaya Poloska” is also called “School” cake. When I was at school, they sold it in school and university cafeterias. In essence it is Soviet “classic,” the kind described in culinary textbooks. It used to be made only with margarine, but nowadays home cooks increasingly prefer butter. Full details are in the step-by-step recipe.
Instructions
- 1
Step 1
Prepare the ingredients.
- 2
Step 2
Cream together the sugar and soft butter until pale and fluffy.
- 3
Step 3
Add the eggs one at a time, beating constantly.
- 4
Step 4
Add salt, baking powder, and vanillin.
- 5
Step 5
Switch the mixer to the attachments for kneading dough and gradually add the flour while continuing to mix.
- 6
Step 6
Gather the dough into a ball, put it in a bag, and refrigerate; if time allows, for 2–3 hours.
- 7
Step 7
To make the fondant, prepare ahead a saucepan of ice water for cooling the fondant later. You can add ice.
- 8
Step 8
Put the sugar in a saucepan and pour in water. Heat over medium heat until it boils. By then the sugar should be completely dissolved; once the syrup has come to a boil, do not stir. Add the citric acid about 2 minutes before the end of cooking.
- 9
Step 9
Heat the syrup to 114 °C; if you don’t have a special thermometer, simmer for about 5 minutes after it comes to a boil or until the soft-ball stage. Then set the saucepan with the syrup into a prepared saucepan of ice water.
- 10
Step 10
Divide the dough into 2 parts, roll the dough out into a sheet roughly 23×23 cm (about 9×9 in).
- 11
Step 11
Transfer the dough to a baking sheet and prick with a fork. Bake at 220°C for 10–12 minutes.
- 12
Step 12
As soon as the baked layer is ready, trim it to the size of the pan or tin you will assemble the cake in. Bake the second layer the same way.
- 13
Step 13
Transfer the sponge layer carefully into the pan or mould you will use to assemble the pastries. Handle it gently—the layers are very delicate. Spread jam over the bottom layer.
- 14
Step 14
Place the second cake layer and spread it with jam again.
- 15
Step 15
Using a mixer, beat the fondant that has cooled to 40 degrees until it turns into a white mass.
- 16
Step 16
Transfer 2–3 spoonfuls of white fondant into a piping bag; add cocoa to the remaining half and beat it together with the cocoa.
- 17
Step 17
Spread the dark glaze on the cake layer.
- 18
Step 18
Spread strips of white icing on top.
- 19
Step 19
Run a toothpick vertically through the stripes to blend them. Place the piece in a cool place so the fondant can set.
- 20
Step 20
Once the frosting has set, cut the pastries into serving pieces; the classic size is 4×9 cm, but you may cut them however you like. Pour some tea and enjoy the classic Soviet pastry “Alexandrovskaya Poloska.”