Honey shortbread cake
Description
Homemade pastries for tea. Always roll the cake layers between two sheets of parchment paper. If you don’t have a stencil, don’t worry — you can download one from the internet and cut it out. But don’t put it directly on the dough; it will stick. So place it on the top parchment, trace the outline with a knife, then cut it out. Little Christmas trees are easiest to cut with a pizza wheel. Don’t worry if the layers seem a bit firm at first — after you add the cream and they rest in the refrigerator, they will soften. Decorate the cake however you like. Serve cooled or slightly warm.
Instructions
- 1
Step 1
Prepare all the ingredients you need to make the honey shortbread cake “Yolochka”.
- 2
Step 2
Place the sugar and honey in a heavy-bottomed saucepan and crack in the eggs. Whisk everything lightly until smooth.
- 3
Step 3
Add butter to the saucepan.
- 4
Step 4
Place a saucepan in a water bath and heat the mixture, stirring constantly, until the sugar has fully dissolved and the mixture has thickened. Remove the saucepan from the heat, add the baking soda, and stir until the reaction subsides. The mixture will foam; that is expected. Let the mixture cool completely.
- 5
Step 5
Sift the flour into a saucepan and knead into a soft, slightly sticky dough.
- 6
Step 6
Place the dough in a bag and refrigerate for two hours. During this time the dough will become firmer.
- 7
Step 7
Place the tangerine purée in a heavy-bottomed saucepan, add the sugar, and set over low heat. Cook everything until the first bubbles appear.
- 8
Step 8
Mix the starch with two tablespoons of cold water, stir, and pour into the mandarin purée. Cook everything, stirring, until thickened. Remove the pan from the heat, lay plastic wrap directly on the surface, and cool completely.
- 9
Step 9
Combine the cream with the confectioners’ sugar and whip until light and fluffy. Add the cheese and whip again until light and fluffy, then cover and refrigerate the cream.
- 10
Step 10
Divide the dough into three parts and roll each one out between two sheets of parchment paper. Using a stencil, cut out a Christmas tree shape and bake in a hot oven at 180 degrees for 5–7 minutes. Remove the baked piece and let it cool completely.
- 11
Step 11
Place the first sponge layer and, using a piping bag, pipe the cream in large drops over the entire surface of the tree. Fill the gaps between the cream with the mandarin mixture.
- 12
Step 12
Repeat for all three layers and refrigerate the cake for 5–6 hours. After that, decorate the Christmas tree to your taste and serve to the table.
- 13
Step 13
Happy New Year in advance!