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Stepka-rasterpka cake

Stepka-Rastrepka Layer Cake

A heartwarming cake for a cozy tea at home! I found this recipe in an old book called "Confectionery," printed back in 1960. It calls for nothing expensive — every ingredient is easy to find and pretty budget-friendly. And yet, simple as it is, the cake vanished in no time and everyone wanted the recipe written down. Our grandmothers really knew their way around the kitchen. It's not hard to make; the only catch is the sheer number of layers — ten of them — and each one bakes on a cold baking sheet, so you'll be on your feet for a while. But that silky custard is what makes this old-fashioned cake so cozy and homey.

Tatiana Maslova

Recipe author

Composition / ingredients

Servings:

Wheat flour

2.5

Margarine

200

Water

0.5

Baking powder

Sugar

0.5

Potato starch

0.25

Eggs

Milk

1.5

Vanilla sugar

Translation table of volumetric measures

Nutrients and energy value of the composition of the recipe

By weight of the composition:

Proteins 9 % 5 g

Fats 30 % 16 g

Carbohydrates 61 % 33 g

291 kcal

GI: 15 / 0 / 85

Cooking method

Step 1:

You'll only need a handful of affordable, everyday ingredients.
Step 2:

Put the margarine (or the same amount of butter, if you prefer) and the flour into a wide bowl.
Step 3:

Using a dry knife, cut the margarine into the flour.
Step 4:

Keep cutting until you have fine crumbs. Add the baking powder and mix it in.
Step 5:

Make a small well in the center and pour in the cold water. Quickly knead it into a dough.
Step 6:

Gently shape the dough into a log and refrigerate it for 30 minutes.
Step 7:

Cut the chilled dough into pieces — you'll need 8 to 10. Lay each piece on its side and roll it into a thin round, like you would for noodle dough.
Step 8:

It's best to trim each layer to shape right away, since the baked layers turn out brittle and can crack if you cut them later.
Step 9:

Transfer the layer to a dry, cold baking sheet, prick it all over with a fork, and bake until pale golden.
Step 10:

The layers bake fast and come out thin and crisp.
Step 11:

For the custard: combine the sugar, vanilla sugar, potato starch, and egg in a bowl. Whisk until smooth.
Step 12:

Pour the milk into a small saucepan, stir in the egg-and-sugar mixture, and cook over low heat, stirring constantly, until thickened.
Step 13:

Let the finished custard cool.
Step 14:

Spread custard over each layer and stack them one on top of another.
Step 15:

Don't frost the very top layer just yet. The layers don't come out perfectly even and won't sit flush against each other, so once the cake is assembled, set a light weight on top to even it out — I use a large plate. Leave the weighted cake to settle for 1–2 hours.
Step 16:

Spread custard over the top and sprinkle with crumbs, or decorate however you like.
Step 17:

Once the cake has chilled and soaked for a few hours in the fridge, it's ready to serve.