Cake Layers Made in a Skillet

Cooking method

1. Step 1:

   

   How do you make cake layers in a skillet? Sift the flour into a deep bowl. Add a pinch of salt to bring out more flavor in the finished layers. Crack in one egg — I'd rinse it in warm water first, since these layers get very little heat and it's better to play it safe.

2. Step 2:

   

   Add the condensed milk to the bowl. Choose a good, trusted brand with no vegetable fats or additives — the label should list just two ingredients, milk and sugar. The quality of the condensed milk will ultimately shape the flavor of the layers.

3. Step 3:

   

   Slake the baking soda with the lemon juice and add it to the bowl. Knead a stiff dough, like the kind you'd make for dumplings. Cover the bowl with a towel and let it rest at room temperature for half an hour.

4. Step 4:

   

   Then roll the dough into a log and cut it into six equal pieces. Roll each piece out with a rolling pin until it's so thin it's practically translucent. Dust the work surface with flour so the dough doesn't stick. Cut out rounds. Heat a skillet over medium. Lay a layer in to fry for about half a minute. I used a nonstick skillet.

5. Step 5:

   

   Flip the layer over and fry the other side until golden — it took me no more than half a minute. The layers puff up right before your eyes. Mine rose at least threefold after cooking! That's exactly why I recommend rolling the dough as thin as you possibly can, right to the point of translucency. Watch the layers closely as they cook — they're done very fast.

6. Step 6:

   

   Here's how my layers turned out in the end. Straight after cooking, set the layers on a wire rack to cool so air can reach them from all sides and they don't get soggy.