CharlieD
Chef Extraordinaire
(I’ve decided to start translating my mom’s recipe book. This is the first attempt. Please comment on the wording and terminology I used of the recipe, if it is clear enough or not. This is my American wife’s favorite Russian style cake.)
Ingredients for dough:
Flour - 2 cups
Eggs - 3
Honey - 1.5 tbsps
Sugar - 1.5 cups
Vanilla extract - 1-2 tsps
Baking soda - a big pinch
Vinegar about 1-2 tbsp (enough to dissolve soda)
Ingredients for frosting:
1. Sour cream - 1lb (buy the brand that makes the thickest possible because if it is runny, the frosting will not stay on the cake)
2. Sugar - ¾ cup
3. Lemon - 1 big one
Directions:
Frosting: Make this first, as it needs to be ready before the cake is baked. Put lemon in a small pot and add enough water to cover lemon completely. Bring to a boil. Boil for a couple of minutes and then rinse under cold water. Mix sour cream and sugar together until sugar is dissolved. (Do not over mix) Grate (use cheese grater) the lemon rind into the mixture. Cut lemon in half and squeeze the juice into the mixture, also. Make sure not to let seeds into the mixture.
Dough: Put flour, sugar, honey and vanilla together in a bowl. Put a pinch of soda into a big serving or mixing spoon. Pour vinegar over soda over the bowl with the flour/sugar mix. (If necessary, mix it until soda is dissolved.) Add vinegar/soda mix to the bowl. Mix everything until dough is very soft, but not pourable like cake batter. Do not over mix or the dough will become too hard. (I use a frying pan for baking. The reason I do so is because it has a handle and it is easier to flip pan over to remove the cake.) If using 10-inch pan, divide dough into 3 equal parts. If using 12 inch, divide dough into 2 equal parts. Spray the pan with Pam or other non-stick spray. Sprinkle breadcrumbs in the pan and spread evenly to prevent dough from sticking. Put dough in pan and spread flat/evenly on bottom of pan, I do it with my hands, just make them wet so dough doesn’t stick. Bake each layer at 350 degrees for about 12-15 minutes. Because there is, honey is in the mixture, dough has tendency to stick to the bottom. Be careful not to break the cake when taking out of pan. BTW, if you use spring mold make sure to use one that is non-stick kind.
Spoon and spread a layer of frosting onto a serving dish/big plate. Take a hot layer of cake and put it on the layer of frosting. Spread more frosting on the top of that layer of cake and on the side repeat steps for as many layers of cake you made. It is very important to do it when the layer is still hot. Also, you could and should pock the cake thru with a knife or fork so the frosting penetrates better through the dough. It takes a while for frosting to penetrate through the dough, so I leave the assembled cake seating on the counter for at least 24 + hours and than put in refrigerator for at least another 24 hours. I think it taste the best after 3 days. Garnish cake with whatever you like (i.e. raisins, sprinkles, chocolate chips, etc.).
P.S.
I’ve just made a quadruple portion of this. If multiply you’ll need to make extra frosting as it runs of the sides
Ingredients for dough:
Flour - 2 cups
Eggs - 3
Honey - 1.5 tbsps
Sugar - 1.5 cups
Vanilla extract - 1-2 tsps
Baking soda - a big pinch
Vinegar about 1-2 tbsp (enough to dissolve soda)
Ingredients for frosting:
1. Sour cream - 1lb (buy the brand that makes the thickest possible because if it is runny, the frosting will not stay on the cake)
2. Sugar - ¾ cup
3. Lemon - 1 big one
Directions:
Frosting: Make this first, as it needs to be ready before the cake is baked. Put lemon in a small pot and add enough water to cover lemon completely. Bring to a boil. Boil for a couple of minutes and then rinse under cold water. Mix sour cream and sugar together until sugar is dissolved. (Do not over mix) Grate (use cheese grater) the lemon rind into the mixture. Cut lemon in half and squeeze the juice into the mixture, also. Make sure not to let seeds into the mixture.
Dough: Put flour, sugar, honey and vanilla together in a bowl. Put a pinch of soda into a big serving or mixing spoon. Pour vinegar over soda over the bowl with the flour/sugar mix. (If necessary, mix it until soda is dissolved.) Add vinegar/soda mix to the bowl. Mix everything until dough is very soft, but not pourable like cake batter. Do not over mix or the dough will become too hard. (I use a frying pan for baking. The reason I do so is because it has a handle and it is easier to flip pan over to remove the cake.) If using 10-inch pan, divide dough into 3 equal parts. If using 12 inch, divide dough into 2 equal parts. Spray the pan with Pam or other non-stick spray. Sprinkle breadcrumbs in the pan and spread evenly to prevent dough from sticking. Put dough in pan and spread flat/evenly on bottom of pan, I do it with my hands, just make them wet so dough doesn’t stick. Bake each layer at 350 degrees for about 12-15 minutes. Because there is, honey is in the mixture, dough has tendency to stick to the bottom. Be careful not to break the cake when taking out of pan. BTW, if you use spring mold make sure to use one that is non-stick kind.
Spoon and spread a layer of frosting onto a serving dish/big plate. Take a hot layer of cake and put it on the layer of frosting. Spread more frosting on the top of that layer of cake and on the side repeat steps for as many layers of cake you made. It is very important to do it when the layer is still hot. Also, you could and should pock the cake thru with a knife or fork so the frosting penetrates better through the dough. It takes a while for frosting to penetrate through the dough, so I leave the assembled cake seating on the counter for at least 24 + hours and than put in refrigerator for at least another 24 hours. I think it taste the best after 3 days. Garnish cake with whatever you like (i.e. raisins, sprinkles, chocolate chips, etc.).
P.S.
I’ve just made a quadruple portion of this. If multiply you’ll need to make extra frosting as it runs of the sides
Last edited:
You did a great job in translating!
If you were going to publish the recipe, the only thing I would change is i.e. 1.5 to 1 1/2 & run a spelll check i.e. pock I know you mean poke. Every thing looks clear to me. 
