How to cook a Berlin cake?

The traditional Berlin cake is fantastic to taste and quite simple in cooking pastries. It is crunchy, sweet, oily and very fragrant. A perfect addition to anyone, even the most exquisite dinner or a buffet table.

Quite often, the same dish has different names in different countries. In Germany, this type of cookie is called "pork ears", in France - "palm leaves", and in the English-speaking world - "ears of an elephant". So interesting comparisons have emerged primarily because of the shape of the baking.

We offer you several recipes for preparing a Berlin cake. All of them are very simple in the ingredient composition and consist of two stages. At the first, a traditional puff pastry is prepared. This process is rather laborious, although not particularly complicated. At the second stage, special fondant is cooked, but in some cases it is not available.

Berlin cake: puff pastry recipe

For the preparation of a leavened puff pastry, which forms the basis of all existing recipes of the Berlin cake, it will take quite some time. However, do not forget that it can be prepared for future use and then frozen, not only for this cookie, but also for various pies, puffs and other.

Beforehand, you need to prepare the following products:

• 4 cups of wheat flour;
• 450 grams of good butter;
• 1 cup of ice water;
• 2 chicken eggs;
• A pinch of salt;
• ½ tsp. Citric acid.

Preparation of the dough

Berlin cake is prepared from puff pastry, the recipe of which is presented in our review. For its preparation, be reserved for time and patience.

On a clean working surface of the table with a hill, sift the wheat flour, but not all. Leave literally half the glass aside. In a hill of flour make a depression resembling a volcano crater, and beat the eggs in it, add citric acid and salt, water. Knead not a tight dough. It should be quite soft and elastic, but do not stick to the table and hands. Roll the ball and wrap it in a food film, then let it rest for twenty minutes.

Butter should be soft. Chop it into small pieces in a separate bowl, then add the remaining flour and mash it with a fork until it is porridge.

The finished dough is rolled into a smooth layer about 1-1.5 cm thick. Lay the oil mixture on it, gently and evenly distribute it on the surface. Then roll the dough with an envelope and roll it back to the original thickness. Next, the formation first fold on the horizontal axis, and then along the vertical axis. Leave in the refrigerator for 20-30 minutes. Repeat the last manipulation 2-3 more times.

Forming of ears

Berlin cake (see photo in the text) has a characteristic shape in the form of ears. In order for everything to be true, roll the finished puff pastry into a thin layer and give it the shape of a rectangle. Simply cut the edges evenly. On top of the dough abundantly sprinkle with a mixture of sugar and vanilla. Fold the formation as shown in the photo below.

Then start folding each edge into a roll. Cut the dough with a sharp knife into pieces 2 cm wide. Lay them on a baking sheet covered with baking paper (or oiled). Bake the cake for 5-6 minutes at a temperature of 200 degrees. Then take out the baking tray, turn the cookies and put them into the oven for another same period of time. The surface of the dough should be well toasty.

Glaze for Berlin cake

In the traditional version, Berlin cakes (biscuits) are covered with glaze. In order to cook it, you need to take:

• Powdered sugar 3 tbsp. L .;
• Corn starch 1 tbsp. L .;
• Water 1 tbsp. L .;
• Juice from half a lemon;
• vanilla sugar.

Combine all the components listed with a halo to a uniform state. Before coating, cool the glaze. Confectioners recommend using corn starch, not replacing it with potato starch.

Cooled "ears" pour glaze and put in the refrigerator for an hour. Serve them for hot tea or coffee.

We told you how to prepare a Berlin pie made of puff pastry according to the classic recipe. Preparation will take some time. However, now there is a great alternative - a ready-made shop semi-finished product. A quality product is often in no way inferior to a test prepared at home.

Berlin cake with nuts and cinnamon

The traditional way to prepare "ears" can be varied. We suggest you use aromatic cinnamon and almonds for this. Handful of nuts pre-fry in a dry frying pan, chop to a large crumb. Then mix them with cinnamon (2 tsp) and sugar (4 tablespoons). Sprinkle with the mixture the surface of the finished rolled dough, and then repeat the procedure for forming the "ears" described above.

In this case, it is not necessary to use sugar-lemon glaze. The taste of the Berlin cake will be bright and rich, without saying that it's an incredible aroma that will fill not only the kitchen, but the whole house.

Berlin cake with cottage cheese and raisins

A classic Berlin cake can be varied with more "serious" fillings. We suggest you try cottage cheese with raisins. The variant is unusual, but very appetizing. Cottage cheese is needed home, not fat-free and not sour. Wipe it through a fine sieve to get a light air mass without lumps. Then add in it a small steamed raisins without pits, sugar and mix thoroughly.

On the rolled out dough layer, gently lay out the filling, distribute it evenly over the surface. Dough roll into a double roll and cut the biscuits.

For 250 grams of ready-made puff pastry, you need to take 150 grams of cottage cheese, 70 grams of sugar and 50 grams of raisins.

Pig ears with chocolate

The Berlin cake, supplemented with good dark chocolate, will be doubly tasty. Thanks to this option, you can not only make something new in the recipe, but also beautifully decorate the dish. You can use different types of chocolate (dark, milk or white) as one by one, and by combining them.

Bake the cookies according to the traditional recipe, refrigerate it. Melt the chocolate in a separate bowl in a water bath. Gently dunk the cake with one side in it, and then let it freeze. Spread the baking on the baking paper. You should get it as shown in the photo above. In order to create an original and interesting design, use a contrasting combination of colors. For example, first lower the "eye" in dark chocolate, and then, letting the first layer solidify, only half in white.

"Ears of an Elephant"

Sometimes a Berlin cake can be found under this name. The content, as a rule, remains unchanged. However, the form can be completely different. It is much simpler. In the photo above, you see these "ears of an elephant". The cake has a rounded shape and is more like a snail. For its preparation, it is sufficient to roll a layer of puff pastry into a roll and cut it into thin slices. At the same time, the formulation and technology of preparation remain unchanged.

On what recipe and how to make a Berlin cake, choose you. Do not forget that in the classical version it has the form, which is presented in the first photo. Cooking with the children, you can make it easier - round. After enjoying the classic taste, do not forget to try new variations: with nuts, cinnamon, jam, cottage cheese, etc.