Source: Fahrwasser, AdobeStock Baking a cake sounds like a daunting task, but in reality, it's much simpler than it seems. In our collection, we've gathered recipes that even beginners can successfully make. There are no tricky techniques or complicated creams here: everything is accessible and easy to understand!
1. Zebra Cake
Source: AdobeStock Melts in your mouth, and incredibly easy to make!
You will need: 250 g sour cream, 2 eggs, 200 g flour, 100-120 g sugar, 20 g butter, 2 tbsp cocoa, 7-8 g baking powder, salt, vanilla, vegetable oil.
Preparation: Whisk eggs with sugar, pour in melted butter, then add sour cream. Reserve 2 tablespoons of flour, and mix the rest with baking powder, salt, and vanilla, then fold into the batter. Divide the batter into two parts; add cocoa to one half and the remaining flour to the other.
Grease a baking pan with vegetable oil and alternately spoon in the different colored batters. Bake the cake for 30-35 minutes in the oven at 200 degrees Celsius. If desired, cut it in half and soak with any cream, or drizzle with melted chocolate.
2. Smetannik (Sour Cream Cake)
Source: AdobeStock Light cream makes the cake layers soft and moist. Easy to prepare, and the result will delight everyone!
You will need:
For the cake layers: 1 cup 20% sour cream, 4 eggs, 2 cups flour, 1 cup sugar, 1.5 tbsp cocoa, 2 tsp baking soda.
For the cream: 2 cups 20% sour cream, 1 cup sugar.
Preparation: Whisk 2 eggs and half the sugar, mix half the sour cream and half the baking soda, and combine both mixtures. Add half the flour, mix the batter, and bake the cake layer for 30-35 minutes in the oven at 180 degrees Celsius. Prepare the second cake layer in the same way, but also mix in cocoa.
Cut both cake layers in half. Whip the sour cream with sugar until fluffy, spread it on the cake layers, assemble the cake, and cover the sides with the same cream. You can decorate it with crumbs. Let it soak in the refrigerator for at least 5-6 hours.
3. Medovik (Honey Cake)
Source: AdobeStock Honey notes give a special tenderness to this cake, which smells of warmth and comfort.
You will need:
For the cake layers: 2 eggs, 50 g butter, 3 cups flour, 1 cup sugar, 2 tbsp honey, 2 tsp baking soda, vinegar.
For the cream: 500 ml sour cream, 1 cup sugar.
Preparation: Thoroughly mix soft butter, honey, eggs, and sugar. Add baking soda quenched with vinegar and place everything in a double boiler. Bring the mixture to a boil, stirring constantly, remove from heat, and mix with flour. Knead the dough, divide it into 8-9 parts, roll out thin layers, and bake them for 3-5 minutes in the oven at 200 degrees Celsius.
Afterward, cut identical circles from the cake layers, and crush the trimmings into crumbs. Whip the sour cream with sugar until fluffy, spread it on the cake layers, assemble the Medovik, and cover it with the cream on the outside. Sprinkle with crumbs and it's ready!
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4. Napoleon Cake with Puff Pastry
Source: AdobeStock Crispy puff pastry layers are softly complemented by the cream.
You will need:
For the cake layers: 1 kg yeast-free puff pastry.
For the cream: 1 liter milk, 4 eggs, 200 g sugar, 200 g butter, 4 tbsp flour, vanilla.
Preparation: Thaw the ready-made puff pastry, cut it into several pieces, prick with a fork, and bake for 20-25 minutes in the oven at 200 degrees Celsius. Then let the layers cool and divide each of them into three more layers, but crumble one of them for sprinkling.
Separately mix eggs, sugar, vanilla, and soft butter, pour in milk and add flour, and whisk the resulting cream to avoid lumps. Cook it over low heat first until boiling, then until thick. Afterward, let the cream cool, spread it on the cake layers, assemble the cake, and cover it on the outside. Sprinkle it with crumbs.
5. Strawberry and Sour Cream Cake
Source: AdobeStock An excellent summer cake for tea time.
You will need:
For the cake layers: 4 eggs, 180 g flour, 4 tbsp sugar.
For the cream: 800 g full-fat sour cream, 150 g powdered sugar, 300 g strawberries.
Preparation: Whip eggs with sugar using a mixer until a fluffy, thick mass forms. Fold the sifted flour into the batter with a spatula, pour it into a pan, and bake for 35-40 minutes in the oven at 180 degrees Celsius. Let the resulting cake layer cool and cut it into 2 or 3 layers.
Separately whip the sour cream with powdered sugar using a mixer until thick. Wash, dry, and slice the strawberries. Spread a generous layer of cream on a cake layer, embed strawberries in it, and cover with the second cake layer. Repeat for the third cake layer, cover the cake with the remaining cream, decorate with strawberries, and let it soak.
6. Chocolate Cherry Cake
Source: AdobeStock The tartness of cherries perfectly complements chocolate.
You will need:
For the cake layers: 150 ml milk, 4 eggs, 80 g butter, 200 g flour, 200 g sugar, 3 tbsp cocoa, 0.5 tsp baking soda.
For the cream: 600 ml 30-35% cream, 5 tbsp powdered sugar, 400 g cherries.
Preparation: Whip eggs with sugar using a mixer until fluffy. Heat butter with milk until boiling and pour the mixture in a thin stream into the egg mixture, continuing to whisk. Then fold in the flour, and finally, the cocoa with baking soda. Bake the cake layer for 50-60 minutes in the oven at 180 degrees Celsius, cool, and cut it into 2-3 more layers.
If you have frozen cherries, thaw them, drain in a colander, and discard excess juice. Whip cream with powdered sugar until stiff peaks form. Spread cream on a cake layer, add cherries, and cover with the second cake layer. Repeat everything once more and cover the cake with cream on the outside. Decorate to taste.
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7. No-Bake Cookie Cake
Source: AdobeStock A cake recipe for those who don't like to fuss with dough for long. Assemble, chill – and it's ready!
You will need: 200 g cookies, 250 g full-fat sour cream, 300 g dulce de leche, 100 g walnuts.
Preparation: Mix sour cream with dulce de leche until smooth, then fold in crushed cookies and nuts. Place the mixture into a mold, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate overnight.
8. Chocolate Kefir Cake
Source: AdobeStock An excellent cake for tea or coffee, and simply for every day.
You will need:
For the cake layers: 300 ml kefir, 35 ml vegetable oil, 2 eggs, 250-280 g flour, 1 cup sugar, 1 tsp baking soda, 2 tbsp cocoa, salt, vanilla.
For the cream: 200 g butter, 1 can condensed milk.
Preparation: Whisk eggs with sugar, salt, and vanilla, and add baking soda to the kefir. When the kefir starts to bubble, combine it with the eggs, pour in the vegetable oil, and mix thoroughly. Sift in the flour with cocoa and mix again.
Bake the cake layer for 40-50 minutes in the oven at 180 degrees Celsius, then cool it and cut it into 2-3 more layers. Whip soft butter until fluffy, add condensed milk, and whip again. Spread this cream on the cake layers, assemble the cake, cover it on the outside, and decorate to taste. Let it soak well.
9. Ant Hill Cake (Muraveinik) from Cookies
Source: AdobeStock A taste of childhood that is still good!
You will need: 500 g shortbread cookies, 350 g dulce de leche, 150 g butter, nuts, chocolate, almond flakes, and other additions to taste.
Preparation: Whip soft butter with a mixer until fluffy and gradually add dulce de leche, continuing to whip. Break the cookies and mix them with the cream. Add nuts and everything else to taste. Form the cake into a mound and refrigerate for at least 3-4 hours.
10. No-Bake Banana Cake
Source: AdobeStock An aromatic and delicious cake that always lifts your spirits.
You will need: 250 g "Rybki" cookies or crackers, 500 g full-fat sour cream, 100 g sugar, 1 banana, other fruits as desired.
Preparation: Whip sour cream with sugar using a mixer until fluffy. Slice bananas and other fruits, break cookies if they are large. Mix all of this into the sour cream, place into a film-lined mold or wide bowl, and refrigerate overnight.
11. Cottage Cheese Cheesecake
Source: AdobeStock Tender texture and a slight tang – a wonderful dessert for the whole family.
You will need:
For the base: 150 g cookies, 50 g butter.
For the filling: 500 g cottage cheese or cream cheese, 200 ml 20% cream, 50 g dulce de leche, 100 g powdered sugar, 10 g gelatin, 1 tbsp lemon zest.
Preparation: Crush cookies into crumbs, mix with melted butter, press into a mold, and refrigerate for 1 hour. Separately, soak gelatin in 50 ml cold cream, leave for 20 minutes, then heat until dissolved.
Whip all other ingredients for the filling with a mixer, add gelatin, and whip again. Pour the filling onto the base and refrigerate the cheesecake until set.
12. Bounty Cake
Source: AdobeStock The coconut filling makes it maximally exotic – a find for Bounty lovers.
You will need:
For the cake layers: 4 eggs, 100 g flour, 20 g cocoa, 100 g sugar, salt, vanilla.
For the cream: 1 cup milk, 100 g butter, 100 g sugar, 150 g coconut flakes.
For soaking and glaze: 150 ml cream, 100 g chocolate, 80-100 ml milk.
Preparation: Separate egg yolks from whites and whip them separately, adding half the sugar to each. Combine both masses and gradually fold in the mixture of dry ingredients. Bake the sponge cake for 30-35 minutes in the oven at 180 degrees Celsius, let it cool, cut in half, and soak the layers with cream.
Mix butter, milk, and sugar, heat until dissolved, and stir in coconut flakes. Cook the cream for 7-10 minutes over low heat, stirring. Cool, spread it on a cake layer, and cover with the second cake layer. Melt chocolate with milk and pour over the finished cake.
13. Semolina Cake with Cottage Cheese Cream
Source: AdobeStock Fluffy semolina cake pairs perfectly with a soft cottage cheese-based cream.
You will need:
For the cake layers: 1 cup kefir, 2 eggs, 1 cup flour, 1 cup semolina, 100 g sugar, 10 g baking powder.
For the cream: 100 ml cream, 150 g cottage cheese, 100 g sugar, 80 g butter, vanilla.
Preparation: Mix dry ingredients for the dough, pour in kefir, and mix. Separately whip eggs, combine both mixtures, and let stand for 10 minutes. Pour the batter into a pan and bake for 40-45 minutes in the oven at 180 degrees Celsius. Let the sponge cake cool and cut it into several layers.
Whip all ingredients for the cream until smooth. Spread the resulting cream on the cake layers, assemble the cake, cover it on the outside, and let it soak for at least several hours.
14. Condensed Milk Cake in a Frying Pan
Source: AdobeStock The cake layers are quickly cooked directly in a frying pan and soaked with condensed milk.
You will need:
For the cake layers: 400 ml condensed milk, 1 egg, 3 cups flour, 0.5 tsp baking soda, 1 tsp vinegar.
For the cream: 500 ml milk, 2 eggs, 4 tbsp flour, 1.5 cups sugar, 200 g butter, 20 g vanilla sugar.
Preparation: Whisk egg with condensed milk, add baking soda with vinegar, and gradually fold in flour. Divide the dough into 8 parts, roll out thin layers, prick them with a fork, and bake in a dry frying pan for 1-2 minutes on each side.
Separately whip eggs with sugar for the cream, add flour, and then pour in milk. Heat the cream, stirring, and cook until it reaches the consistency of thick sour cream. Afterward, let it cool slightly, add butter, and mix thoroughly until smooth. Spread it on the cake layers, assemble the cake, cover it on top, and decorate to taste.
15. Milk Girl Cake (Molochnaya Devochka)
Source: AdobeStock Light milk cake layers and delicate cream create an amazingly soft taste!
You will need:
For the cake layers: 300 g condensed milk, 3 eggs, 180 g flour, 10 g baking powder, vanilla, salt.
For the cream: 500 ml 30-35% cream, 100 g condensed milk, 10 g vanilla sugar.
Preparation: Whip eggs with salt using a mixer until fluffy and gradually pour in condensed milk, continuing to whip. Mix and add dry ingredients to the batter, divide it in half, and bake 2 cake layers for 6-7 minutes in the oven at 180 degrees Celsius.
Cool and cut the resulting cake layers into 3-4 pieces each. Whip cream with sugar using a mixer until stiff peaks form and pour in condensed milk, continuing to whip. Spread this cream on the cake layers, assemble the cake, cover it on the outside, and decorate to taste.