Smetannik is one of the lightest, most delicate, and airy homemade desserts. It might seem to require certain skills and abilities, but that's not the case. To make it easier for you, we've gathered 5 step-by-step recipes on how to make a classic Smetannik cake with detailed descriptions of each stage!
1. Quick and Tender Smetannik
This cake turns out incredibly soft!
You will need:
For the dough: 3 eggs, a pinch of salt, 1 sachet of vanilla sugar, 200 g sour cream, 0.5 tsp baking soda, 100 g butter, 320 g flour, 1 tsp baking powder.
For the cream: 500 g sour cream, 100 g sugar, 1 sachet of cream stabilizer.
Instructions:
1. Whisk eggs with sugar and vanilla sugar for about 2-3 minutes. Add sour cream and melted butter, mix, then add sifted flour with baking soda and baking powder.
2. Pour the batter into a mold and bake in the oven at 180 degrees Celsius for 35-40 minutes. Once the cake layer has cooled, trim the sides and crumble them, then slice the cake layer horizontally in half.
3. Whisk sour cream with sugar for the cream, let it sit for 5-7 minutes, then whisk again. Spread the cream over the cake layers, and add the stabilizer to the remaining cream and whisk once more.
4. Refrigerate the cream for 15 minutes, spread it over the cake layers, assemble the cake, cover it on all sides, sprinkle with crumbs, and let it soak for 2 hours.
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2. Classic Smetannik from Childhood
That beautiful two-tone pastry, but now as a whole cake!
You will need:
For the dough: 4 eggs, 300 g sugar, 300 g sour cream, 200 g butter, 2 tsp vanilla extract, 0.5 tsp salt, 20 g baking powder, 380 g flour, 60 g cocoa.
For the cream: 550 g 25% sour cream, 125 g powdered sugar, 1 tsp vanilla extract.
Instructions:
1. Divide all dough ingredients in half, except for the flour and cocoa. The light portion will use 220 g of flour, and the dark portion will use all the cocoa and 160 g of flour.
2. Whisk eggs, salt, and sugar for the light batter until fluffy. Add vanilla, softened butter, and mix again. Add sour cream, mix once more, then add sifted flour with baking powder. Combine everything with a spatula and pour into a parchment-lined mold. Bake in the oven for 20-25 minutes at 180 degrees Celsius.
3. Prepare the chocolate cake layer in the same way and bake it separately. Let the cake layers cool, trim the tops and edges, and crumble the trimmings into crumbs.
4. Mix sour cream with vanilla and powdered sugar using a whisk for just a couple of minutes. Spread half of the cream over one cake layer, place the second cake layer on top, and add the remaining cream. Smooth it out, cover everything with crumbs, and refrigerate for 5-6 hours.
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3. Smetannik with Oatmeal
This cake takes only 10 minutes to prepare, plus another half hour for baking.
You will need:
For the dough: 150 g flour, 100 g rolled oats, 70 g sugar, 1 tsp baking powder, 130 g butter.
For the cream: 400 g sour cream, 2 eggs, 120 g sugar, 1 sachet of vanilla sugar.
Instructions:
1. Mix flour, sugar, baking powder, and rolled oats. Grate 100 g of butter into them and rub with your hands until crumbly.
2. Thoroughly mix the cream ingredients with a whisk until smooth.
3. Place a thin layer of dough in the mold, thinly pour sour cream over it, and continue alternating layers until finished.
4. Grate the remaining butter over the last layer of crumbs for a golden crust. Bake for 30-40 minutes at 180 degrees Celsius.
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4. Fluffy Smetannik with Alcohol
A drop of strong alcohol or spirits makes the dough more crumbly and airy.
You will need:
For the dough: 3 eggs, 200 g sugar, 320 g flour, 200 g sour cream, 1 tsp baking soda, 2 tsp vinegar, 2 tbsp alcohol, 1 tbsp cocoa.
For the cream: 500 g sour cream (20% fat or more), 120 g sugar, walnuts.
Instructions:
1. Whisk eggs on low speed for 2 minutes, add sugar and whisk for another 3 minutes. Add room temperature sour cream to the eggs and whisk again.
2. Pour sifted flour into the batter, make a well in it, add baking soda, vinegar, and alcohol. Knead the dough and divide it into 2 parts, adding cocoa to the second half.
3. Bake the cake layers separately for 30 minutes at 160 degrees Celsius. Once cooled, cut the layers in half.
4. Mix sour cream with sugar using a mixer for 10 minutes. Assemble the cake, alternating layers and generously spreading them with cream. Cover the cake with cream on all sides and decorate with crushed and toasted walnuts. Refrigerate for 12 hours.
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5. No-Bake Smetannik
If you're short on time to bake cake layers, just use regular cookies!
You will need: 1.2 kg cookies (plain and chocolate), 1 liter sour cream (20% fat or more), 2 tbsp condensed milk, 200 g powdered sugar, 3 sachets of sour cream stabilizer.
Instructions:
1. Whisk sour cream on medium speed for a minute, add powdered sugar, and turn the mixer on again. Add the stabilizer and whisk.
2. Grease a plate with cream and arrange the first layer of cookies in two rows. Glue the rows together with condensed milk. Spread another layer of cream about 1-1.5 cm thick, and lay out the next layer of cookies. Continue until finished.
3. Cover the cake with cream on all sides, smooth it out, and wipe the edges. Decorate the Smetannik on top and sides with crumbs made from the same cookies. Refrigerate overnight to soak – and in cross-section, no one will even realize it's ready-made cookies, not a baked cake layer.
