Many of us have known from school what a sand strip with jam is. This recipe was very common in Soviet times, and in post-Soviet as well. The sand bar was the pearl of the menu of many school canteens, railway stations and even buffets of the Palaces of Culture.
History Cake
This dessert could not be confused with any other work of confectionery art of the USSR. Yes, and in foreign kitchens it was hardly possible to find something as beautiful in its simplicity, uncomplicated decor, transcendental sweetness and, at the same time, the same alluring. Well, what other cake could boast a combination of sweet fruit jam and sugar fudge? Only 22 kopecks, by the way. And for those who did not want to smear their fingers with a sweet white-pink mass spreading over the surface, they offered an analogue - without fondant, but with crumbs, from the same as the cake itself, dough. In addition to the reduced calorie content, a saving of 4-5 kopecks was also expected.
Sand strip with jam, the culinary recipe of which is strictly regulated by GOST, had a popular name - “school cake”.
Today, this plain delicacy has been replaced from pastry shop windows by mousse cakes in velor or mirror glaze, fruit and berry desserts in glasses, airy meringues and macaroons of all colors of the rainbow. But the people live the memory of the very rectangle of shortcrust pastry, generously filled with sweet fudge.
Do you want to feel the taste of carefree childhood or the hopes of youth again? Or maybe you are just looking for a simple and reliable quick-dessert dessert recipe? The answer is obvious: a strip of sand with jam! We will consider the recipe with the photo in full detail in this article.
Cooking dough
The cake consists of two sand cakes, jam and fudge. If you are going to strictly follow GOST, this will be enough. But it is perfectly acceptable to replace jam with jam. This will affect the quality of the dessert only positively. The top can be poured with thin streams of chocolate glaze - so you get an even more beautiful strip of sand with jam.
The cake recipe we will start with the test. To prepare it, rub in a bowl 200 g of butter, previously briefly left on the thawing table. Add the egg, try to achieve uniformity. Pour 130 g of powdered sugar while stirring. Add a pinch of baking powder and salt. When the mixing result suits you, start adding flour. In total, you will need about 350 g, but not in a hurry. Add in portions.
Before you start rolling, the dough needs to be cooled. It turns out to be soft, supple and does not hold well. Therefore, wrap it in film and send it to the refrigerator for 40 minutes.
What to use as a filling?
The name itself contains the answer to the question of what was in the school cakes, which many years ago were sold in any dining room. But is it possible to compare the quality of the Soviet apple jam and the mass that we see on the shelves today? If you have jam of your own production, you, of course, can safely use it. The main thing is that it be thick enough. But if you plan to buy this ingredient, approach the selection with all responsibility. Do not take the fruit and berry mass of bright color, which is sold by weight. It is made far from the highest quality raw materials.
You can use homemade jam or jam for the filling. Any taste will do. But before work, jam with fruit slices is better to beat with a blender until smooth, or even grind with a meat grinder.
In any case, while working with the test, send the jam to the refrigerator - it’s more convenient to handle the cold.
Baking
Sand bar with jam, the recipe of which is used by professionals, is baked without jam. Therefore, roll out the dough into a layer about a centimeter thick, lay it on a baking sheet and send it to a preheated oven to 220 degrees. It bakes quickly, so monitor the situation. Time depends on the oven itself.
Once the surface is evenly golden, remove the pan. It’s not worth it to dry it, after all, we make a cake, not cookies.
Cut the cake rectangle in half exactly and set aside to allow it to cool completely.
Fondant
In the meantime, let's deal with the next component, without which a real sand strip with jam is unthinkable. The fudge recipe is extremely simple. Mix in a bowl with a thick bottom 200 g of sugar and 3 tbsp. l water. Put on fire and warm until mass turns into liquid. Add 0.5 tsp. citric acid (or lemon juice). Do not be afraid of bubbles! That is how it should be.
Set aside the syrup container and let it cool.
Glaze
Do you want you to get an elegant strip of sand with jam? Glaze recipe will help you quickly cope with the task. Mix 3 tsp. cocoa, as much sugar and 2 tsp. milk. Heat, stirring occasionally. Bring to a boil and immediately remove from heat. That's all!
Decor
You will need a little more than half a glass of jam. Apply it evenly on one half of the cake and immediately cover the second. Let stand, soaking, and while we finish cooking fudge.
Pour the syrup into the mixer bowl, preferably high. Beat at the highest speed, watching how it thickens and whitens. Remember what the sand strip with jam used to be? The recipe, which most confectioners used, involved stains on the surface. To do this, divide the fondant into 2 parts and tint one of them in pink or light orange.
Apply white fondant to the surface, smear with a spatula. Pour over colored, trickle. With a toothpick, make a streak.
Place the cake in the refrigerator for at least an hour. Then cut with a very sharp knife into cakes of the desired size. According to GOST, the strip had dimensions of 4 x 9 cm, but you can do as you like. Top with a thin stream of glaze in a chaotic manner.
Simplified dessert options
In many sources, under the name “sand bar with jam”, a simple recipe for grated pie comes across no less than the one we have already examined. The main difference is that you can bake immediately with jam. To save time and effort, you can simply split the dough in half, roll out part, grease with jam, and tear the second part in pieces and scatter on top. You can make the second tier of the pie and from the same layer as the first. It's a matter of taste. The simple dough that is used for this dessert is always obtained, so experimenting with it is very pleasant.
The finished pie will only have to cool, cut into cakes and cover with fudge.
Sand Strip: Serving
If you intend to treat your friends to such cakes, take care of the serving. Serve it on plates or saucers with dessert forks and knives. It is perfectly acceptable to eat this cake and just hold it in your hand - it depends on the format of the event and the traditions specific to your company.
Tea, a brewed drink of rose hips or coffee are good for a school cake , and cocoa will give a special nostalgic touch to this dessert.
In summer, chilled juices are perfectly combined with a sand strip, and during cold weather - hot drinks with a degree, such as punch or grog.