A traditional Berlin cake is fantastic in taste and fairly easy to prepare. It is crispy, sweet, buttery and very aromatic. A great addition to any, even the most exquisite dinner or buffet.
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 - "elephant ears." Such interesting comparisons appeared primarily due to the form of baking.
We offer you some recipes for making Berlin cake. All of them are very simple in ingredient composition and consist of two stages. The first is preparing a traditional puff pastry. This process is rather laborious, although not particularly complicated. At the second stage, special fudge is prepared, but in some cases it is absent.
Berlin pastry: puff pastry recipe
It takes quite a lot of time to prepare a yeast-free puff pastry, which forms the basis of all existing Berlin cake recipes. However, do not forget that it can be prepared for the future and then frozen, not only for this cookie, but also for various cakes, puffs and other things.
You must first 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.
Cooking dough
Berlin cake is made from puff pastry, the recipe of which is presented in our review. To prepare it, take time and patience.
Sift wheat flour, but not all, onto a clean working surface of the table. Leave literally half a glass aside. In a hill of flour, make a depression similar to a crater of a volcano, and beat eggs into it, add citric acid and salt, water. Knead dough. It should be quite soft and elastic, but not stick to the table and hands. Roll up the ball and wrap it in cling 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 well with a fork until it is porridge.
Roll out the finished dough into a flat layer about 1-1.5 cm thick. Put the oil mixture on it, gently and evenly distribute it on the surface. Then fold the dough with an envelope and roll it again to its original thickness. Next, first turn the formation along the horizontal axis, and then vertically. Leave in the refrigerator for 20-30 minutes. Repeat the last manipulation 2-3 more times.
Ear shaping
The Berlin cake (see photo in the text) has a characteristic shape in the form of ears. In order for everything to work out correctly, roll the finished puff pastry into a thin layer and give it the shape of a rectangle. Just trim the edges evenly. Sprinkle the dough on top with a mixture of sugar and vanilla. Roll up the layer 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. Put 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 sheet, turn the cookies over and put them in the oven for the same amount of time. The surface of the dough should be well browned.
Glaze for Berlin cake
In a traditional version, Berlin cakes (cookies) are glazed. 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.
Mix all of the listed ingredients with a whisk until smooth. Cool the icing before applying. Confectioners recommend the use of corn starch, not replacing it with potato.
Pour the cooled “ears” with icing and put in the refrigerator for an hour. Serve them with hot tea or coffee.
We told you about how to make Berlin puff pastry using a classic recipe. Preparation will take some time. However, now there is a great alternative - a ready-made convenience store. A quality product is often in no way inferior to dough prepared at home.
Berlin cake with nuts and cinnamon
The traditional version of the preparation of "ears" can be varied. We suggest you use flavored cinnamon and almonds for this. Pre-fry a handful of nuts in a dry frying pan, chop until large crumbs. Then mix them with cinnamon (2 tsp) and sugar (4 tbsp.). Sprinkle the mixture onto the surface of the finished rolled dough, and then repeat the “ear” formation procedure described above.
In this case, the use of sugar-lemon glaze is not necessary. The taste of the Berlin cake will already be bright and rich, let alone the incredible aroma that will fill not only the kitchen, but the whole house.
Berlin cake with cottage cheese and raisins
Classic Berlin pastries can be diversified with more “serious” fillings. We suggest you try the curd with raisins. The option is unusual, but very tasty. Curd is needed homemade, not fat-free and not sour. Wipe it through a fine sieve to create a light, airy mass without lumps. Then add the small steamed seedless raisins, sugar and mix thoroughly.
On a rolled dough sheet, carefully lay out the filling, distribute it evenly over the surface. Roll the dough into a double roll and cut the cookies.
For 250 grams of finished puff pastry, you need to take 150 grams of cottage cheese, 70 grams of sugar and 50 grams of raisins.
Pork Ears with Chocolate
Berlin cake, complemented by good dark chocolate, will be doubly tastier. Thanks to this option, you can not only add something new to the recipe, but also decorate the dish wonderfully. You can use different types of chocolate (dark, milk or white) both individually and by combining them.
Bake cookies according to a traditional recipe, cool it. Melt the chocolate in a separate bowl in a water bath. Gently dip the cake into it with one side, and then let it freeze. Spread baking on 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 dip the “eye” in dark chocolate, and then, letting the first layer harden, only half white.
"Elephant Ears"
Sometimes a Berlin cake can be found under that name. The content, as a rule, remains unchanged. However, the form may be completely different. It is noticeably simplified. In the photo above, you see these "elephant ears." The cake has a rounded shape and rather resembles a snail. For its preparation, it is enough to roll a layer of puff pastry into a roll and cut it into thin slices. At the same time, the recipe and cooking technology remain unchanged.
According to what recipe and how to make a Berlin cake, you choose. Do not forget that in the classic version it has the appearance that is presented in the first photo. Cooking with children, you can make it easier - round. Having enjoyed the classic taste, do not forget to try new variations: with nuts, cinnamon, jam, cottage cheese, etc.