For some reason, it is believed that butter cream is used with custard, biscuit or puff pastry and is only applicable to cakes and pastries. However, it can be successfully used in other types of products. Butter dough for yeast pies is quite combined with butter cream. An example of this is pies, previously widespread in the catering system.
Few today recall such a delicacy as the "Nevsky" pie. This type of baking was widely known in the Soviet years, and it was sold in cafeterias and culinary, most often by weight. It was a product from soft yeast dough, soaked in syrup and slightly oiled with a cream based on butter. Its texture is very delicate, and impregnation gives a rich taste.
It can be used both as a dish for the festive table, and as just a dessert for tea drinking. It can be made in the form of small buns or in the form of a whole cake.
Nevsky and Boston Pies
At first glance, the Nevsky cake looks like the popular Boston dessert today. However, their similarity is only external, but in fact these are two completely different products. If in the first case you use fancy pastry for yeast pies, as well as natural butter cream, then in the second case biscuit cakes are baked, which are then smeared with custard. In addition, the Boston pie is baked in the form of one large cake, while the Nevsky cake is made in the form of small dough products.
What are the established standards?
Pie "Nevsky", the technological map of which was developed in 1975, was produced in the form of rolls of elongated oval shape. On average, one product weighed approximately 200 grams. The length of such a bun was a little more than 20 centimeters, the width was about 10 centimeters. In the finished pie, the moisture content of the crumb should be no more than 40%.
The dough is prepared only in a doughy way. Subsequently, it is divided into blanks, they are given an elongated oval shape and folded so as to exclude the appearance of scratches. Products are necessarily coated with egg grease, which allows them to be so rosy. Since the routing assumes the presence of no more than 3% sugar in the finished pie, this baking is never sugary-sweet. The fat content of the product is also low - according to the established standard, the fat content should not exceed 2.5%.
What is the reason for popularity?
Such pastries can be served on the festive table, as well as just cook for breakfast on the weekend. Since the cooking process is so simple, and the price of the finished product was low, it used to be one of the most affordable types of sweets. Many say that the pie was much more popular than many types of cakes ("Apricotin", etc.). Of course, many housewives prepared this dessert at home, but the taste did not always work out. It is all about production standards that were not known to everyone.
Despite the fact that earlier the Nevsky cake was produced according to GOST, it had differences in taste in different regions. However, there is his classic recipe, which can be reproduced at home. What is needed for this?
How to cook a "Nevsky" cake at home?
In order to bake a dessert with the same taste as in the Soviet catering, you must strictly adhere to the recipe with the established GOST. What is needed for him? "Nevsky" cake, the recipe of which is presented below, requires the following components.
Ingredients for the dough:
- 800 grams of wheat flour;
- 200 grams of sugar;
- 15 grams of vanilla sugar;
- 200 grams of butter;
- 3 whole chicken eggs and one separated yolk;
- 40 grams of dry yeast;
- 400 ml of water;
- salt.
Ingredients for Cream:
- 200 grams of butter;
- 85 grams of condensed milk.
Impregnation Ingredients:
- 50 ml of brandy;
- 150 grams of sugar.
In addition, you will need some powdered sugar to sprinkle the finished product.
How to cook Nevsky Pie
The recipe for this dessert involves a coupled way of making yeast dough. To do this, it is necessary to dissolve the dry yeast in one glass of heated water, pour the mixture into a deep bowl and add vanilla sugar and one glass of flour (sifted) into it. Everything needs to be mixed very well and uniformly, and then placed in a warm place. The bowl must be covered with a dry, clean cloth. After about 2-2.5 hours, the dough with dry yeast will be ready, and you can begin to prepare the dough.
It should be diluted with warm water (one glass), then put three eggs, flooded butter and salt with sugar. All ingredients need to be mixed very well, and then add sifted flour to them. Then you need to knead a homogeneous dough, wrap it in a napkin and leave for a while. While the fermentation process will take place, it is necessary to knead it several times (for the first time - after about 60 minutes). The dough will be ready for further use as soon as it stops sticking to your hands.
How to bake
When the dough reaches the desired degree of readiness, you need to divide it into equal parts and form it into round shapes. Billets are placed on a baking sheet, pre-oiled. The remaining separated egg yolk is whipped with a fork or whisk, they should be greased buns. Bake the "Nevsky" cake is required for half an hour at a temperature of 200 degrees.
As soon as the products are ready, it is necessary to remove them from the oven and leave to cool (no need to put in the cold, the room temperature is optimal). At this time, you need to prepare the cream. In addition to the listed ingredients (condensed milk, butter and sugar), any flavorings can be added to it - vanilla, cognac and the like.
Impregnation and coating
The butter is slightly softened and rubbed well with sugar. Gradually, condensed milk is added to it, which should also be ground. The finished mixture should be uniform and dense, without any pronounced particles. The Nevsky pie has always been distinguished by a thick cream with a rich taste, so you should take this task seriously.
At the same time, impregnation is done for the test. It is required to dissolve sugar in water, put the mixture on fire and bring to a boil. To completely dissolve the sugar, boil it for about 5-7 minutes, then allow to cool. As soon as the syrup reaches room temperature, cognac is added to it.
Each dough product needs to be cut lengthwise into two parts. The lower half should be soaked in syrup, and then apply a layer of cream, then connect the two halves of the bun. Ready cakes are sprinkled with powdered sugar.
If compliance with GOST is unprincipled
The disadvantages of this product, cooked in a catering environment, many include a small amount of cream. As a rule, buns were not spread evenly, but only in the middle of the cake. It is also worth noting that due to the impregnation of only the lower part, the Nevsky cake turned out to be excessively wet from below and excessively dry from above. Obviously, this was allowed in connection with the cheapening of production.
To avoid this, you can increase the amount of impregnation and cream according to your own preferences. As a rule, twice as many of these components are sufficient as indicated in the classic recipe.
As already mentioned above, you can make a “Nevsky” cake not in the form of individual rolls, but in the form of a large cake. This will avoid the quick drying of the top of the product, and will also make it possible to use more impregnation and cream. If you want to conduct your own culinary experiment, you can also smear the cakes not with butter, but with custard. In this case, you will not need impregnation, since the dough will easily absorb such a filling and become wet.
It is also possible not to sprinkle the finished pie or buns with powdered sugar, but spread it with milk glaze and use the sprinkle for muffins. Chocolate icing and melted white or milk chocolate will work well.