Russian cake from Verona

The Russian cake may seem complex but it is one of the quick and easy desserts to prepare, ideal for serving on special occasions!

The Russian cake, contrary to what one might think, is actually a typical product of the city of Verona. The Russian cake from Verona is a real delicacy characterized by a filling made of amaretti biscuits, almonds, lemon zest and eggs, all enclosed in a treasure chest of fragrant puff pastry. Ideal as an end of a meal during a lunch or dinner with friends, but also as a dessert for a snack or breakfast. Furthermore, it can be prepared a day in advance , in fact it is even better because the ingredients will blend together better and the result will be even more exceptional.

Let's see, then, how to prepare the Russian Veronese cake step by step.

Preparing the recipe for Russian cake

1. To make this typical dessert from Verona, the first thing to do is to melt the butter in the microwave. If you don't have it, you can also melt it in a bain-marie. Once melted, let it cool.
2. Get a fairly large bowl and pour the eggs and brown sugar into it.
3. Using a pair of electric whisks, whip the mixture until it is light and fluffy .
4. Add the amaretto liqueur to the mixture. This last ingredient is optional, if you don't like it or there are children, you can omit it.
5. At this point the melted butter should have cooled, so add it to the mixture and continue to mix everything with an electric whisk.
6. In another bowl, combine the crumbled amaretti biscuits with the almonds blended and ground into flour, the 00 flour, 1 pinch of salt and the yeast.
7. Mix everything and add the powders little by little to the mixture with the eggs, without letting it break down too much , using a marisa and always mixing from bottom to top.
8. Take the puff pastry, unroll it and place it on the bottom of a mold of about 20-22 cm in diameter and pierce it with a fork .
9. Pour the cake mixture and level the surface.
10. Fold the edges of the puff pastry and bake at 180°C for approximately 50 minutes . The Russian cake is ready to be served.

And here is a video recipe very similar to our preparation (i.e. the original recipe from Verona):

Conservation

The Russian cake can be stored covered in a cake pan for 2 or 3 days.

History of the typical Veronese dessert

According to the most widespread tradition, the name derives from its shape, which recalls a hat (usanka), the typical headgear of the Russian, Armenian and Afghan peoples.

A more romantic version of the story says that it was created by a pastry chef from Verona for a beautiful blue-eyed girl with whom he fell in love. The man was on board a ship docked in the port of Odessa and prepared it precisely to win the young woman's heart. Compared to other Veronese desserts, the Russian cake is a rather recent creation, dating back to the second half of the last century and more precisely around 1966 .