"Day and Night" - two halves of one delicious dessert
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What would you like to make for tea? Or perhaps you need a recipe for a holiday table? Then the "Day and Night" cake would be just right. This recipe has several variations. The same cake layers can be soaked in sour cream, custard, or condensed milk. Then the dough recipe can vary. And, of course, the decoration. If you're short on time or the cake is simply eaten very quickly, there's no point in over-decorating. But if you're celebrating, it's worth the effort. And then it'll turn out just as good as the one you get at a bakery.
Let's start with a simple, standard recipe. The cake is quick to make and instantly becomes moist thanks to the icing while still warm. Decorations are also minimal. In short: quick, delicious, and inexpensive!
"Day and Night" sour cream
Products used:
- Full-fat sour cream – 250 g for the dough and 250–350 g for the cream
- Medium eggs (chicken, goose) - 2 pcs.
- Granulated sugar - 150 g for the dough and cream
- Wheat flour - 1 level cup
- Cocoa powder - 2-3 tbsp. l.
- Baking soda - 0.5 tsp. l.
- Confectionery or dark chocolate - 100 g
- Butter - 50 g
How to make a festive dessert:
- Sift flour together with soda.
- Beat the chilled eggs in two stages: adding a pinch of salt, and then with sugar.
- Add the sifted flour and baking soda. Mix gently to avoid clogging the dough.
- Add sour cream to the resulting mixture and stir thoroughly, but very carefully.
- Pour the first half into the prepared form (grease with refined vegetable oil and sprinkle with flour)
- Mix cocoa into the second part. Prepare the baking pan in the same way, but replace the flour with cocoa powder.
- Bake the cake on two levels simultaneously for about 15-20 minutes. Use the lighter layer as a guide. When it's golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the cake comes out clean, the cakes are ready.
- Meanwhile, beat the cream with sour cream and sugar.
- Once the layers have been pulled out, assemble the cake. The bottom layer is the night layer. We'll soak it thoroughly with cream, letting it soak for a bit, otherwise all the cream will run down the sides. Then we'll place the day layer on top. We'll also pour cream on top.
- Melt the chocolate in a double boiler, add butter and simmer for a bit.
- Pour chocolate icing over the top, letting it drip down the sides.
This recipe is considered a classic. But the next one requires some time for decoration, as it's a festive option.
"Day and Night" festive
Products used:
- One glass of sour cream and sugar (in the dough)
- Three glasses of wheat flour
- 20 g soft butter
- 1 teaspoon of baking soda slaked with vinegar
- 3 cups sour cream and 2 cups sugar (for the cream)
- 100 g butter (for glaze)
- 2 tbsp cocoa (for glaze)
- 8 tablespoons of sugar (for the glaze)
- 4 tablespoons of milk (for the glaze)
How to make the cake:
- For the dough, mix the sour cream, sugar, and butter. Add the baking soda, then 1 cup of flour (!). Immediately divide the dough into two parts. Add 1 tablespoon of cocoa to one part. Then add another cup of flour to each part. Form the dough into six balls.
- Roll each piece out thinly and bake for 5 minutes. Don't overcook it!
- Beat sour cream with sugar.
- Assemble the cake. Fill each layer with cream, alternating between "night" and "day." Carefully trim the edges of the cake to make them even. Leave some of the sour cream on top.
- Let's prepare the glaze. Simmer all ingredients over low heat for a few minutes.
- It's time to decorate the dessert. Cover half of the top layer with sour cream, and the other half with glaze. When the glaze begins to cool, frost the sides as well. Place three drops of white frosting on top of the black layer. Use a toothpick to draw a star from the center of each drop. Make three stars on the black layer and three chocolate stars on the white layer.
This recipe is different because of the crust dough—it doesn't use eggs and isn't runny. It also needs more time to set. Decorating takes time, too. But it's worth it! The result is truly spectacular!
You can, of course, adapt this recipe to suit your tastes. For example, I really love condensed milk. So, when I whip the sour cream, I add some condensed milk. I also really like to sprinkle the white part with coconut flakes and the brown part with grated chocolate. You can also puree oatmeal cookies in a blender and sprinkle the crumbs on the sides. In general, I pay a lot of attention to the appearance of the dessert. I think the more beautiful it is, the more appetizing! Try adding your own twist! Bon appétit!
