There used to be a tradition of making jam from every berry we could find in the garden. It wasn't even a tradition, it was simply a way to preserve all the berries until the next season. Out of habit, my grandmother's entire cellar was filled with a variety of jams. "What can I use it for?" I wondered. And I found a gorgeous cake called “Rotten Stump”.

It gets its name from its fluffiness and softness, just like an old tree stump. The recipe is very simple and includes simple ingredients. It's usually made with kefir and jam. But if you don't have kefir, you can modify the recipe and use sour cream. Even homemade milk, thoroughly curdled into a thick paste, will also work.

I'd like to share a great recipe for a quick cake, and I'll also tell you about a more labor-intensive, but also very festive, "Rotten Stump" cake. Let's start with the simple cake.

Classic "stump"

Rotten Stump Cake 2

Necessary products:

  • Kefir or sour cream – a 250 ml glass
  • Granulated sugar – 200 g
  • Apricot jam or preserves (any other to your taste) - 250 g
  • Medium chicken eggs - 2 pcs.
  • Baking soda - 1 tsp.
  • Sour cream (for cream) - 500 g
  • Granulated sugar (for cream) – 50 g
  • Wheat flour – 2 cups

Method of preparation:

  1. For the dough, beat the eggs with sugar. Then add the jam. Separately, add baking soda (this is important) to the kefir. Then mix everything together. Next, stir in the sifted flour.
  2. Baking the cake layers. Divide the batter into two equal portions. Bake separately for 20-25 minutes at a medium temperature. Cut each cake layer in half with a string.
  3. Let's prepare the cream. Beat the sour cream with granulated sugar until fluffy.
  4. Assemble the cake. Spread each layer generously with cream. Frost the top and sides as well. It's ready! Enjoy!

The recipe doesn't require any steeping time, but if you let it sit for at least twenty to thirty minutes, it will literally melt. Here's a photo of a cross-section. It might not be visible in the photo, but the cakes are literally fluffy, like porous chocolate. This effect is due to the kefir and baking soda.

The next recipe is festive! The photo shows that the preparation technique is slightly different, as you need to achieve the pattern. Another difference is that this recipe calls for three types of filling—two types of jam (or thick preserves) and nuts.

Festive "stump"

Rotten Stump Cake 3

Necessary products:

  • Liquid sour cream (10-15%) – 250 g
  • Granulated sugar - two glasses
  • 1 large chicken egg plus yolk
  • Baking soda quenched with vinegar - 0.5 tsp.
  • Wheat flour - about 750 - 800 gr.
  • 150 g of thick jam or preserves of two different types, different in color (apricot and cherry, for example)
  • Walnuts - 200 g
  • Full-fat sour cream - 750 g

How to cook:

  1. Roast the nuts. Peel them. In a food processor or blender, grind the nuts with half a cup of sugar and the yolk. The first filling is ready. The other two don't need any cooking.
  2. Beat one egg and half a cup of sugar. Add flour and baking soda. Gradually add the sifted flour. Knead the dough until it doesn't stick to your hands. Divide it into eight pieces.
  3. Roll each piece of dough into a rectangle and arrange the fillings, each on its own rectangle. Be sure to leave a little space around the edges to prevent leakage and burning during baking. Roll up the rolls and bake until lightly golden.
  4. Meanwhile, prepare the cream. Beat the sour cream with a cup of sugar until fluffy.
  5. Cut the cooled rolls into a thickness of one and a half centimeters.
  6. Take a saucepan or deep bowl. Place the rolls with different fillings in the bottom of the bowl, one at a time. Cover each layer generously with cream. Refrigerate until firm.
  7. Before serving, remove the cake from the bowl and spread with the remaining sour cream. Garnish with nuts and dried fruit.

This recipe is certainly different from the simple kefir one. But even the photo reveals its advantages. The vertical pieces of the rolls truly look like remnants of wood. And the variety of fillings adds a rich flavor to the cake.

If the first recipe is too simple for you and the second one is too complicated, try using the dough from the first one and layering it with choux pastry.

Custard recipe

Rotten Stump Cake 4

Products needed for the cream:

  • Milk - 1 glass
  • Granulated sugar - 0.5 cups
  • White flour - 1 tsp.
  • Butter - 50 g
  • Chicken egg - 1 pc.

How to brew:

  1. Beat sugar with egg. Bring milk to a boil.
  2. Carefully pour the beaten egg and sugar into the boiling milk.
  3. Separately dissolve the flour in milk and pour it into the milk and egg mixture. Cook the cream, stirring thoroughly, until it thickens.
  4. Remove from heat. Add butter and beat well.

As you can see, even the simplest cake can be made versatile. Give it a try and enjoy the results!

Video recipe for making the "Rotten Stump" cake