"Winter's Tale" or an airy "cloud of snow"
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Everyone knows what a cake is—a dessert made of layers soaked in cream, usually decorated with the same filling. Cake is an essential part of any celebration, and there are countless variations of this dessert. The Winter's Tale occupies a worthy place among them.
The "Winter's Tale" cake got its name from its decoration. Although there are many variations of the recipe, they all share a common theme: a fluffy white "cloud of snow" covers the top and sides of the cake. Coconut flakes are typically used to simulate snowflakes.
A distinctive feature of this dessert is its light flavor and its lightness, making it one of the less heavy and calorie-dense cakes. Furthermore, the cream base can vary, which affects not only the taste but also the richness and other qualities of the culinary masterpiece.
The "Winter Fairytale" cake looks especially beautiful on the New Year's table. It's a perfect dessert for any winter-themed holiday event. Of course, you can make it in the summer, too, when snow is scarce. The main thing is that the taste of this dessert is truly magical, making it a treat to enjoy year-round.
Sponge cake recipe
Ingredients:
- Eggs – 3 pcs.
- Freshly sifted flour – half a glass
- Sugar - half a glass
- Coconut flakes – 30 g
- Potato starch – 100 g
- Baking powder – 3 tsp.
- Baking pan, baking paper
Beat the eggs and sugar for 3 minutes. Mix the flour, baking powder, starch, and coconut, add to the eggs, and beat for another minute. The batter will be runny and uneven. Line a sponge cake pan with parchment paper, pour in the batter, and smooth it out. Bake at 180°C for 30 minutes. Remove and let cool, then cut lengthwise into 2 or 3 layers. Try to cut the layers neatly, but the cream will hide any technical imperfections.
The sponge cake can also be made using any of your favorite recipes. You can add zest, dried fruit, and nuts (roasted and chopped almonds are best). The nuts can be added not directly into the dough, but as a thin layer alongside the cream. Any dough variation is perfectly acceptable, as the cake will be light, airy, tender, and creamy—just like sA winter snowy idyll, a real New Year's fairy tale!
And that's because it's the cream that makes a cake what it is. There are several varieties with different bases.
Recipe based on cottage cheese and condensed milk
We will need the following ingredients:
- Condensed milk – 1 can
- Soft cottage cheese - half a kilo
Beat the cottage cheese, gradually adding the condensed milk. When frosting the cake layers and the surface, sprinkle the top with coconut flakes for a more wintry look.
Making sour cream
- Sour cream - 1 cup
- Sugar – 1 cup
- Vanillin – 2 tsp.
Beat all ingredients on low speed until fluffy.
Cream cheese based cream
- Cream cheese (mascarpone, Philadelphia) - half a kilo
- Condensed milk – 380 g
Beat the cream cheese with a mixer on low speed, gradually adding the condensed milk. Continue beating until the consistency of thick sour cream is achieved. These days, cakes are increasingly being soaked with this cream; it's, so to speak, on trend.
Oil version
- Butter – 200 g
- Condensed milk – 1 can
Melt the butter and begin whisking, gradually adding the condensed milk. Mix on low speed until the desired consistency is reached. This type of cream will result in a cake with the highest calorie content. However, many people have loved this version since childhood, as the taste and aroma are simply magical!
Assembling and decorating the Winter's Tale
Of course, this fairy tale turns out to be so wintery precisely because of the cream and the way it is decorated a la a cap of snow.
Place the bottom layer of cake on a beautiful serving plate. Cover it with a thick layer of frosting and sprinkle with coconut flakes. Next, add the second layer. Do the same with the third layer, if you have one. Thickly spread the top and sides of the cake with frosting and sprinkle generously with coconut flakes. You can decorate the cake with fondant figures, creating your own "New Year's fairytale" style.
It's best to serve the cake no sooner than 8-10 hours later, allowing it to soak thoroughly. Of all the cakes, the Winter's Tale has a moderate calorie content, so you can indulge in this delicacy without guilt, especially during the New Year's holidays, and on any holiday, for that matter.
