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The Russian plucked cake combines a dark chocolate shortcrust with a creamy vanilla quark filling for an irresistible classic. The combination of tender-crumbly pastry crust and juicy quark cream makes it the perfect coffee cake delight.
Essential Ingredients
- Cold butter: For perfectly crumbly dough
- High-quality cocoa: Intense chocolate note
- Quark cheese: Creamy filling
- Vanilla pudding powder: Binding agent
- Fresh eggs: Optimal consistency
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Path to Perfect Plucked Cake
- Developing shortcrust:
- Process all ingredients cold. Knead only briefly. Observe cooling time.
- Preparing cream filling:
- Cream butter with sugar until fluffy. Stir in eggs one at a time. Fold in quark and pudding powder. Do not stir too long.
- Perfect assembly:
- Distribute dough as base and edge. Pour in quark mixture and smooth. Pluck remaining dough and distribute on the filling.
- Baking and cooling:
- Bake at 160°C fan for 50 minutes. Cover surface with aluminum foil. Let cool completely.
This traditional plucked cake is a timeless classic that impresses with its combination of chocolate and quark cream.
Storage and Serving
- Serve after several hours of cooling time
- Keeps in the refrigerator for up to three days
- Let come to room temperature before serving
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Creating Variations
- Espresso powder in the shortcrust
- Orange zest in the quark mixture
- Chocolate chunks in the filling
- Streusel variant instead of plucked dough
Troubleshooting
- Dough too crumbly: use more butter
- Filling too liquid: bake longer
- Cracks in the surface: lower temperature
- Dark edges: cover with aluminum foil
The Russian plucked cake is a prime example of the perfect balance between chocolate and quark. The combination of crumbly pastry structure and creamy filling makes it a timeless classic of German baking.
Frequently Asked Questions
- → Why must the butter be cold for the shortcrust?
- Cold butter makes the dough nicely crumbly and creates the typical texture for this cake.
- → How long does the cake need to cool?
- After baking, first cool at room temperature, then chill in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours.
- → What type of quark works best?
- Both 20% and 40% fat content work well. The more fat, the creamier the filling will be.
- → Can I freeze the cake?
- Yes, cut into pieces and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw in the refrigerator.
- → Why does the cake get too dark?
- The high cocoa content can cause quick browning. Cover with aluminum foil in time.