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The Russian cake “Lakomka” consists of a fluffy yeast dough and the delicate buttercream filling. It tastes soft, creamy and incredibly delicious. Dusted with powdered sugar, the yeast cake is also an eye-catcher in white on the dining table and is perfect both for dessert during the week and for a special occasion. You can easily make it yourself from a few common ingredients. You can find a detailed recipe for the yeast cake “Lakomka” or Nevsky cake with exact quantities and step-by-step instructions here at the very bottom.
What does its name mean?
The yeast cake was sold in the Soviet period in some cities under the name “Nevsky”, in others under “Lakomka”, including in the pastry shop in St. Petersburg, which had the same name “Lakomka” and was located at Nevsky prospect. The word “Lakomka” comes from the Russian word “lakomitysya” or “polakomitysya”, which translated means “to taste fine” or “to nibble”. This makes “Lakomka” the perfect cake for anyone with a gourmet or sweet tooth. And once you’ve tasted it, you’ll be convinced that its taste really does live up to its name.
Creamy fluffy combination
The Russian cake “Lakomka” consists of yeast dough and buttercream filling. The dough is fluffy, soft and tastes hardly sweet. The filling, on the other hand, is creamy, somewhat firm and sweet. Thus, the two components complement each other perfectly in terms of taste and result in a special taste experience. The yeast cake tastes fluffy, creamy, soft, tender and not too sweet.
Popular yeast cake of the Soviet era
The yeast cake “Lakomka” or Nevsky cake was very popular in the Soviet Union. It was offered in canteens, pastry shops and bakeries at that time. And although it is an ordinary yeast cake with a simple butter cream, it tastes incredibly delicious and was loved by both children and adults not without reason. Probably, these were exactly the reasons for its popularity – its simplicity and at the same time unique taste.
Snow-white eye-catcher for nibbling
After baking, the yeast cake is not really anything special. But when you fill it with cream and dust it with powdered sugar, it turns into a snow-white eye-catcher on the dining table that looks irresistibly delicious when you cut it. Above all, the yeast cake fits perfectly on the Christmas table. But it also tastes delicious on a simple weekend with a cup of coffee or tea.
The yeast cake “Lakomka” or Nevsky cake is
- fluffy,
- soft,
- creamy,
- tender,
- aromatic,
- incredibly delicious,
- easy to make from common ingredients,
- ideal for dessert after dinner or for a celebration, for example, at Christmas,
- now forgotten classic of the former Soviet cuisine.
Recipe for yeast cake “Lakomka”
The exact quantities and step-by-step instructions, according to which you can make the Russian yeast cake “Lakomka”, you can find here below in the box recipe.
The yeast cake recipe is quite simple. You just need to allow enough time for making, because the yeast dough needs to rise. First you need to make the yeast dough cake base. For this you need lukewarm milk, eggs at room temperature, sugar, soft butter, flour, yeast and salt. The yeast cake is baked in a square springform pan. For the cream you need milk, soft butter, sugar, egg and for the aroma you may need some rum or cognac.
How to make Russian yeast cake “Lakomka”: this is how it works
- For the dough, dissolve a small amount of sugar and yeast in lukewarm milk, add some flour and let the pre-dough rise in a warm place for 20 minutes. Then add the remaining sugar, eggs and salt, mix, add flour and knead into a very sticky dough. Then knead butter into the dough, knead the dough thoroughly and let it rise for 30 minutes. Then knead again briefly and let rise for another 30 minutes. Now spread the dough on the bottom of the springform pan and let it rise for another 30 minutes. Then bake the yeast cake at 160 °C for about 25 minutes, let it cool down and cut it into two cake layers lengthwise.
- For the cream, mix the egg with the milk in a saucepan, add the sugar, bring the mixture to the boil while stirring constantly, cook for a few minutes until it has thickened a bit, and let it cool. Beat butter briefly, add cooked mixture in batches and beat to an airy cream, then stir in rum or cognac.
- Spread the bottom cake layer generously with the cream, place the top cake layer on top and chill the cake for 2 hours. Then dust with powdered sugar. Done!
How to make the Russian yeast cake yourself: tips and tricks
- Instead of fresh yeast you can use dry yeast. For the recipe below you will need 8 g of it.
- Milk for the yeast dough must be lukewarm, eggs and butter must be at room temperature.
- To give the dough the right consistency, add the last portion of flour little by little. The amount of flour specified in the recipe may vary. The dough must be mushy and very sticky and must not become firm.
- It is important to knead the yeast dough for about 10 minutes so that the cake ends up soft and fluffy.
- Since the dough is mushy and very sticky, keep greasing your hands with vegetable oil as you work with the dough.
- Be sure to let the yeast dough rise in a warm place. To do this, place the mixing bowl with the dough on the second shelf from the bottom of the oven (do not turn on the oven!) and place a small bowl of hot water on the bottom of the oven (keep the oven door closed). This way you will create an ideal climate for the yeast dough – with enough heat and humidity.
- To make the yeast cake, you will need a square springform pan measuring approx. 24 cm x 24 cm.
- You can check whether the yeast cake is baked with a toothpick. To do this, insert a toothpick briefly into the center of the cake and see if it comes out clean.
- Use a thick-bottomed saucepan to cook the custard so it doesn’t burn.
- You can omit alcohol from the cream.
- Do not spread the cream on the cake layers while they are still warm.
- Alternatively, you can cut the yeast cake into three cake layers instead of two, spread the cream on two of them and stack all three cake layers on top of each other, with the cake layer without cream coming last.
- Store the yeast cake “Lakomka” in an airtight container, for example in a lunch box, in the refrigerator. It will stay fresh for quite a long time. You can enjoy it for about 3 – 4 days.
Did you make the Russian yeast cake “Lakomka” according to this recipe? I’m looking forward to your result, your star rating and your comment here below, how you succeeded and tasted the Nevsky cake.
Fancy another popular sweet pastry from the Soviet era? Also try:
- Sochniki – recipe for popular curd cakes from the Soviet era
- Shortbread rings with peanuts – this is what Soviet childhood tasted like
- Choux pastry rings with curd – Russian curd rings with French background
- Slices “Shkolnoe” – popular Russian shortbread jam bars
- Krakow slices recipe – on the taste journey to the Soviet Union
Russian yeast cake "Lakomka" / Nevsky cake
Equipment
- 24 cm x 24 cm large square springform pan
Ingredients
for the dough
- 250 ml milk (lukewarm)
- 100 g sugar
- 3 eggs (room temperature)
- 75 g butter (room temperature)
- approx. 600 g flour
- 25 g fresh yeast
- 1/3 tsp salt
- vanilla
- butter or margarine to grease the baking pan
- vegetable oil to grease the hands
for the cream
- 160 g butter (room temperature)
- 150 g sugar
- 100 ml milk
- 1 egg
- 1 tbsp rum or cognac
for dusting
- powdered sugar
Instructions
- Line the bottom of the baking pan with baking paper and grease the edges with butter or margarine.
Preparation of the dough
- Pour lukewarm milk into a large mixing bowl and dissolve in it 1 tablespoon of sugar (from the total amount indicated) and fresh yeast.
- Add 200 g of flour, stir, cover and let the pre-dough rise in a warm place for 20 minutes.
- Add eggs, the remaining sugar, vanilla and salt to the pre-dough and mix until homogeneous.
- Gradually add the remaining 400 g of flour and knead it into a mushy, very sticky dough. (Follow my tips and tricks for this here at the top of the post).
- Knead butter into the dough and then knead the dough for about 10 minutes. Cover the dough in the mixing bowl with a towel and let it rise in a warm place for 30 minutes. Grease your hands with vegetable oil, knead the dough briefly, cover it again and let it rise in a warm place for another 30 minutes.
- Grease your hands again with vegetable oil, knead the dough and spread it evenly on the bottom of the springform pan. Cover it with a towel in the springform pan and let it rise in a warm place for 30 minutes.
- Bake the yeast cake in a preheated oven at 160 °C top and bottom heat for about 25 minutes and let it cool down afterwards.
Preparation of the cream
- Mix egg and milk in a saucepan with a thick bottom.
- Add sugar and mix it to a homogeneous mass. Put it on the stove, bring it to a boil over medium heat, stirring constantly, and then continue to boil it over medium heat, stirring constantly, for about 2 minutes, until the mixture has thickened a bit. Then take it off the heat and let it cool to room temperature, stirring occasionally.
- Beat softened butter for about 3 - 4 minutes until fluffy and white.
- In small portions, add the cooled cooked mixture to the butter, beating it each time to form a homogeneous, fluffy cream.
- Add rum or cognac and whip again briefly to a homogeneous cream.
Preparation of the cake
- Cut the yeast cake lengthwise into two cake layers, spread the cream evenly on the bottom cake layer, leaving a very small amount of cream for the top of the cake, and place the second cake layer on top of the first. Spread a very thin, translucent layer of the leftover cream over the top and edges of the cake so that powdered sugar can adhere to it later, and refrigerate it for at least 2 hours.
- Now dust the yeast cake generously with powdered sugar.
Notes
- Dry yeast can be used instead of fresh yeast. For the recipe then 8 g of it are needed.
- Be sure to use lukewarm milk and room temperature eggs and butter for the yeast dough.
- To give the dough the right consistency, add the last portion of flour little by little. The amount of flour specified in the recipe may vary. The dough must be mushy and very sticky and not set.
- Since the dough is mushy and very sticky, keep greasing your hands with vegetable oil when working with the dough.
- Use a toothpick to check if the yeast cake is done baking.
- Alcohol in the cream can be omitted.
- Do not spread the cream on the cake layers while they are still warm.
- Alternatively, instead of cutting the yeast cake into two, you can cut it into three cake layers and spread the cream on two of them.
- Note the detailed tips and tricks for making the yeast cake "Lakomka" above in the post.