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In Soviet times, Prague cake was hard to come by. People queued up for it in pastry shops, even though it was quite expensive. With my recipe, you can make the Russian chocolate cake, which was popular throughout the Soviet Union at the time, at home. It tastes incredibly moist, chocolatey, fluffy, creamy and simply delicious – just like the original. You can find a detailed classic Prague cake recipe with the exact quantities and step-by-step instructions below.
What is Prague cake?
Although its name might suggest otherwise, the Prague cake has nothing to do with the Czech Republic. It’s the same with the Wenceslas cake and its name.
The Soviet chocolate cake was invented by Vladimir Guralnik, then head pastry chef at the Praga restaurant in Moscow. He gave it the name of the restaurant. Incidentally, the Bird’s milk cake was also created by Guralnik.
What is Prague cake made of?
The bases for the Prague cake consist of a chocolate sponge cake. To prepare it, egg yolks are separated from egg whites. Butter is also stirred into the batter. Cocoa powder provides the chocolate flavor.
The Prague cake is filled with a chocolate buttercream. It contains sweetened condensed milk and cocoa powder.
A thin layer of apricot jam adds a change of flavor to the chocolate cake. It gives it a slightly fruity and tart note.
The Prague cake is also completely covered in chocolate glaze, just like the cake “Charodeyka”. This makes it even more chocolatey.
Soak chocolate sponge cake
It is important that you soak the sponge bases for the Soviet chocolate cake, just like for the cake “Podarochnyi”, the cake “Slavyanka” or the cake “Tavrichesky”. This is the only way to make it taste particularly moist later on.
I used the classic sugar syrup to soak the cake and flavored it with cognac, as in the original recipe. You can also use a liqueur or rum instead of cognac. You can also omit alcohol and use vanilla instead.
The sponge bases for the Prague cake are often soaked in a strong brewed black tea. First sweeten the hot tea with sugar and leave to cool.
Alternatively, you can also use coffee or a fruit syrup to soak the cake. Just experiment as you like. This way, you can give the Prague cake a different flavor every time.
How to decorate Russian chocolate cake
Traditionally, the Prague cake was decorated quite simply in Soviet confectioneries. First, it was completely covered with chocolate glaze. Then its name was also written on the cake with chocolate glaze.
This time I simply drew a net on it with melted chocolate. You can decorate the cake however you like. Sprinkle it with chopped nuts, grated chocolate or fresh berries, for example.
This Prague cake is
- chocolatey,
- moist,
- creamy,
- fluffy,
- with a slightly fruity jam note,
- heavenly delicious,
- aromatic,
- easy to make at home with common ingredients,
- ideal for a tea time with the family or for a party,
- a classic of Russian cuisine,
- only with natural ingredients, just like the original from the Soviet era.
How to make Prague cake: tips and tricks
- Traditionally, the Prague cake is prepared with apricot jam. Alternatively, you can use another, preferably tart, jam.
- Instead of ground vanilla bean, you can use vanilla sugar or vanilla extract.
- The baking time stated in the recipe may vary. Do not bake the chocolate sponge cake longer than necessary so that it tastes fluffy and not dry. Test with a skewer to check whether it is cooked in the middle. Do not open the oven door for the first 20 minutes so that the sponge cake does not collapse.
- You can bake the chocolate sponge cake the day before, leave to cool completely and then store in an airtight container at room temperature overnight.
- You can simply omit the alcohol from the recipe.
- Stir the milk syrup continuously when heating so that it does not burn and has a smooth consistency.
- Butter and the milk syrup for the cake cream must be room warm and both at about the same temperature so that they can combine well without the cream curdling.
- Use good quality chocolate for the chocolate glaze.
- Like so many other Soviet cakes, the Prague cake tastes even better the next day. It is therefore best to leave it in the fridge overnight.
Have you made the classic Prague cake at home using this recipe? I look forward to seeing your results, your star rating and your comments below on how it turned out and how it tasted.
Try out these other Soviet cake recipes:
- Cake “Slavutych” – forgotten pearl from the Soviet era
- Golden Key Cake – homemade Soviet caramel cake
- Cake “Gusinye lapki” – recipe for Soviet chocolate cake with cherries
Prague cake
Equipment
- Ø 20 cm springform tin
Ingredients
for the batter
- 6 eggs room warm
- 150 g sugar
- 40 g butter
- 25 g cocoa powder
- 115 g flour
- 1 pinch of salt
for the cream
- 200 g butter room warm
- 120 g sweetened condensed milk
- 1 egg yolk
- 20 ml water
- 10 g cocoa powder
- 1 pinch of ground vanilla bean
- 1 tbsp cognac optional
- 70 g apricot jam
for the sugar syrup
- 100 ml water
- 50 g sugar
- 1 tbsp cognac optional
for the chocolate glaze
- 100 g dark chocolate
- 100 g butter
for decorating (optional)
- 20 g dark chocolate
Instructions
Preparation of the batter
- Line the base of the springform tin with baking paper.
- Melt butter and leave to cool to room temperature.
- Mix flour with cocoa powder.
- Separate egg yolks from egg whites.
- Beat the egg whites with salt until frothy, add 75 g sugar in portions and beat until stiff.
- Beat the egg yolks with the remaining 75 g sugar to a creamy, light-colored mixture.
- Carefully stir the egg white mixture into the egg yolk mixture.
- Fold the cocoa flour mixture into the egg sugar mixture to create an airy, thick sponge batter.
- Carefully stir the melted butter into the sponge batter.
- Pour the batter into the springform tin and bake the chocolate sponge cake in a preheated oven at 356 °F (180 °C) for approx. 30 minutes.
- Leave the sponge cake to cool slightly in the baking tin, then take it out and leave it to cool completely on a wire rack with the surface facing downwards.
Preparation of the sugar syrup
- Put water and sugar in a small saucepan and bring to the boil briefly, stirring to dissolve the sugar.
- Leave the sugar syrup to cool to room temperature and then stir in cognac.
Preparation of the cream
- Mix egg yolk and water thoroughly in a small saucepan with a thick base.
- Add sweetened condensed milk and stir to form a homogeneous mixture.
- Heat the mixture over a low heat for approx. 10 - 12 minutes, stirring constantly, until it thickens and just begins to simmer.
- Immediately pour the milk syrup into a clean bowl and leave to cool to room temperature, stirring occasionally.
- Beat softened butter with vanilla for approx. 5 minutes until light and creamy.
- Add the cooled milk syrup in batches and beat briefly each time to form a homogeneous cream.
- Add cocoa powder and beat to a homogeneous chocolate cream.
- Add cognac and beat again briefly.
Preparation of the Prague cake
- Cut the chocolate sponge cake lengthwise into three cake layers of equal thickness and soak them with the sugar syrup.
- Divide the chocolate cream over two of the cake layers, spread them evenly and stack them on top of each other.
- Place the third cake layer without the cream on top and spread a thin layer of apricot jam on it. Brush the sides of the cake lightly with the jam too.
- Chill the cake for approx. 20 minutes so that the jam dries a little.
Preparation of the chocolate glaze
- Melt chocolate and butter together over a water bath while stirring to create a smooth chocolate glaze.
- Cover the cake completely with the chocolate glaze and leave to dry briefly.
- Optional: Melt dark chocolate, fill it into a piping bag with a small hole and decorate the cake with it.
- Chill the Prague cake for at least 2 hours.
Notes
- Traditionally, the Prague cake is prepared with apricot jam. Alternatively, you can use another, preferably tart, jam.
- Instead of ground vanilla bean, you can use vanilla sugar or vanilla extract.
- The baking time stated may vary. Do not bake the chocolate sponge cake longer than necessary so that it tastes fluffy and not dry. Test with a skewer to check whether it is cooked in the middle. Do not open the oven door for the first 20 minutes so that the sponge cake does not collapse.
- You can bake the chocolate sponge cake the day before, leave to cool completely and then store in an airtight container at room temperature overnight.
- You can simply omit the alcohol.
- Stir the milk syrup continuously when heating so that it does not burn and has a smooth consistency.
- Butter and the milk syrup for the cake cream must be room warm and both at about the same temperature so that they can combine well without the cream curdling.
- Use good quality chocolate for the chocolate glaze.
- Like so many other Soviet cakes, the Prague cake tastes even better the next day. It is therefore best to leave it in the fridge overnight.
- Take note of the detailed tips and tricks for preparing the Prague cake at the top of the article.
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