Estonian recipes: Alexander cake (Aleksandrikook)

Alexander cake, March 2011, dyed with sea-buckthorn juice concentrate

I'm dedicating February to various Estonian recipes, so if you've travelled to Estonia and want a specific recipe or two, let me know. Aleksandrikook aka Alexander cake has been requested here on Nami-Nami on several occasions, so it's about time to listen to my dear readers and post a recipe :)

To start with, Alexander cake is not actually Estonian in its origin, even though it's rather popular here and found in many traditional coffee and pastry shops. Our Nordic neighbours, Finns, claim the cake as their own. But then I've even come across recipes for Alexander cake in Latvian cookbooks, so it's popular in all over the North-Eastern corner of Europe.

Apparently its history goes back to 1814 or 1818, depending on your sources, when Alexander I of Russia, the reigning czar, visited Helsinki, and was served this concoction on his birthday. The cake is mentioned in Kullo manor's ledger books from 1819-1821. By 1850s, the cakes were sold in Café Ekberg (they still are, gorgeously pink in colour and sandwiched with apple spread).

In principle, it's a simple cake. Two layers of shorcrust pastry, sandwiched with thick raspberry (or other) jam, and topped with simple icing. However, as one talented Estonian food blogger has written somewhere, it's actually a tricky cake to do well. First, it's important not to overmix the pastry, as it won't have the right texture. It's important to roll out the pastry evenly, as otherwise it won't bake evenly. To lift one cake layer on top of the other is tricky as well - if you're unlucky, it'll break apart. If you're making this in a cafeteria, then you'll need to cut perfectly even-sized rectangles, and the glaze needs to be pretty and pink (or cocoa-brown, if you're opting for the cocoa glaze).

NOTE: this should be baked and put together a day before serving, otherwise it'll be too dry and crumbly!


Alexander cake, September 2009, dyed with fresh black aronia juice and white chocolate

I've included some links to Estonian and Finnish foodbloggers that have written about the cake - you'll find them at the end of this post.

Alexander cake
(Aleksandrikook)
Cuts into 12 rectangles


Alexander cake, March 2011, dyed with sea-buckthorn juice concentrate

Pastry layers:
125 g caster sugar (150 ml)
300 g all-purpose flour (500 ml, about 2 cups)
1 tsp baking powder
200 g butter, at room temperature
1 egg

Filling:
250 ml (1 cup) thick raspberry jam

Glaze:
250 g icing sugar/confectioners sugar (about 400 ml)
3-4 Tbsp raspberry or black aronia juice

Make the pastry by mixing all dry ingredients in a large bowl. Add the butter, and using your fingers for mixing, mix until you've got large crumbs. Add the egg and quickly mix the pastry until it comes together.
Take a parchment paper that fits your baking sheet. Place the pastry on top of the paper and using a slightly floured rolling pin, roll the pastry to fit the baking sheet.
Bake in a preheated 175C/350F oven until dry and light golden brown (about 20 minutes).
Take out from the oven, and cut into two even-sized rectangles (the final cake will be half the size of your baking sheet). Cool lightly.*
Spread the jam over one shortcake base. Then very carefully lift the other shortcake layer on top of the one covered with jam.
Cut into squares (but don't separate the pieces) and leave to cool completely.
Make the glaze by mixing some colourful juice into the icing sugar until you've got a runny sugar glaze. Pour and spread that over the cake pieces and leave to set.

* Note that there is an alternative way of baking this cake - you'll sandwich two shortcake layers together with jam BEFORE baking (obviously you'll need to bake it a bit longer then). I've never tried this version.


Alexander cake, March 2011, dyed with sea-buckthorn juice concentrate

Fancy more? Here are some links to other foodbloggers' posts about Alexander cake - these give you a good idea about the different ways of glazing the cake.

ESTONIAN BLOGGERS:
Aniitram (a classic cocoa frosting and white frosting, zigzag pattern), MARU (Estonian designer and food writer), Qsti, Ragne, Liina, Sille

FINNISH BLOGGERS:
Kinuskikissa (one of the most popular Finnish foodbloggers, she used a cappuccino-flavoured glaze), Jaana

LATVIAN BLOGGERS:
Zitinja

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Latvian cranberry, cream and rye trifle 'Rupjmaizes kārtojums'

Our Southern neighbours Latvians are celebrating their independent statehood again today. Last year I shared a recipe for delicious light pork dish, Kurzeme Stroganoff, to mark the occasion. This time you'll get a recipe for a Latvian pudding, kind of rye and cranberry trifle, called rupjmaizes kārtojums (rupjmaize is the Latvian word for dark rye bread) or "Latvian Ambrosia" among English-speakers who know the stuff.  Cream, rye bread and cranberries is apparently a classic Latvian flavour combination. My local supermarket has a freezer selling Latvian ice cream, including a delicious (and deliciously large) tub of "Rupjmaizes kārtojums ice cream". Latvian popular dairy giant, Karums, has at least one Rupjmaizes kārtojums (scroll down here for the photo). A quick googleing revealed many other commercially made rupjmaizes kārtojums derivatives.

You can serve it in a large glass bowl, like I've done, or in pretty dessert glasses (like on this Latvian website). I've seen recipes that are using just whipped cream for the cream part, and recipes that are using just curd cheese for the cream part. I've gone the Estonian route and mixed the two :)

Latvian sweet rye trifle 
(Läti leivadessert)

about 200 g grated dark rye bread (shop-bought and make your own)
2 tsp ground cinnamon
4 Tbsp caster sugar, divided
400 g curd cheese cream
200 g whipping cream (35%, optional)
1 tsp vanilla extract or sugar
150 g cranberries, crushed and sweetened according to taste

Place the rye bread crumbs onto a non-stick frying pan. Add 2 Tbsp of sugar and the cinnamon. Stir, then slowly toast the breadcrumbs for about 10 minutes, stirring every now and then, until the bread is aromatic and, well, toasty :) Remove the pan from the heat and let the breadcrumbs cool completely.
Meanwhile, mix the curd cheese, sugar, vanilla and whipped cream (if using).
Layer the dessert into a large bowl or individual dessert glasses. Start with about a third of the bread mixture, then half of the cream mixture, half of the cranberries, then another third of the breadcrumbs, then the other half of the cream, then cranberries and finally top the dessert with the rest of the cinnamon-scented caramelized breadcrumbs.

Leave to stand for about 4-5 hours in the fridge before serving. Garnish with some whole cranberries.

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Kurzeme stroganoff (Latvian pork stroganoff recipe)

Latvians, our southern neighbours, celebrate the 92nd anniversary of an independent Latvian Republic today. I thought it's a great opportunity to blog about one of the best-know Latvian dishes (at least here in Estonia) - a pork stroganoff that gets its name from historical Courland region. While boeuf stroganoff is a dark beef stew, then Kurzeme stroganoff is pale (colour-wise, not taste-wise) and just as delicious, if not as sophisticated.

Excellent autumn and winter dish that's best served with fried or mashed potatoes.

Kurzeme stroganoff
(Kurzeme strooganov)
Serves 4 to 5

400-500 g pork, cut into this strips (stir-fry pieces are excellent)
1 large onion, chopped
50 g smoked bacon, cut into small pieces
1 pickled cucumber
1 Tbsp plain flour
a cup or a-cup-and-a-half of hot beef stock
100 g sour cream or creme fraiche
salt and black pepper

fresh parsley, chopped (optional)

On a hot pan, fry the bacon until golden, then add the onion and pork and fry until the meat changes colour (remember, Kurzeme stroganoff is a light sauce, so there's no need to achieve a perfect Maillard reaction here and brown the meat all over).
Stir in the flour, cook for a minute or two, then add the hot stock. Simmer on moderate heat until the meat is cooked (the cooking time depends on the cut you use - pork loin cooks very quickly, obviously).
Cut the cucumber into thin strips, add to the sauce along with the sour cream. Simmer for another minute or two, then season to taste and serve.

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