It was like a dream: St Petersburg’s Eliseyev Emporium is overflowing with delicious sweets, from candy to macarons, to savoury treats, but it was these sugar-spun apples, delicate like glass figurines that I could not pass up.
We’ve only just returned from our Baltics trip – visiting Riga, Tallinn, Helsinki and St. Petersburg in turn. And while I very much enjoyed all these cities, St Petersburg that completely blew me away. I’ve been to Paris, London, Rome, but all of them truly paled in comparison to the cities marvellous architecture, gold-pleated roofs and sheer size. If you like, head over to flickr for some impressions.
While the fairy tale of Snow White traces back to Germany, I did feel this regal cake featuring her famous apple, would capture some of Saint Petersburg’s prunk. The sparkling, “Snow-White” apple cream mixes well with the “blood-red” currant and the “black as ebony” oreo-cust. Not having to turn the oven for any of these in 32°C weather is certainly a plus, too.
Ingredients
- Crust
- 1 pckg oreo cookies (25 cookies)
- 2 tbsp melted butter
- Cream
- 750g greek yoghurt
- 500ml whipping cream
- 75ml prosecco
- 50ml calvados
- 150g confectioner’s sugar
- 12 sheets gelatine
- Currant Filling
- 500g fresh currant berries
- 100ml prosecco
- 100ml water
- 75g confectioner’s sugar
- 5 sheets gelantine
Instructions:
- Add oreos to the food processor and chop into a fine powder. Mix with the melted butter and press into a lined, round baking form to make the crust.
- For the cream, start by whipping the cream until stiff.
- In a mixing bowl, mix greek yoghurt with process, calvados and sugar until smooth.
- Fold in the whipped cream, and half the cream for now.
- Prepare 6 of the gelatine sheets as per instructions, blending it into the first half of the cream. Let it set for a few minutes, then spread on the crust. Let it cool in the fridge for at least 30min.
- In the meantime, cook the currants with process and confectioner’s sugar on low heat for 15min.
- Strain the currant berries from the sirup and add the soaked gelatine. Let it cool for another 10min.
- Carefully pour the currant jelly on the cream, which should be set by now (otherwise wait a little longer). Let it cool in the fridge for 30min.
- Repeat the same process with the other halve of the apple cream. Let the whole cake cool in the fridge for at least 3 hours, better overnight.
- Decorate with a few fresh berries and serve.
