Russians love food, and naturally, having desserts is the best way to cap off a delicious meal. They have a wide range of desserts, from layered honey cakes to decadent cakes and fruit confectionaries. Russians place their desserts in high regard, as dating back during their country’s hard times, these special treats are hard to come by.
There are a lot of Russian desserts available, but there are some that are popular and exhibit their traditions and culture. Here are their seven must-try:
- Napoleon Cake
Considered Russia’s national dessert, the Napoleon is a layered cake made of pastry crumbs and creamy custard filling. It is similar to the French mille-feuille, which takes quite an effort to make because of its multiple puff pastry sheets, with cream fillings in between and topped with chocolate drizzle. This cake signifies the victory of Russia against Napoleon in 1812. It remained to be Russia’s popular dessert since then.
- Baklava
This flaky dessert is made of fillings of chopped nuts (usually walnuts, hazelnuts or pistachios) and topped with honey or syrup. It is one of the most popular desserts of Russians and has taken over even the rest of the world because of its irresistibly sweet taste.
- Medovik (Honey Cake)
Started as a favorite dessert of the Russian imperial family in the 19th century, it has remained an all-time popular treat. It has a multiple layered crust made of honey that is crispy like biscuits, and has a thin layer of custard spread on each layer. The filling is usually made of whipped cream, sour cream (smetana), butter, and condensed milk. It has evolved into many variations, but its honey has remained its key ingredient.
- Ptichye Moloko
Popularly known as “bird’s milk”, in Russia, this can either mean a souffle cake and a chocolate candy. The cake version has a custard or mousse filling separated by thin and moist layers of sponge cake in between. This dessert started in the 1940s as a demonstration of increasing affluence. Ptichye moloko can sometimes be glazed with a decadent chocolate ganache on top. The candy version is still a souffle of milk, coated with chocolate, and cut into bite-sizes. It has become very popular and has been produced in mass quantities since the 1970s.
- Sharlotka
Made with succulent apple slices, this is popular in Russia because this apple pie requires inexpensive ingredients. Consisting of flour, eggs, baking soda, sugar, and apples, it is soft, light, and airy. Usually served cool, it is enriched with sprinkled powdered sugar on top.
- Pastila
A traditional Russian confectionery, it originated in Imperial Russia where it is served during tea. With ingredients of sugar, egg whites, and fruit puree, it is a sort of a fusion of meringue and candy. It is light and fruity, commonly made of berries or apples, and sweetened with either honey or sugar.
- Russian Pancakes
Russians love anything about pancakes; in fact, they have a variety of this beloved treat. The syrniki, the blini, the oladyi — all these are similar to each other because all of these are pancake variations. The syrniki is a curd-cheese pancake that is light and finely textured because of its milk content, and is commonly topped with fruits, syrup, cream, or jam. The blini is the Russian-version crepe made of yeast, milk, wheat, and eggs, and is usually served with smetana or sour cream. The oladyi are thick mini pancakes similar to blinis, and are also made of the same ingredients. It is best enjoyed with smetana, varenye or fruit preserves, jam, or honey. These pancakes can be eaten during breakfast or as a dessert treat.
Tzarevna New York offers authentic Russian desserts that are truly must-try! Reserve a table today.
