"Lady Fingers" cake

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This cake is assembled from “lady fingers” made from pate choux dough. This gives it such a unique flavor and texture but is so simple to put together.

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Ingredients

  • Pate choux batter for lady fingers:
  • 1 1/2 cups water
  • 1 1/2 sticks of butter
  • 1/8 teaspoon salt
  • 1 1/2 cups flour
  • 6 eggs
  • Frosting:
  • 2 (16 oz.) containers sour cream
  • 1 cup heavy cream
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla
  • 1 can sweetened condensed milk
  • 1/2 cup powdered sugar
  • Chocolate glaze:
  • 2-3 Tablespoons cocoa powder
  • 4 Tablespoons sour cream
  • 6 Tablespoons sugar
  • 2 Tablespoons butter

Preparation

Step 1

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Bring the water, butter and salt to a boil in a medium saucepan. Add flour all at once. Mix with a wooden spoon until it forms a ball and the flour is mixed in thoroughly. Cool for about 5 minutes or mix with a paddle attachment in a standing mixer or with a hand mixer until steam is no longer rising. Add eggs one at a time.

Transfer the batter to a large ziplock bag or a a pastry bag and pipe 2-3 inch long strips, about 1 cm thick onto parchment paper lined baking sheet.

Bake for 15-20 min.

For the frosting, combine the sour cream, condensed milk, powdered sugar and vanilla in a standing mixer using the whisk attachment. Add the heavy cream and continue whisking until frosting thickens. (This way, you are actually whipping the cream right in the sour cream mixture.)

In a spring form pan, spread some frosting, about 1/4 of a cup, on the bottom of the pan.

Dip the lady fingers in the frosting.

Starting at the rim, arrange in a circle in multiple layers to fill the pan all the way to the top. Make sure to arrange the lady fingers tightly, with no spaces in between them. If you have little gaps, break the lady fingers into the size that you need. Reserve the left over frosting in a small bowl.

Refrigerate the cake for at least an hour, preferably a few hours. I usually keep it refrigerated overnight.

Line the edges of a cake stand or plate with aluminum foil. (This is to facilitate easy clean up later.) Run a knife or spatula around the edges of the cake. Invert the cake onto the center of the platter and take it out of the spring form pan.

Cover the top and sides with the reserved frosting.

For the chocolate glaze: In a small saucepan, whisk together all the ingredients EXCEPT the butter. Cook over medium heat until it comes to a boil, simmer for a few minutes, until sugar dissolves and the glaze thins out to a syrupy consistency.Whisk in the butter.

Make a pastry bag from parchment paper or regular printer paper, by taking the edges of the paper and bringing them together to form a thin point. It will be a triangular shape. Pour the hot glaze in, snip off a small hole in the tip of the paper and decorate the cake. You need to work quickly, since the glaze will harden as it cools. (You can always return the hardened glaze to the pan and reheat it.)

Carefully remove the aluminum foil.

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