The trend of recent years in the confectionery business can be safely called mastic cakes. Their appearance is mesmerizing, and their taste leaves no chance for other desserts to become the main hit of the holiday. But the cost of such a delicacy is very impressive. Therefore, the hostesses, if possible, strive to make a mastic cake for the celebration on their own. This process is not easy, but the result is worth it.
It is necessary
- For a biscuit base:
- • 200 grams of butter;
- • 200 grams of powdered sugar;
- • 4 eggs;
- • 300 grams of premium flour.
- For a leveling cream:
- • 200 grams of butter;
- • 150 grams of boiled condensed milk.
Instructions
Step 1
The base of the cake for mastic
The basis of any cake for mastic will be cakes soaked in cream. It is best to prepare a biscuit for this, it is tender and at the same time keeps its shape well. Soften the butter in advance at room temperature and beat with powdered sugar. Add eggs to the mass and beat everything until the sugar is completely dissolved. Add flour sifted through a sieve in portions, mix everything well. Bake the cakes until tender at 180 ° C. Optionally, you can make a sand or honey base.
Please note that mastic sugar is afraid of moisture. Therefore, biscuits intended for wrapping do not need to be generously impregnated with syrup. The cream for the layer of cakes should also not be made very soft. Since the mastic is quite heavy, and cakes with a delicate and airy soufflé inside are not suitable for wrapping.
Also, the mastic cannot be put on a cream made from whipped cream or yogurt. If you used such creams for the layer of cakes, then the outside of the cake will need to be coated with a special leveling cream. This combination of flavor variations will add spice to the dessert.
Step 2
Cream for smoothing the surface of the cake
To level the surface of the cake under the mastic, make, for example, a cream of boiled condensed milk with butter. This is the simplest and most common way to create the perfect dessert surface. Thoroughly mix soft butter with boiled condensed milk. This mass will help to hide defects in the base and make the cake smooth and beautiful.
You need to level the surface of the base in three stages. First coat the sides and top of the cake with a thin layer of cream to smooth out any major unevenness. Refrigerate until first layer hardens. Then coat the cake with a second thicker layer of cream. In doing so, try to make the surface as flat as possible. Put the cake back in the refrigerator until it hardens.
The third stage of leveling is the most important: heat a knife over the fire of the plate and run it over all surfaces of the cake, making them perfectly even. Put the cake in the refrigerator one last time. After hardening, it can be covered with mastic.
Step 3
Cake coating mastic
Mastic is made in various ways. It is considered that the simplest and most convenient milk mastic to work with. To make it, take equal amounts of powdered milk, powdered sugar and condensed milk. Mix dry ingredients in a deep bowl, add condensed milk and knead thoroughly. In consistency, the mass should become like soft plasticine.
Milk mastic will have a yellowish tint, you can tint it with edible food colors. For brown color, use cocoa powder, for red and pink - juices or syrups of cherries and raspberries, for green - squeezed juice from spinach or salad, for bright yellow - turmeric powder.
You can make marshmallow cake mastic. To do this, take puffed marshmallows and powdered sugar in a ratio of 1 to 2. Pour marshmallows in a deep bowl with a tablespoon of lemon juice, then put in the microwave for 15 seconds. The marshmallow will soften and increase in volume.
Add half of the prepared icing sugar to it and stir. Gradually add the rest of the powder to the mass, mixing thoroughly. As a result, you should get a mass that resembles plasticine in consistency. Chill it in the refrigerator for half an hour, after which you can start wrapping the cake. From this mass, you can also cut out the decorations you need, sculpt volumetric figures.
Please note that the mastic dries quickly enough, so if you are not ready to work with it right away, do not leave it on the table, put it in a plastic bag or wrap it with cling film. If the mastic is still dry, heat it up in the microwave for 2-3 seconds before working.
Step 4
Covering the cake with mastic
To cover the cake with mastic, it is advisable to have auxiliary tools on hand. First of all, you can't do without a rolling pin. Both ordinary wooden and silicone are suitable. Professional confectioners prefer to use silicone models with a revolving handle; it is most convenient for them to roll out a layer of mastic.
You can use a silicone mat for rolling, but it is not necessary if you have a flat table surface. But it will be difficult to do without a pastry iron when wrapping a cake. It is with the help of this device that the mastic layer on the cake is leveled. You can press it with your fingers, but the result will not be so smooth, and you run the risk of leaving your prints on the surface.
Prepare a knife for cutting mastic. Having a round pizza knife will make your job easier, but you can get by with a regular kitchen knife.
Before rolling, sprinkle the table with powdered sugar so that the mass does not stick. Put the mastic on the table and roll it out with a rolling pin so that the thickness of the layer is 3-4 mm. Gently grab the mastic sheet with your hands from below and place it on top of the cake. If the surface is large, transfer the layer to the cake using a rolling pin.
Using a pastry iron, smooth the mastic sheet so that it fits snugly against the surface of the cake. You need to start the movement from the top, smoothly moving to the sides. At the same time, make sure that no air bubbles form under the layer. To avoid this, the iron should work on the sides from top to bottom. Cut off the excess mastic with a round or regular knife, use the rest to create jewelry.
Please note that the mastic must be cut along the backing line. If you don't have one, cut the mastic along the bottom edge of the cake. Then the cake can be decorated as you wish. The simplest, but no less beautiful cake design can be ordinary mastic balls or confectionery sprinkles. Cut or sculpt figurines from mastic and decorate your cake with them after hardening.
