Ruske Kape/Russian Hats or Šubarice in some areas, are one of those interesting desserts that you find at most Balkan special occasions such as weddings, slava dinners, or at Balkan bakeries. The name comes from the dessert’s resemblance to Russian fur hats of the same shape. A Šubara is the Balkan version of this style of hat.

Very similar to a Lamington, Ruske Kape/Šubarice is a type of cake dessert consisting of a circular piece of sponge cake filled with a custard-type filling that is rolled in coconut and topped with a chocolate glaze. It’s served chilled or room temperature and eaten with a fork. Sometimes it is eaten by hand if in a casual setting.

There are many different ways bakeries and home cooks prepare Ruske Kape/Šubarice. Some use a pudding based filling for convenience, and some cook the filling from scratch. In this recipe, I’ll be cooking the filling from scratch because I think to truly experience a Ruska Kapa, you need to have the real deal.

The sponge is moist, decedant, yet firm, while the custard is delicately flavored with vanilla. The combination makes for a truly special dessert, and it’s very clear why this pastry is so popular in the Balkans.

One thing I want to mention is that it’s important that you chill the custard/filling for about 2-3 hours before assembling your Ruske Kape. Chilling it will firm up the custard so it’s nice and thick and won’t ooze out when sandwiched together.

Ruske Kape / Russian Hats

Recipe by The Balkan HostessCourse: DessertCuisine: Balkan

Servings

servings

Prep time

minutes

Cooking time

minutes

Ingredients

Sponge Cake
6 large eggs
1 cup (200 g) granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon (3 ml) vanilla extract
1/2 cup (125 ml) oil
1/4 cup (60 ml) milk
1 tablespoon baking powder (1 kesica)
2 cups + 2 tablespoons flour (22 kašike)
2 tablespoons (14 g) cocoa powder
Filling/Custard
4 cups (1 L) milk
4 tablespoons (52 g) granulated sugar
1 tablespoon vanilla sugar (1 kesica)
1/2 teaspoon (3 ml) vanilla extract
5 tablespoons (40 g) flour
4 tablespoons (36 g) cornstarch
1.5 sticks of butter (150 g), softened
4 tablespoons (32 g) powdered sugar
Chocolate Glaze
1 – 4oz (100g) bar of dark baking chocolate
2 tablespoons (30 ml) oil
1 cup (100 g) unsweetened coconut flakes (dry)

Directions

Sponge Cake
Preheat oven to 350 F (175 C). Grease a 9×13 inch (33 x 23 cm) baking pan and set aside. I like to use baking spray.
In a large mixing bowl, whisk with a hand mixer (or by hand) the eggs until foamy. Add in the sugar, oil, vanilla extract, and milk. Whisk to combine.
Add in the dry ingredients and whisk lightly. Switch to a spatula and give everything a final mix, making sure to scrape down the sides of the bowl and bottom. Once the cake batter is all one color, transfer it to your greased baking pan and distribute in an even layer. Bake for 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.
Once baked, remove the cake from the oven and set aside to cool completely.
Custard/Filling
To a medium pot add in 3 of the 4 cups of milk. Reserve 1 cup.
To the milk in the pot, add in the sugar, vanilla sugar, and vanilla extract. Cook on medium-high heat until just boiling, being careful that the milk does not boil over.
In the 1 cup of reserved milk, add in the flour and cornstarch. Whisk well so there are no lumps in the mixture.
When the milk is just about to boil, reduce the heat to medium and add in the reserved cup of milk with flour and cornstarch. Whisk continuously and cook until the milk thickens and is a pudding consistency, about 6 minutes. Be careful that the mixture doesn’t burn on the bottom of the pot. Stir the entire time the mixture is cooking.
After 6 minutes, remove the filling from the heat. It will still be slightly runny, a little thinner in consistency than pudding. This is ok.
Transfer the filling to a mixing bowl and press down a piece of plastic wrap on top of the filling to prevent a skin from forming. Chill the filling in the refrigerator for 1 hour or until completely cold.
When the mixture has cooled completely, in a separate bowl cream together the butter and powdered sugar with a hand mixer. Add the whipped butter to the cold custard and beat with a hand mixer until well combined.
When well combined, cover and chill in the refrigerator again for 45 minutes – 1 hour to set. Once set, it will be very thick.
Assemble
Use a round biscuit/cookie cutter and cut out pieces of sponge cake. I use a larger cutter and get 15 pieces.
Cut each cake piece horizontally so you get a top and bottom piece.
Spoon 1 teaspoon or so of filling onto the bottom half of the cake and top with the top half. Coat the sides with a thin layer of filling. Then, roll the sides only in the unsweetened coconut flakes.
Repeat for all remaining pieces and transfer them to a serving dish.
In a saucepan, add in the chocolate and oil. Heat the chocolate and oil until the chocolate is completely melted. Remove from heat and spoon or pipe the melted chocolate on top of each cake and spread to cover the top completely.
Once the chocolate glaze sets, the dessert is ready to serve.
Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

Notes

This recipe makes a lot of filling and if you use the same size pan as I do, you will have leftovers. Because I like my Ruske Kape to be taller, I use a 9×13 inch baking pan. You can use a larger baking sheet which will give you double or triple the amount of Ruske Kape, but they won’t be as tall.
This filling is perfect for Princes Krofne!

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