the pashka
the
russian
easter
cake

jump to the recipe

This is one of my favourite cakes, and if you are making your own ricotta can be guaranteed as gluten-free which is a bonus.

Sadly these days, it is difficult to find Australian glacé fruit and Italian is mainly your next best bet. In South Australia Bottega 1995 are great for both wholesale, from Mile End and retail from their store on King William Street, Hyde Park where smaller quantities can be purchased.

Also good for smaller quantities The Adelaide Nut, Adelaide Central Markets, by the escalators. They also always have quality fresh Australian nuts.

BROUGHT OVER FROM GALAXY GUIDES,
FIRST PUBLISHED IN 2003 AO

you will need

Makes 2 a total of 24 portions
Degree of difficulty – very easy

250ml milk
1 vanilla pod, split and scraped
400g powdered caster sugar
5 extra-large egg yolks, room temperature
200g cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
1600g quark or fresh ricotta, strained in muslin for 24 hours to firm it up
1 lemon, grated rind
50g currants
75g blanched  almonds, slithered, dry roasted ina 160° oven until lightly coloured and refreshed
100g glacé red cherries, cut in half
100g glacé green cherries, cut in half
100g glacé apricot, cut into large dice
100g glacé green ginger, roughly chopped
125g Tweedvale or Jersey Fresh Pure Double Cream
100g glacé citron, finely chopped

extra finely sliced citron for decorating
about 100g blanched, peeled and dried local pistachios, finely chopped with a sharp knife

plus
muslin that has either been sterilised in boiling water or soaked in water and sterilised in the microwave
a bowl with ice to cool the anglaise

day one

Three-quarters fill a large saucepan with hot water and place it on high heat. Select a stainless steel bowl that will fit comfortably on top of the saucepan. Put the egg yolks and sugar into it and whisk together. Measure the milk into a 1L microwave safe jug. Split the vanilla pod and scrape the seeds out. Scrape out the pod as much as possible, discard the pod and bring the milk to the boil again. Set up your bowl of ice and add about half a cup of cold water. Whisk the infused milk into the eggs and sugar. Place the bowl over the hot water, and using a rubber spatula to constantly scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl, cook, stirring constantly with a silicone spatula it until it is very thick.

Immediately remove from the heat, stand the bowl on a rack and whisk in the butter a little at a time until completely incorporated. Place the bowl on the ice bath and stirring frequently, allow to cool completely.</P.

to serve

Fold back the muslin from the top, invert your serving plate top and quickly invert the Pashka onto your plate. Carefully remove the muslin and use the additional citron and blanched and peeled pistachios to decorate the Pashka.

It may sound incredibly rich, but I quite like to serve the Pashka with a small quenelle of pure double cream.

the next step

Using either a food processor, potato press, Mouli or Kenwood sieving attachment, rice the cheese into the large bowl of an electric mixer. Add the grated lemon rind, currants and almonds, then mix in the custard a little at a time until completely incorporated. Fold through the glacé fruit in by hand. Double line your mould with muslin that has been wet and wrung out as much as possible.

Scrape your prepared mixture into the mould, fold the excess muslin back over the top and press down on it firmly.

Stand the mould on a rack in a tray and allow it to stand for at least 24 hours in the fridge. Make sure you have nothing with a strong savoury smell in your fridge

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