Shortbread cake with nuts and raisins

The simplest thing you can make for a holiday or even just for fun is a shortbread cake with nuts and raisins. We're not being disingenuous: the recipe and preparation method for this cake are so simple that anyone can handle it! The crumbly shortbread dough and the cottage cheese filling with raisins and peanuts are a truly delicious combination of flavors. The cake is tender, not cloying, and not greasy, as cream cakes often are. It also leaves plenty of room for creative experimentation. For example, you can replace the peanuts with walnuts or almonds, and the raisins with dried apricots or prunes. And you can make this dessert every day, if you're so inclined.

Make shortcrust pastry in advance and place it in the freezer—it will retain its texture perfectly. Just wrap it in plastic wrap first. Defrost it just before baking.

Cookbooks, magazines, blogs, and websites of varying degrees of authenticity offer a wide variety of recipes, from simple homemade cakes to luxurious, expertly crafted holiday cakes.

Cottage cheese and berries are a perfect combination. Cottage cheese of any fat content and consistency will do: liquid cottage cheese can be weighed out, while dry cottage cheese can be thinned with thick sour cream or cream. For the fruit component...

Shortcrust pastry is used to make cakes, tartlets, cookies, and open fruit and berry pies. Various variations, both in ingredients and mixing methods, allow for the creation of shortcrust pastry...

The Napoleon cake's history stretches back so far that its origins are completely lost. It's only clear that it had a much simpler name—mille-feuille, literally meaning "thousand layers." And already...

Shortcrust apple pie is a crumbly, sweet pastry and chunks of tart apples… the perfect combination! This pie evokes pleasant memories of childhood, when you were a mere spectator in your mom or grandma's kitchen, not a performer. Recall all their mesmerizingly beautiful manipulations with the dough and recreate them (maybe even today!) following our detailed instructions. A little tip: when making shortcrust apple pie, use the finest sugar to ensure a perfectly smooth dough. Homey, simple, homey, delicious!

Leningradsky cake is certainly well-remembered by those over 40: it was once one of the most beloved cakes, along with Ptichye Moloko, Skazka, and Kievskoye. In the 1970s and 1980s, huge lines formed at Moscow stores for these delicacies, especially on holidays. Those lucky enough to snag this coveted dessert felt truly darlings of fate! Leningradsky cake was invented in the 1950s—the heyday of the Soviet confectionery industry—and it was the only shortbread cake among the vast number of sponge cakes. And, surprisingly, this dessert caught on with the population and quickly gained popularity. Today, finding a similar Leningradsky cake is almost impossible, although modern confectioners certainly use the name. However, making a similar cake at home is entirely possible, especially if you take your time and follow the recipe exactly. Which, of course, awaits you below!