Incredibly Creamy Cake Made with Simple Ingredients

Video Description

Kitchen Tools I Cook With: https://amzn.to/47KTh6J * Some links are affiliate links, which means I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. --- Karpatka (Carpathian Cream Cake) Ingredients for Choux Pastry (Pâte à Choux) - Water — ½ cup (120 g) - Unsalted butter — ½ stick (55 g) - All-purpose flour — ½ cup (60 g) - Eggs — 3 large - Sugar — 2 tsp (10 g) - Salt — a pinch Pastry Cream (Crème Pâtissière) - Egg yolks — 2 - Sugar — ⅓ cup (70 g) - Cornstarch — 3 tbsp (30 g) - Milk — 1⅔ cups (400 ml) - Salt — a pinch - Vanilla extract — a few drops (optional) Crème Mousseline - Chilled pastry cream — all from above - Unsalted butter, soft — 1 stick (115 g) - Sugar — 1½ tbsp (20 g) - Steps (with important tips) 1) Choux Pastry - In a saucepan, combine water, butter, and salt. 👉 Make sure the butter fully melts and the mixture comes to a rolling boil. If the butter isn’t hot enough, the dough won’t come together properly. - Remove from heat, add all the flour at once, and stir quickly. - Return to medium heat and cook, stirring constantly, for 3–4 minutes. 👉 This step is crucial: you’re drying out the dough. If you don’t cook it long enough, the pastry will be soggy and won’t puff up in the oven. - Let it cool slightly (5–10 min), then beat in eggs one at a time until glossy and smooth. - Divide into two portions, spread on parchment-lined pans, and bake at 375°F (190°C) for 25–30 min until golden. Cool on a rack. 2) Pastry Cream - Whisk yolks with half the sugar and cornstarch until smooth. - Heat milk with the remaining sugar, salt, and vanilla to just below boiling. - Slowly pour the hot milk into the yolk mixture while whisking constantly. - Return everything to the saucepan and cook over medium heat, whisking very actively. 👉 Continuous whisking is key — otherwise, the eggs can scramble and the cream will turn lumpy. - Once thickened, cover with plastic wrap pressed “in contact” and chill completely. 3) Crème Mousseline - Whip the soft butter with sugar until pale and fluffy. 👉 The butter and the chilled pastry cream must be at about the same, room temperature. If the cream is too cold, the butter will seize up; if the cream is too warm, the mixture will melt. Both should feel slightly cool but soft to the touch. - Add the pastry cream gradually — just 1 spoonful at a time (maximum 2). 👉 If you add too much at once, the fat and water phases will separate, and the cream will curdle. By adding it slowly, each spoonful emulsifies with the butter before you add the next. - Whip until silky and smooth. 4) Assembly - Place the first choux layer on a serving board. - Spread all the mousseline evenly on top. - Cover with the second choux layer, pressing gently. - Wrap and refrigerate overnight for the cream to stabilize. - Dust with powdered sugar before serving. 👉 This cake is all about texture: light and airy pastry with a silky cream inside. If you follow these tips — boiling the butter, drying the dough properly, whisking the custard actively, and emulsifying the mousseline slowly — you’ll get the perfect Karpatka.