Posted on by Jan Perring

Russian Cake “Muraveinik” (Anthill Cake)

Russian Cake “Muraveinik” (Anthill Cake)

  • 3 cups Canadian (gluten) flour (sifted)
  • 1/2 cup butter (100 grams)
  • 1 egg
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 1 pinch salt
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 1/2 cup sour cream
  • 1 Tbsp poppy seeds for decoration

Muraveinik Cream

  • 1 1/2 cups butter (at room temperature (300 grams))
  • 1 can cooked condensed milk (or dulce de leche)
  • 1/2 cup toasted chopped hazelnuts
  1. Sift 3 cups of flour into a large bowl and mix in butter using hands or Kitchen Aid paddle attachment until combined and crumbly. Add a pinch of salt
  2. Beat 1 egg and 1 cup sugar in a small bowl with a whisk until pale yellow and well combined. Add to the flour mixture and stir with paddle attachment or spatula until well combined. Mixture should still be crumbly.

  3. Mix the baking soda with sour cream and let it sit for 2-5 minutes. Pour sour cream mix into the flour mixture. Add more flour if needed to make sure that dough is not runny. It should be the consistency of cookie dough.

  4. Cover the dough with plastic wrap and place it in the fridge for 1 hour to harden.
  5. After 1 hour, break the dough into smaller pieces and feed it through the meat grinder using the large hole meat grinder attachment. Put dough onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Try to separate the strings of dough on the baking sheet. The more you spread it out on the dish, the easier it will be to break it into pieces later.
  6. Note: if you don’t have a meat grinder attachment, divide dough into 4 parts, wrap in plastic wrap and freeze 1 hour, then grate your dough with a hand grater.
  7. Place prepared dough in the middle of the oven and bake for 20 min at 350˚ F.
  8. Remove from the oven, and let the cookies cool, then break them into small pieces. Place broken cookies in large mixing bowl and toss in chopped hazelnuts.
  9. To make the cream, use an electric hand or stand mixer to beat softened butter until fluffy, then beat in cooked condensed milk until smooth. Pour cream over the cookie mixture. Mix everything together well.
  10. This mixture makes one large or two small “anthills”. We made 2. Divide the dough in half. Form each mound or “ant hill” by firmly patting down the cake as you mold it. Sprinkle with poppy seeds, cover with plastic wrap and place the cake in the fridge for at least 3 hours or overnight before serving.
  11. Serve cold with tea… or coffee and store it in refrigerator

Serve cold with tea… or coffee and store it in refrigerator