Kartoshka (Russian No Bake Cake Картошка)

Kartoshka is a popular Russian dessert. It is very easy to make, and requires no baking!

Utensils
  • Food processor with a chopping function;
  • Kitchen scale;
  • Muffin paper cases (optional, but highly recommended);
  • Mixing bowl;
  • Small saucepan.
Ingredients
  • 80g butter;
  • 160g half-fat or full-fat milk;
  • 100g sugar (I use demerara sugar, but any sugar will do);
  • 300g cookies or biscuits. I was using McVities Rich Tea Biscuits, pretty much the only available budget biscuits without palm oil or hydrogenated oil;
  • 10g-15g 100% cocoa powder (I use 20g of 40% cocoa powder).
Directions
  1. Melt the butter;
  2. In your food processor, break the biscuits into curbs or flour, depending on how you like it;
  3. Put biscuits flour/crumbs into a mixing bowl, remove big chunks it there are any, and mix in cocoa powder; stir really well;
  4. Once the butter melts, take it off the heat, incorporate sugar and milk and stir so that the sugar dissolves. Let it cool a little;
  5. Add the liquid mix into the bowl with biscuits flour/crumbs and stir well;
  6. Put it in the fridge to let in cool;
  7. Make the cakes by rolling the “dough” between the palms of your hands for a few seconds. You should get 12-15 cakes. Put them in muffin paper (optional but highly recommended);
  8. Keep the cakes in the fridge until you are ready to serve them..
Possible Variations
  • Toss in some spices: nutmeg, cardamom, maybe even a bit of cayenne;
  • Add some brandy or rum (reduce the volume of milk accordingly);
  • Incorporate some raisin or and/dried apricots and/or chopped nuts (scale milk and butter and reduce the sugar accordingly);
  • Dust the cakes in cocoa powder or desiccated coconut or chopped nuts.

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