Pliatsok Doskonalyi: Perfect Almond Cake from Solomiya Krushelnytska's Recipe
Pliatsok Doskonalyi — "The Perfect Cake" — comes from the personal culinary notebook of Solomiya Krushelnytska, one of the greatest opera singers of the early 20th century. It is a recipe that carries memory, language, and tradition woven into the rhythm of everyday life.
I first learned about this recipe at the Krushelnytska Museum, during a lecture by Halyna Ohorchak titled "The Language of Solomiya Krushelnytska's Culinary Recipes." She spoke about the singer's daily life, the historical units of measurement, the names of kitchen utensils of the era, and also mentioned the culinary notes of Olha Franko.
That special evening, I tasted Pliatsok Doskonalyi for the first time — baked by Halyna Ohorchak from Krushelnytska's original notebook, especially for the event. I received a sheet with the adapted recipe from the researchers, and later had the chance to see the original archival manuscript.
I adjusted this historical recipe slightly to fit my 8-inch (21 cm) baking tin.
Equipment
Round baking tin, 8 inches / 21 cm; hand mixer or a stand mixer for whipping the whites; three deep mixing bowls; small saucepan with a lid; silicone spatula; wire cooling rack.
Ingredients
For the batter:
- Butter (82.5% fat) — 7 oz (200 g)
- Sugar — 1 cup (200 g)
- Blanched finely ground almonds — 2 cups (200 g)
- Egg whites — 4
- All-purpose flour — 1⅔ cups (200 g)
- Vanilla sugar — 1 tbsp (or 1 tsp vanilla extract)
For the filling:
- Medium semi-sweet apples — 2
- Sugar — 1 tsp
- Ground cinnamon — 1 tsp
- Lemon juice — 1 tsp
- Water — 3 tbsp
For the topping:
- Egg yolk — 1
- Water — 1 tbsp
- Sugar and chopped almonds — a small handful
Step-by-step instructions
Apple filling
I prepare the apples in advance — ideally the evening before. I finely dice two medium apples and simmer them in a small saucepan for 5 minutes with a teaspoon of sugar, cinnamon, lemon juice, and 3 tablespoons of water. I then cover the pan and leave the apples to cool completely, allowing all the flavours to meld together.
Batter
In a deep bowl, I cream the softened butter with the sugar until smooth and uniform. I then add the ground almonds and mix well.
In a separate bowl, I whisk 4 egg whites to stiff, firm peaks. I gently fold the egg whites into the almond-butter mixture in stages, using a spatula.
Finally, I sift in the flour and add the vanilla sugar (or vanilla extract), folding everything together with a bottom-to-top motion to keep the batter light and airy.
Baking
I preheat the oven to 355°F (180°C), conventional mode. I generously butter the tin.
I spread half the almond batter evenly across the base of the tin, layer the cooled apple filling on top, then cover with the remaining batter, smoothing the surface gently with a spatula.
Before placing the tin in the oven, I brush the surface with egg yolk mixed with 1 tablespoon of water, then sprinkle with sugar and chopped almonds to create a golden, crunchy crust. I bake the platsok for approximately 40–50 minutes, until deep golden.
I leave the finished cake to cool completely in the tin on a wire rack.
The notebook is still kept in the archive. The platsok is now on your table.
Enjoy!
Yours, Iryna