What to soak the biscuit with: vanilla syrup
Ingredients:
vanillin - half a teaspoon;
250 ml water;
granulated sugar - one glass without a slide;
Cooking method:
Pour water into a small container and add granulated sugar.
Bring the mixture to a boil over low heat, stirring continuously until the sugar is completely dissolved.
When the syrup boils, skim off the foam and remove from heat.
Cool the syrup a little, add vanillin, stir well and soak any sponge cakes.
Recipe for making a classic sponge cake topping
There is no problem with preparing the impregnation. Sometimes, due to lack of experience, the result may not meet the needs. The consistency may be too liquid or, conversely, thick and viscous. To avoid annoying mistakes, you should strictly adhere to the proportions.
The standard recipe for sponge cake impregnation is the simplest option for preparing sugar syrup:
- Place sugar and water in a small saucepan. It is advisable to take products in a 1:2 ratio.
- Cook the mixture over low heat. Bring the contents to a boil and cook until it thickens.
- During the cooking process, you need to constantly stir the syrup and remove the foam if necessary.
- Remove the pan from the heat and cool the contents completely.
- When the impregnation has completely cooled, add flavorings or other components to it. Mix the ingredients well.
You cannot add additional ingredients to a hot mixture of sugar and water. Especially if these are flavorings, since the entire smell will disappear with the steam.
Classic sugar syrup
The recipe for sugar syrup for soaking sponge cakes will be useful for novice housewives. With the help of impregnation, you can easily give ready-made dishes a special taste and amazing aroma. This recipe is basic; cognac can be replaced with any other ingredients. Vanilla, white wine, juices, berries go well in this recipe.
By choosing new ingredients, you will be able to change the taste of the baked goods. It all depends on personal preferences and taste preferences.
It is important to know that after preparing the syrup, it must be allowed to stand for 7 hours. Otherwise, the finished product will become wet and crumble. It is recommended to soak the cakes with the composition at room temperature.
Ingredients:
- water - 120 ml;
- sugar - 130 grams;
- cognac - 40 grams.
Step-by-step cooking recipe:
Take a container, combine granulated sugar and water in it.
Stirring constantly, bring the mixture to a boil and cool. Just add cognac to the cooled mass. Otherwise, the aromatic substances will simply evaporate.
Prepare a clean, dry container and pour the liquid into it. Place the mixture in the refrigerator and use if necessary.
How to soak sponge cake layers: popular recipes
We offer several options for impregnation with fillers that will add their own touch to the overall “symphony” of a luxurious dessert. Instead of berry and fruit juices, you can take similar liqueurs or tinctures, as well as jam slightly diluted with water.
All flavors are added to the cooled sugar syrup, otherwise their taste will be weak.
Lemon soak
It will add a slight sourness to the dessert, creating a pleasant contrast with the sweet cream and fillings. Syrup with lemon is more suitable for light cakes, without adding cocoa; for dark cakes you can use orange.
There are several options for preparing impregnation.
1st method
We will need:
- ½ large lemon
- 3 tbsp. l. Sahara
- 1 cup boiling water.
Preparation
- Wash the lemon and cut into small pieces.
- Add sugar and grind until juice appears.
- Pour boiling water over it, stir until the sugar dissolves, and let the infusion cool. You can add vanilla to the cooled syrup. The impregnation is ready.
2nd method
We will need:
- ½ lemon
- classic sugar syrup in the above proportions
- ½ tsp. vanilla.
Preparation
Squeeze the juice from half a lemon and add the grated zest. Pour in syrup at room temperature, stir well. You can enhance the flavor with natural vanilla.
3rd method
Lemon juice in the impregnation can be replaced with tincture. The taste of the cake will be brighter and richer.
We will need:
- 2 – 3 tbsp. l. lemon tincture
- a serving of classic sugar syrup (½ cup).
Preparation
Pour the tincture into the cooled syrup and stir.
For the tincture:
- 1 large lemon
- 6 tbsp. vodka.
Preparation
- Grind the lemon in a blender.
- Fill the resulting mass with vodka, place it in a glass bottle and keep it in a dark place for 2 days. Shake the tincture periodically.
- Then strain and store in the refrigerator.
You can use ready-made Limoncello liqueur instead of homemade tincture, while reducing the amount of sugar in the base syrup.
The impregnation turns out to be very elegant when the juice of half a lemon is added to a glass of green tea.
Coffee impregnation
Ideal for chocolate cakes with buttercream. If desired, you can enhance the taste of the soaking with cognac (1 tbsp.).
We will need:
- 2 tbsp. freshly ground coffee
- ½ cup sugar
- 1 glass of water.
Preparation
- Divide the water in half and brew coffee without sugar from one part.
- Let the drink steep for 15 minutes, preferably in a warm place for better extraction, then strain. Make syrup from the second half of water and sugar. Let's combine it with coffee, cool everything together to room temperature and we can moisten the cake.
Cognac impregnation
Lovers of strong drinks will definitely like this recipe.
It will require:
- 3 tbsp. l. cognac
- serving of base syrup (100 g water per 100 g sugar)
Preparation
Mix the cooled solution and cognac; nothing else is needed for our impregnation.
If you want to get a richer taste, instead of regular syrup, you can use jam diluted with water, sweet coffee or cocoa without milk, or fruit juice. In short, there is a lot of room for experimentation.
Let us emphasize once again that cognac (rum, liqueur, wine) is poured into completely cooled syrup, otherwise the alcohol will evaporate from the high temperature and the taste we need will be lost.
Sour cream impregnation
The best option if the sponge cakes are too dry. Thanks to sour cream, the cake will turn out very tender; it will definitely appeal not only to adults, but also to children.
Ingredients:
- 500 g sour cream, 10% fat
- 4 tbsp. l. Sahara
- ½ tsp. vanilla.
Preparation
- Mix all the ingredients and place in the refrigerator for half an hour until the sugar is completely dissolved.
- Beat the mixture with a whisk to make it airy and apply to the cakes.
Impregnation for honey cake
The “honey cake” has its own rich aroma and our main task is to try to emphasize it, and not to interrupt it.
The best option is syrup with honey.
Ingredients:
- 3 – 4 tbsp. l. honey
- 3 tbsp. l. Sahara
- 2 medium lemons.
Preparation
- Squeeze juice from lemons.
- Mix it with honey and sugar.
- Bring to a boil and cook over low heat for 10 minutes.
- Apply the syrup while warm, the cake will turn out very juicy and tasty.
If you like alcoholic impregnations, you can add white dessert wine or cognac to the base.
Impregnation for Prague cake: recipe from the USSR
The incredibly popular dessert “Prague” today is our Soviet heritage. At that time, the chef of the Moscow restaurant of the same name was the famous pastry chef Mikhail Guralnik, who presented those with a sweet tooth with several iconic delicacies, including “Bird's Milk”.
The maestro decided to make a cake that was not inferior in taste to the legendary Viennese Sacher. And so “Prague” was born, which we still bake with pleasure for the holidays.
The Soviet dessert was prepared according to GOST and included apricot jam for the chocolate cakes. Moreover, according to the classic recipe, the confiture was applied only to the top layer and sides of the cake before covering it with chocolate glaze. But if desired, if we are afraid that the cakes will remain a little dry, we can moisten each of them.
Apricot impregnation
- 100 g jam
- ¾ glass of water
- 3 tbsp. l. cognac
Preparation
- Dilute the jam with water and heat it a little over the fire, without bringing it to a boil.
- We rub the mixture through a sieve so that there are no large pieces.
- Add cognac to the cooled impregnation (you can do without it).
Attention!
Apply jam, not diluted with water, to the top and sides of the cake.
Some recipes allow the use of pure cognac impregnation, and the confiture is left only for the underglaze layer.
Fruit syrup
Making delicious biscuits in your own kitchen is not difficult. However, not every housewife knows that with the help of impregnation you can change the taste of the finished dish. Lemon syrup for soaking the biscuit makes the baked goods tender and fragrant. The composition is prepared quite quickly. It is important to know that proportions must be strictly observed. Otherwise, the mass will turn out viscous, and it will be very difficult to soak the baked goods.
Ingredients:
- sugar - 40 grams;
- lemon - 1 piece;
- water - 40 grams;
- vanilla - to taste.
Step-by-step cooking recipe:
- Prepare the lemon, rinse it, squeeze out the juice.
- Pour water into a saucepan, bring to a boil, add sugar.
- Combine with vanilla and lemon juice.
- The sugar should completely dissolve.
- Let the mixture cool and you can start soaking the baked goods.
How to choose the right coating for a cake
There is a base syrup for moistening sponge cakes. It is prepared very simply using ingredients that are always on hand.
Ingredients:
- 6 tbsp. water;
- 4 tbsp. Sahara.
Preparation
- Mix both components, pour the liquid into a saucepan with a thick bottom and place on low heat. Stir continuously until the sugar is completely dissolved, and then leave the mixture to boil.
- As soon as foam appears on the surface, remove the syrup and cool. If desired, you can add ½ tsp to the slightly warm liquid. vanilla sugar.
Classic impregnation is ready. Since its taste can be considered neutral, it is suitable for any biscuit.
Attention!
If you need to prepare a larger amount of syrup, it is important to follow the proportions indicated in the recipe. A solution that is too thin will “ruin” the confectionery product, and a saturated solution will make it too sweet.
It is also necessary to adhere to the following relationship
: for 1 kg of cakes – 600 g of impregnation and 1.2 kg of cream – then our dessert will turn out perfect.
Do you want the product to be not only pleasantly moist, but also fragrant? Knowing how to prepare sugar syrup for soaking a cake, it’s not difficult to diversify its taste by adding:
- milk, condensed milk, sour cream
- fruit and berry juices
- liquid jam or marmalade
- citrus
- alcoholic drinks: liqueur, rum, cognac, sweet wine.
At the same time, it is important that the impregnation combines well with the other ingredients in the cake: cream, fillings (if any), a layer of jam, and so on.
If the dessert is intended for children, alcohol should be excluded from it.
From sour cream
Ingredients: liter of sour cream, 45 g of vanilla and 150-170 g of regular sugar.
Sour cream impregnation is a classic in almost all home recipes.
- For the impregnation under discussion, it is best to use liquid store-bought sour cream. Of course, homemade is much tastier, but it is more suitable for making cream.
- First add regular sand to the sour cream, and then vanilla sugar.
- For the first few minutes, the ingredients are mixed with a wide spoon.
- Next, you will need to thoroughly beat the mass with a mixer or blender until all the sweet grains are completely dissolved in it.
- First you need to combine sugar with fruit juice. These ingredients are placed in a bowl with a thick bottom and walls.
- The mass is heated over low heat. During the process, the sweet grains should completely dissolve in the citrus juice.
- The future syrup warms up for a couple more minutes.
- Cool boiling water is poured into the container.
- After thoroughly mixing the ingredients, the mass is cooked over low heat with systematic stirring.
1. Very tasty impregnation:
Cranberry vodka “Finlandia”, clear (it’s better not to take red, it has dye) - 50 g - Homemade pear jam - 2 tbsp. l. - Cold boiled water - 250 ml Mix all ingredients and pour over the prepared biscuit.
2. Syrup for soaking biscuits:
Sugar - 5 tbsp. l. - Liqueur, or tinctures, or water - 7 tbsp. spoon - Cognac - 1 tbsp. l. Pour sugar into a saucepan and add water. Stirring, bring the syrup to a boil. Then it is cooled and aromatic substances are introduced: any liqueur or tincture, vanillin, cognac, coffee infusion, any fruit essences.
3. Chocolate soaking:
Butter - 100 g - Cocoa powder - 1 tbsp. l. — Condensed milk — half a can
The impregnation is prepared in a water bath. To do this, you need to pour water into a large saucepan and put it on the fire. And inside the large pan, place a pan of a smaller diameter in which to prepare the impregnation. Place all the soaking ingredients in a smaller saucepan, cut the butter into pieces so that it melts faster. To stir thoroughly. But don't bring it to a boil. I use a mixer. Soak the cake with hot impregnation, preferably a warm or hot cake.
4. Currant impregnation for jam cake:
Currant syrup - 0.5 cups - Sugar - 2 tbsp. l. — Water — 1 glass.
This impregnation is used for the “Negro in Foam” cake. But it can also be used in other cakes in combination with sour cream. Impregnation preparation is standard. Mix all ingredients, bring to a boil and cook over low heat until the sugar dissolves.
5. Impregnation for cake:
Sugar - 250 g - Water - 250 ml - Cahors - 2 tbsp. l. - Lemon juice - 1 tsp. - Vanillin.
Boil water in a saucepan, add sugar, stir until completely dissolved. Bring the syrup to a boil, add vanillin and lemon juice. Cool the finished syrup.
6. Coffee syrup:
Water - 1 glass - Cognac - 1 tbsp. l. — Ground coffee — 2 tbsp. l. - Sugar - 1 glass.
Sugar is poured with water (half a glass) and heated until the sugar grains dissolve; the dissolved syrup is brought to a boil, coffee is brewed with the remaining amount of water (half a glass), which is placed on the edge of the stove for infusion. After 15–20 minutes, the coffee is filtered, and the pure coffee infusion is poured along with cognac into sugar syrup, which is thoroughly stirred and cooled.
7. Soaking with green tea and lemon:
Brew green tea, add lemon juice. When cool, soak the cakes.
8. Pineapple soak:
Made with syrup from canned pineapples. I do it by eye. Dilute the syrup a little with water, add lemon juice, a drop of cognac for flavor and simmer for just a couple of minutes.
9. Milk impregnation No. 1:
Fill a can of condensed milk with 3 cups of boiling water. Add vanilla, let cool and soak the cakes very generously.
10. Milk impregnation No. 2:
3 tbsp. Bring milk to a boil with 1 tbsp. (250 ml) sugar
11. Lemon soak:
1 cup boiling water + half a lemon, cut into slices + 3 teaspoons sugar + vanilla. I let it brew and it just cooled down. I ate the lemons and used the liquid.
12. Orange syrup:
Finely chopped peel of one orange - Orange juice - 1/2 cup - Sugar - 1/4 cup
Combine all ingredients in a saucepan. Cook over low heat until the sugar dissolves. Reduce heat and cook uncovered for another 15 minutes, or until syrup has reduced by half. Soak the cakes warm.
13. Cherry impregnation:
Pour about 1/3 cherry juice into a cup, add 1-2 tbsp. l. sugar, 3-4 tbsp. l. cognac and add water so that the total amount of impregnation is approximately 1 cup. I calculated the amount of impregnation for a multi-layered layer; if you are making one cake, half a portion will be enough for you.
In American pastry traditions, it is customary to use thick sponge cake layers coated with butter cream for cakes. For our sweet tooth, this is absolutely unacceptable, so we often use cake impregnation, which gives the dessert juiciness and tenderness.
To be fair, it should be noted that not all types of biscuits require impregnation. “Red Velvet”, “Hummingbird”, “Chiffon sponge cakes”, “Dark Larry” are quite moist, but a classic sponge cake cannot be made into a delicious cake without moistening.
Thus, sugar type of impregnation is the most popular and most budget-friendly. It is easy to prepare, and the syrup contains only water, sugar and alcohol (cognac, rum, port or liqueur).
Since cakes of different diameters, and therefore weights, will require different amounts of liquid for soaking, it is convenient to use proportions per 100 g of finished sugar syrup, in which a tablespoon is used as a measure of weight and volume.
Thus, for the specified amount of sugar impregnation you will need:
- 3 tablespoons water;
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar;
- ½ spoon of cognac.
Preparation steps:
- Place sugar and water in a thick-bottomed bowl over medium heat and bring to a boil, stirring continuously. So that the resulting syrup does not have to be soaked while stirring, you need to make sure that sugar crystals do not get on the walls.
- The boiled solution can be immediately removed from the stove, or you can let it bubble for a few minutes, cool a little and add alcohol.
