Apple Layer Cake

September 17th is the name day of Vira, Nadiia, Liubov, and Sofia!

Grandma used to say that animals have birthdays, but name days belong only to people. Dad Bohdan would say that for a name day, you never invite anyone — it's always your dearest friends, the ones who remember you, who simply show up. My sister Nadia never invited anyone, but she always knew her truest friends would come, so she would always prepare a little gathering. She baked a wonderful apple cake for this double celebration — because on one and the same day, we celebrated the name day of Nadia and of our mother Vira.

From the memories of Oksana Ilnytska, Nadia's friend:

« Our Nadia… A friend from childhood, student days, and all the years and life events that followed… Every year on the 30th of September, on Nadia's name day, we would meet here — almost like home, and yet out in nature, surrounded by summer, flowers, trees, birds and the little birds of Yavoriv. To the rhythm of train wheels rumbling past nearby, lending our gatherings the special undertone of an interesting, eternal journey… We talked. We remembered, we laughed, we shared our secrets, we grew older, we lived… And Nadia's words: 'You don't need anything — just to live!…'. But no journey is truly eternal, not even the most fascinating ones… What is eternal is the Memory of those we love… »

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The Dough:

• 600 g flour
• 400 g margarine
• 200 g smetana (sour cream)
• 1 egg
• 1 egg yolk
• 1 tsp baking powder*

1. Knead all the ingredients together into a dough.
2. Leave overnight in the refrigerator.
3. Divide the dough into 7 equal portions.
4. Roll each portion out on parchment paper into a 26 cm round.
5. Bake at 180° until done.

The Apples:

• 2 cups sugar
• 1.5 l water
• 2 kg apples

1. Make a syrup from the water and sugar, adding the apple peelings (boil for 30 min.).
2. Discard the peelings, then add the apples sliced into thin rounds to the syrup.
3. Cook for another 5 minutes, then leave in the syrup overnight.
4. The next day, drain the apples through a sieve.

The Cream:

• 50 g flour
• 250 g butter
• 2 cups milk
• 1 cup sugar
• 3 egg yolks
• zest and juice of one lemon

1. Fry the flour with 80 g of butter until golden.
2. Add the milk and the sugar mixed with the egg yolks, and cook until thickened.
3. Remove from heat and allow the cream to cool.
4. Beat in the remaining butter, then add lemon zest and juice to taste.

Spread the cream over each layer of dough, then arrange the apple slices on top.

Leave the cake in the refrigerator for 24 hours. Enjoy!

* baking powder — a leavening agent for dough