Chocolate pudding, moist poured batter, and delicate sour cream create an impressive dessert with a pleasant contrast of flavors. The zigzag cake is perfect as a sweet treat for family gatherings or celebrations, and thanks to grated dark chocolate, it looks beautiful even without complicated decoration.
Preparation is simple: pour warm pudding in a zigzag pattern over the raw batter and bake both layers together. After a short cooling, spread a sweet sour cream glaze on top. You can use either chocolate or cocoa pudding according to your taste—the result will be deliciously moist in both cases.
What You’ll Need
For the batter:
- 200 g granulated sugar,
- 250 g semi-coarse flour,
- 4 eggs,
- 100 ml oil,
- 100 ml lukewarm water,
- 1 packet baking powder.
For the pudding layer:
- 1 liter milk,
- 3 packets of chocolate or cocoa pudding powder,
- 6 tablespoons granulated sugar.
For the sour cream glaze:
- 2 tubs of sour cream,
- 4 tablespoons powdered sugar,
- 1 packet vanilla sugar.
For finishing:
- dark chocolate for grating.
Step-by-Step Preparation:
1. Cooking the pudding: In a pot, cook the pudding from one liter of milk, three packets of chocolate or cocoa pudding powder, and six tablespoons of granulated sugar according to the instructions on the package. Stir occasionally to prevent a skin from forming on the surface.
2. Preparing the oven and baking tray: Preheat the oven to 180°C and prepare a baking tray with high sides. The higher edge is important because you’ll be adding a warm pudding layer on top of the batter.
3. Preparing the batter: Mix the eggs with granulated sugar, oil, and lukewarm water. Add the semi-coarse flour and baking powder, and combine everything into a smooth, lump-free batter.
4. Pouring onto the tray: Pour the prepared batter into the baking tray and spread it evenly. The layer should be about the same height throughout so the cake bakes evenly.
5. Creating the zigzag pattern: Pour the still-warm chocolate or cocoa pudding in a zigzag pattern over the raw batter. There’s no need to spread it into an even layer—the irregular stripes will create the cake’s signature look.
6. Baking: Place the tray in the preheated oven and bake the cake at 180°C until golden. The exact baking time isn’t specified in the original recipe, so watch the color of the surface and adjust according to your oven.
7. Preparing the sour cream glaze: Thoroughly mix the sour cream with four tablespoons of powdered sugar and one packet of vanilla sugar. The glaze should be smooth so it can be easily spread over the entire cake.
8. Brief cooling: Remove the baked cake from the oven and let it cool for 10–15 minutes. The surface should remain warm when spreading the glaze, but not straight out of the oven.
9. Finishing: Evenly spread the sour cream glaze over the warm surface. Finally, grate dark chocolate on top, which will complement the sweet cream layer with a more intense chocolate flavor.
How to Create a Striking Zigzag Effect
Pour the pudding onto the raw batter irregularly, alternating from one side to the other. There’s no need to create a precise pattern or smooth out the pudding afterward. The varying amounts of pudding in different sections give the dessert its interesting look and blend the pudding with the batter.
Why Let the Cake Cool Briefly Before Adding the Glaze
After baking, let the cake rest for 10–15 minutes, as the original recipe suggests. Then spread the sour cream glaze over the still-warm surface. Thanks to this short wait, the cake is easier to handle and the glaze can be spread more evenly.
Final Tip
Choose chocolate or cocoa pudding according to your preference. Grate the dark chocolate only after spreading the sour cream glaze so it stays visible and creates a simple decoration. Serve the finished cake sliced so that the irregular combination of batter and pudding stands out in each piece.
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