No. 3114 — Editorial Note: Plyatski and Coloured Sugar Decorations

Plyatski are cakes somewhat like mazureks, but thicker and less dry. Once risen on a baking sheet, brush with egg and sprinkle with sugar, currants, almonds and cinnamon. Bake in buttered paper moulds, and leave in the mould until slightly cool.

For a home decoration, bake on a large sheet of paper, then cut into oblongs or squares about 4 vershoks long. Cut some squares diagonally into triangles. Cover them with white icing as described in the cake section, then sprinkle all over, or in separate clusters, with pink and yellow sugar.

Pink sugar: pound and sift sugar. Use the large crystals left in the sieve and slightly moisten them with a beautiful pink cochineal colouring; stir until tinted. Once barely dry, spread over a plate to prevent lumps. Red gelatine dissolved in water may be used instead of cochineal colouring.

Yellow sugar: proceed exactly as for pink sugar, but use saffron infused in a small glass of vodka and strained rather than cochineal colouring.

For these plyatski and mazureks, make little paper boxes and sew ruffles of white and pink tissue paper along the sides. Cut the paper finely with scissors and curl each strip with a penknife, as one curls feathers.

The cakes may also be decorated with small chocolate pieces, attractive stars of boiled sugar candy and coloured sugar beans made from the same tragacanth paste. Dip them in turn into a thick chocolate mixture cooked with water, cochineal colouring or a saffron infusion.

Other plyatski may be covered lightly with thick preserve syrup boiled with gelatine, then sprinkled generously with finely chopped peeled almonds, walnuts or coconut.