Table of Contents
Key Takeaways
- Milram cake (also known as sour cream cake) is a very light and refreshing cake popular in countries such as Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Serbia.
- It’s best to bake it a day in advance, as it needs to chill thoroughly before being sliced and served.
- Even complete beginners can make it, and it’s suitable for almost any occasion — birthdays, baptisms, confirmations, or as a lovely dessert after Sunday lunch.
Mileram torta (mileramka) is one of the most beloved cakes from our region! As the name suggests, the essential ingredient in this cake is mileram, which, combined with vanilla pudding, gives the cake a silky texture after baking. The base is made of shortcrust pastry, and the top layer must include fresh or frozen fruit. Mostly it’s a mix of frozen or fresh berries (raspberries, blueberries, red currants…)
Mileram torta is very popular in Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Serbia. It seems to originate from Germany and Austria, because a quick Google search led me to recipes for Schmandkuchen – their very similar version of this cake, often made with mandarins.
It’s no wonder it’s so popular – it’s easy to prepare, light, and actually not that expensive to make. It could easily win over even those lovers of rich, chocolate cakes, from the very first bite!
Although it’s fairly simple, this cake has its tricks that you need to know to make it successfully. And I’m here to reveal them all to you because I made mileram cake so many times that I even can’t count on!
What is Mileram Exactly?
Sour cream tastes pretty great, right? Now, think of mileram as its more silky, luxurious brother that lives in the Balkans. Essentially, mileram is a dairy product with 22 to 30% milk fat, which makes it similar to sour cream, but with a key difference; it’s thick, creamy, with a smooth texture and really rich flavour, and less sour.
In everyday cooking, people use mileram in a lot of different ways; both savory and sweet recipes. You probably won’t find mileram in a typical U.S. grocery store. If I were you, I would check Eastern European stores nearby.
How to Make Mileram Cake, Step by Step
Be sure to check out the recipe card at the end of this post. It has the exact amounts of ingredients and detailed recipe instructions! I recommend using a kitchen scale and metric measurements for this recipe.
With this classic version of Mileram Cake, there’s no need to experiment much with the ingredients. Most recipes found online are very similar, if not identical to this one, simply because it works. The baking time might seem long, but any less and the cake could fall apart during slicing. So, please, stick to every step in the recipe.
1. Make a shortcrust pastry
Mix the dry ingredients, then rub in cold butter until crumbly. Add the egg and a bit of cold water, mixing just until the dough comes together. Chill if it’s too soft; otherwise, go on to the next step.
Roll out the dough on a well-floured piece of baking paper and transfer it to the springform pan. Trim any excess pastry.
2. Cook the pudding and make the mileram filling
Mix the pudding powder with a few tablespoons of cold milk until smooth and lump-free. Bring the remaining milk and sugar to a boil, then add the pudding mixture, stirring until it thickens.
Immediately after removing the pudding from the heat, vigorously stir in the sour cream to prevent lumps from forming. Spread the still-warm cream over the pastry in the tin and smooth it out.
3. Add berries and bake
4. Add cake glaze and decorate
Let the cake cool to room temperature, then pour red cake glaze over the top. Decorate with whipped cream, fresh raspberries, and mint leaves.
How to Make the Best Mileram Cake (Tips & Tricks)
- The springform pan must be well greased before adding the shortcrust pastry layer; otherwise, the dough might stick during baking. In that case, it will be hard to unlatch the pan and lift the sides without the crust falling apart (learned it the hard way).
- Butter, egg, and water should be cold before adding to the dry ingredients.
- If your kitchen is very warm and the pastry dough seems too soft, wrap it in cling film and chill it in the fridge for a while. It’ll be much easier to handle afterward.
- Is your shortcrust pastry falling apart when you’re trying to place it in the baking pan? Don’t worry—it’s practically an unwritten rule with this kind of cake. Just patch it up with your fingers and you’re good to go!
- For the best texture and flavor, I find that the cake turns out best when using mileram with 22% milk fat. Anything fattier isn’t necessary, but you could give it a try. As for the vanilla pudding powder, choose the highest quality you can. One time, I had to use a cheap one because it was the only option in the store, and it really affected the taste of the cake.
- Unpopular opinion: I think mileram cake is best when using a mix of frozen berries (raspberries, currants, blueberries, blackberries…). The top fruity layer turns out juicier because the frozen fruit releases more liquid during baking.
- Cool the cake well before slicing. To successfully remove the mileram cake from the springform pan, run a thin, sharp knife carefully along the edge between the crust and the tin all the way around. Then unlatch the pan.
- Transferring the mileram cake to a cake stand can be a bit tricky too: it’s best done with the thinnest, widest spatula you can find, to support as much of the base as possible. If you’re not confident in your cake-transferring skills, it’s totally fine to leave it in the base. I’m sure no one will mind.
Storing and Freezing the Mileram Cake
- Mileram cake should always be stored in the refrigerator due to the dairy-based filling.
- Store it in an airtight container or cover it tightly with plastic wrap or foil.
- It will keep for up to 4 days in the fridge, and actually tastes best after resting overnight.
- Also, mileram cake cannot be frozen because it will change its flavor and texture.
More Fruit Dessert Recipes
- NO-BAKE BLUEBERRY WHITE CHOCOLATE CHEESECAKE
- BLACKBERRY SWIRLED CHEESECAKE
- PISTACHIO BLUEBERRY TIRAMISU
- LEMON CURD POPPY SEED CAKE
If you try this or any other recipe from my website, let me know by tagging @foodandmoodblog on Instagram or by leaving a review here on Food & Mood.
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Mileram (Sour Cream) Cake
Equipment
- springform pan (26 cm/ 10 inch)
- Rolling Pin
- whisk
Ingredients
CRUST:
- 250 g all-purpose flour
- 100 g sugar
- 10 g vanilla sugar
- 10 g baking powder
- 80 g butter (cold)
- 1 egg (M size)
- 1-2 tbsp water (ice cold)
FILLING:
- 500 ml milk
- 80 g bourbon vanilla pudding powder
- 180 g sugar
- 800 g mileram (or fattier sour cream)
FRUIT:
- 500 g berries (frozen or fresh)
- 250 ml red cake glaze (I use the Dr.Oetker or Dolcela brand)
DECORATION:
- 100 g whipped cream
- 100 g raspberries (fresh)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 170°C (338°F). Grease the bottom and sides of the springform pan well with butter, then set it aside.
- In a bowl, combine the flour, both types of sugar, and baking powder. Then add the cold butter, cut into cubes, and rub it into the flour mixture until you get a crumbly texture, similar to sand. Add the egg and 1–2 tablespoons of ice-cold water. You don’t need to knead the dough for long, just enough to bring everything into a compact ball. If the dough is very soft, put it in the fridge to firm up. If not, continue with the preparation.
- Roll out the dough on a well-floured piece of baking paper. Transfer the dough to the baking pan. I usually do this using a rolling pin. It may crack here and there; this is expected to happen. Patch it up with your fingers and press it in well. Trim off any excess dough hanging over the edges.
- Mix the pudding powder with a few tablespoons of cold milk until smooth and lump-free. Bring the rest of the milk together with the sugar to a boil, then add the pudding mixture. Cook until it thickens.
- Immediately after removing the pudding from the heat, vigorously stir in the sour cream (mileram) to prevent lumps from forming. Spread the still-warm cream over the pastry and smooth the surface.
- Next, add the fruit on top of the cream. If you’re using frozen berries, there’s no need to defrost them first.
- Bake the mileram cake in the preheated oven, on the middle rack, for 70 minutes.
- After baking, the center will still be wobbly, like cheesecake. That’s normal! It will firm up as it cools. Let the cake cool to room temperature, then pour red cake glaze over the top.
- Refrigerate the cake for several hours, ideally overnight. The next day, carefully remove it from the springform pan and decorate as desired. I used whipped cream, fresh raspberries, and mint leaves.
Nutrition
Nutritional information provided is an estimate based on ingredients data and should be used for informational purposes only. Actual nutritional content may vary based on factors such as portion size, preparation methods and ingredients used.
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