Soured cream

Used in 21 recipes on RecipeWiki.

Soured cream is cream thickened and soured with lactic acid bacteria, giving a smooth, tangy richness. This page covers it in several forms, including the full-fat version standing in for Russian smetana, and served with jam alongside pancakes. In baking, it adds moisture and a gentle acidity. It is part of the batter and filling of Baked Vanilla Cheesecake and the layered honey cake Medovik, and it is the base of Smetannik, a cake named after it. At the table, it is spooned onto Blini and Syrniki. Use full-fat soured cream in baking, because lower-fat versions can make the result watery.

What else can I make with it?

Most often cooked with

Recipes with soured cream

Baked Vanilla Cheesecake — shot from directly overhead: a dense baked cheesecake on a biscuit base

Baked Vanilla Cheesecake

A dense baked cheesecake on a biscuit base, cooled slowly in the switched-off oven and chilled overnight so the top does not crack.

7 hr 55 minServes 12

AmericanCheeseDesserts

Banana Bread shot from directly overhead, a true flat lay

Banana Bread

Blackened bananas mashed into a soured-cream batter and baked low, so the crumb stays damp and the sugar-heavy crust does not burn before the middle sets.

1 hr 15 minServes 10

AmericanBakingBreakfast

Beef Stroganoff — shot from directly overhead, the table surface filling the frame

Beef Stroganoff

Strips of beef seared fast and finished in a soured-cream and mustard sauce that is warmed through rather than boiled.

BeefMain coursesRussian

Blini — shot from directly overhead: thin yeasted pancakes of buckwheat and wheat flour

Blini

Thin yeasted pancakes of buckwheat and wheat flour, cooked in a hot pan and served with soured cream, butter or salted fish.

1 hr 45 minServes 4

BreakfastPescatarianRussian

Borscht — shot from directly overhead: beetroot and cabbage soup built on beef broth

Borscht

Beetroot and cabbage soup built on beef broth, with the grated beetroot added late and with acid so it stays red.

3 hr 35 minServes 6

Leafy greensPotatoesRussian

Buckwheat Kasha with Mushrooms — shot from directly overhead: buckwheat toasted dry

Buckwheat Kasha with Mushrooms

Buckwheat toasted dry, then cooked pilaf-style with onion and mushrooms so the grains stay separate.

Main coursesRussianVegetarian

Golubtsy — shot from directly overhead: cabbage leaves rolled around seasoned mince and rice

Golubtsy

Cabbage leaves rolled around seasoned mince and rice, then braised slowly in tomato and soured cream.

2 hr 30 minServes 4

Leafy greensMain coursesRussian

Medovik — shot from directly overhead: honey layer cake of thin baked discs

Medovik

Honey layer cake of thin baked discs, filled with soured cream and left overnight until the layers soften into cake.

10 hr 40 minServes 12

DessertsRussianVegetarian

Mushroom and Barley Soup — shot from directly overhead: dried mushrooms soaked and their soaking liquor used as the stock

Mushroom and Barley Soup

Dried mushrooms soaked and their soaking liquor used as the stock, with pearl barley cooked in it until the pot turns thick.

2 hr 35 minServes 6

PolishPotatoesSoups

Mushroom Julienne — shot from directly overhead: mushrooms baked in a bechamel-style sauce under grated cheese

Mushroom Julienne

Mushrooms baked in a bechamel-style sauce under grated cheese, in individual dishes, browned under the grill.

CheeseMain coursesRussian

Okroshka — shot from directly overhead: a cold soup of raw vegetables

Okroshka

A cold soup of raw vegetables, ham and egg poured with sour kvass at the table, so nothing in the bowl goes soft.

PotatoesRussianSoups

Oladyi — shot from directly overhead: small thick pancakes raised with kefir and bicarbonate of soda

Oladyi

Small thick pancakes raised with kefir and bicarbonate of soda, fried in a shallow film of oil until the edges set crisp.

BreakfastRussianVegetarian

Pelmeni — shot from directly overhead: small meat dumplings in thin dough

Pelmeni

Small meat dumplings in thin dough, boiled until they float and served with smetana or with butter and vinegar.

2 hr 12 minServes 4

Main coursesRussianYoghurt

Rassolnik — shot from directly overhead: barley and pickled cucumber soup

Rassolnik

Barley and pickled cucumber soup, sharpened at the end with the pickle brine itself rather than with vinegar.

2 hr 55 minServes 6

PotatoesRussianSoups

Shchi — shot from directly overhead: cabbage soup simmered in meat broth

Shchi

Cabbage soup simmered in meat broth, made sour with sauerkraut in winter and with fresh cabbage in summer.

3 hr 30 minServes 6

PotatoesRussianSoups

Smetannik — shot from directly overhead, the table surface filling the frame

Smetannik

Soft honey-scented sponge layers stacked with a whipped soured cream filling and left overnight to soften.

9 hr 35 minServes 12

DessertsRussianVegetarian

Solyanka — shot from directly overhead: a thick sour-salty soup of mixed cured meats

Solyanka

A thick sour-salty soup of mixed cured meats, brined cucumbers, olives and lemon, built on their brine as much as stock.

1 hr 10 minServes 6

RussianSoupsTomatoes

Syrniki — shot from directly overhead: fried curd-cheese fritters made from drained tvorog

Syrniki

Fried curd-cheese fritters made from drained tvorog, crisp at the edge and soft in the middle, eaten with soured cream.

3 hr 5 minServes 4

BreakfastCheeseRussian

Vareniki — shot from directly overhead: larger Ukrainian dumplings filled with potato and fried onion or with sweetened curd

Vareniki

Larger Ukrainian dumplings filled with potato and fried onion or with sweetened curd, boiled and dressed in butter.

1 hr 55 minServes 4

Main coursesPotatoesRussian

Zapekanka — shot from directly overhead: curd cheese baked with semolina

Zapekanka

Curd cheese baked with semolina, egg and raisins into a light set pudding, eaten warm with soured cream.

1 hr 25 minServes 6

BreakfastRussianVegetarian

Zharkoye — shot from directly overhead, the table surface filling the frame

Zharkoye

Beef, potato and root vegetables braised slowly in one pot until the meat pulls apart under a fork.

3 hr 15 minServes 4

Main coursesPotatoesRussian